Legally Defensible Notes
This document must accurately reflect what was discussed, proposed, and agreed upon during an IEP meeting?
What are IEP meeting notes?
This occurs every 3 years and requires updated evaluation data.
What is a Triennial?
The initials PWN are an acronym for this.
What is Prior Written Notice?
This is the requirement for measuring student progress toward IEP goals.
What is data collection/progress monitoring?
Best practices for the timeline for scheduling a continuation/part 2 IEP.
What is within 2 weeks of opening the IEP meeting?
This is what IEP notes should NOT include.
What is opinion, subjective judgment, or biased language?
This is the legally required timeline for completing an initial special education assessment once parental consent is received (in California).
What is 60 days?
The team member that can support writing a PWN.
Who is the Program Specialist or other Special Education Administrators?
Scheduling meetings on this day is risky and not best practice.
What is the last day possible of the timeline?
These must be updated at least monthly to avoid audit findings.
What are SIRAS and Paradigm Service logs?
The main purpose of IEP notes.
What is to document discussion, collaborative decision-making, provide rationale behind decisions?
This must be tracked from the moment a parent makes a request.
What is the request date?
The timeline to respond with a PWN if necessary.
What is 15 calendar days?
This team member is responsible to ensure all service minutes are delivered and accurately documented in logs.
Who is the Case Manager?
Progress reports are due on this timeline.
What is at every annual IEP and trimesterly with Report Cards?
This must be documented in the IEP notes if a meeting is continued.
What is the reason for continuation?
This must be provided within 15 days after a referral for assessment.
What is an Assessment Plan or a PWN?
What are a disagreement or denial of a parent request for anything IEP-related OR prior to proposed changes to a student's program?
The site's response when a parent requests an IEE.
What is forward to the Director of Special Education and Site Program Specialist ASAP?
The acceptable amount of time an IEP can remain open in SIRAS after the meeting has been held,
What is 2 weeks?
This is frequently left out of IEP notes, causing compliance issues at the state level.
What is documentation of parent input in decisions of the IEP team?
The expected timeline for sending a Meeting Notice to parent.
What is at least 10 days prior to scheduled IEP meeting?
The main components that must be included in order to have a legally compliant PWN.
What are the description of the action proposed or refused, explanation of why the action is being taken or refused, description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report used, and description of other options considered and why they were rejected?
The number of times a Case Manager has to attempt contact with a parent for the purpose of scheduling an IEP before it can be held without parent.
What is...there isn't one?
The district procedure used when considering significant shifts in a student's educational programming.
What is an Educational Process Review (EPR)?