Written by Lurie NOW – February 2024 Understanding the New IEP Form in Massachusetts.

The majority of students in Massachusetts with autism spectrum disorder or a related neurodevelopmental condition have an Individualized Education Plan.

The precise educational services and accommodations that a student with special needs is entitled to receive are outlined in an IEP, which is a legally enforceable document. The purpose of the IEP is to meet each student's specific learning requirements and guarantee that they all have an equal chance at receiving a quality education.

All students who need special education services have their special education goals and programming planned and guided by a revised IEP form, which has been updated by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for the first time in 20 years. 

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has updated its suite of IEP resources For the first time in 20 years. It includes a revised IEP form which is used to plan and guide special education goals and programming for all students who require special education services. In this article we will highlight changes to the IEP form. We would like to note that DESE is still reviewing the IEP form, and it is anticipated to become mandatory across the state in fall 2024. However, some districts are rolling it out sooner.

This update to the IEP from has been almost 10 years in the making. The revamp was led by the State Department of Education, including input from teachers, administrators, and advocates. For years, stakeholders from all sides have agreed that the IEP form needed updating, and particularly that the old form was too focused on deficits. As a Special Education Advocate in Massachusetts for the past twenty two years, I often tell parts to prepare for their child’s IEP meeting including a photo of their child and talk about their vision separate from their vision as parents.

In addition, many people felt that more could be done to meet the spirit of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a Federal law, which among other things, encourages collaborative discussions between students, parents, and school staff. What is different about the new form? The new IEP form captures the student's individual profile with more specificity than before, including attributes like a student's diagnosed disabilities, their English learner status, their language-related needs, and their need for assistive technology, if applicable. While much of this information was incorporated in the previous form in various ways, it is now featured prominently at the start of the form, keeping the student’s unique profile front and center.

While some sections of the IEP remain largely unchanged, there are some key updates, including: LurieNOW – February 2024 Increased emphasis on student participation.

The new form encourages student participation more prominently. Even at the early elementary level, students are involved in creating a vision statement, that is, their learning goals.

Many students will require some assistance in developing their vision statement. This might be in the form of assistance from a teacher, a school counselor, or another service provider. I was in a team meeting the other day for a child who is nine, non-verbal and is not able to attend for more than five seconds. The meeting was to discuss the lack of progress the child is making in the district’s program and how he needs an alternative placement. The team chair asked if we wanted the child at the next team meeting, and I said absolutely! It's important to see the child in the meeting. And remind everyone why we are meeting, and to keep the focus on the child, and all of their unique needs.

The form does not specify how non-speaking or minimally verbal students will participate in this process, so parents and caregivers may need to advocate for the best way to include their child in the process.

Additional specificity and structure throughout the form. The previous form had openended narrative sections at the beginning. Some school teams were thoughtful and comprehensive, but not all teams included sufficient information in these sections.

In contrast, the new form prompts teams to provide detailed and specific information.

Consistent inclusion of autism-specific questions. The new form includes a number of autism-specific questions and sections that are now required for students with ASD. This includes special considerations including the impact of the student’s ASD on progress in the general education curriculum, the need for positive behavioral interventions, and needs related to verbal and nonverbal communication, including Assistive Technology and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) supports.

Greater emphasis on the needs of English language learners. The new IEP form includes a specific section to identify English language learners and to describe their English Learner Education program, English as a Second Language services, and progress toward specific proficiency benchmarks.

There is also a specific question to outline how the student’s language needs relate to their IEP. Bullying is handled prominently and in more detail. The new IEP form includes a specific section to outline the disability-related skills and proficiencies that a student needs to avoid and respond to bullying. It also requires the team to describe how these specific needs will be addressed in the IEP. This section emphasizes skill building and is required for all students with autism. Detailed documentation of the need for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.

The new IEP form includes not only if a student requires the use of AAC, but now more details about when and where the student requires AAC supports, who Lurie NOW – February 2024 requires training and/or technical assistance to use the AAC device, and where AAC related needs will be addressed in the IEP form. Typically this is something that is scanned by quickly and teams would usually say things like “that is only for more severe special needs students”. The new form guides the team to fully consider all types of technology support for students from high to low needs. 

More robust “Accommodations and Modifications” section. The new IEP form includes a more detailed table format requiring accommodations and modifications to be listed with more structure and specificity than the old form. This includes an opportunity to include much more specific information about when and how accommodations and modifications are required.

More detailed transition planning. The new IEP form includes much more specificity around postsecondary transition, including current performance, strengths, interests, and preferences, and impact of disability. It breaks this information down across education, employment, and community experience/independent living, providing much more structure and specificity. o Less detail on general education participation.

The new IEP form no longer includes inclusion designations by the percentage of time that a student is in a general education setting. Because percent designations are no longer detailed, parents and caregivers will want to ensure the narrative description provides a sufficiently detailed verbal description of how much a child will be in the general education setting versus other, more restrictive settings.

The Service delivery grid is now divided into two sections. Although the general format and information remains consistent with the old form, the new IEP form now divides the service delivery grid into two sections: 1) standard school year and 2) extended school year services. o Parents and caregivers are critical participants in the creation of an IEP. Finally, the new IEP form includes several specific areas for parent and caregiver contributions. This includes specific input in the “Student and Parent Concerns” section, opportunities to Lurie NOW –

Having extended school year on the grid has been something I have had to fight hard for over the years. This has always been something that was supposed to be on the grid, however many districts would put it under additional information or simply check the box that the child was eligible for extended school year and not include specific details about what services were being offered. 

February 2024 share information in the autism-specific questions, and an additional “Parent Comment” in the IEP response section. The new IEP form is available now on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.

Looking forward to working together to get all of the support and services your child requires to make progress.

Maureen Brown, Education Consultant in Massachusetts