IEP Annual Review Checklist
The IEP team reviews your child's IEP at least once a year. This checklist covers what to gather beforehand, what to check in the current plan, and what to confirm before you sign the new one.
Before the meeting
Most of the work happens here. Everything below can be done with the documents you already have.
Gather the current IEP and the latest progress reports
You need the IEP that is in force today plus the most recent progress reporting on each goal. The progress reports are what turn "the goal exists" into "the goal is working" — without them the review is a conversation about intentions.
Check that every goal is measurable
A goal you cannot measure is a goal nobody can be held to. Each one needs a baseline (where the child is now), a target, and how progress gets measured. Vague goals are the most common thing worth raising at an annual review.
Check a goal for free →Compare services on paper against services delivered
Read the services grid — minutes, frequency, and who delivers each service — and compare it to what actually happened this year. Differences between the two are worth writing down before the meeting, while you still have the documents in front of you.
Write down your concerns before you walk in
Concerns raised in the room get answered in the room, so write yours down while you still have the documents in front of you. Note the specific goal, service, or accommodation each one attaches to, so the discussion stays concrete. Anything that surfaces later is not stuck until the next review — you can request a meeting at any time.
Have the whole IEP checked →Put any request for records or an evaluation in writing
Requests made in writing are dated and traceable in a way that a hallway conversation is not. If you want records, an evaluation, or a meeting scheduled, send it in writing before the review.
See how the letter tool works →Prepare the questions you want answered
Go in with a short list tied to your child’s actual goals and services rather than a generic list. Knowing your two or three most important questions matters more than having twenty.
Prepare for the meeting →
At the meeting
Ask for the reasoning behind each proposed change
When a goal, service, or placement changes, ask what data supports the change. The answer belongs in the meeting notes either way.
Ask what happens if a goal is not met
An annual review is the moment to ask what the team will do differently for any goal that was not met this year — before the same goal is rolled forward unchanged.
Before you sign
Read the draft before you sign it
The document that governs the next year is the written one, not the conversation. Read what was actually written down and confirm it matches what the team agreed to.
Keep a dated copy
Keep the signed IEP together with the progress reports and any written requests. That file is what makes next year’s review straightforward.
This checklist is about process, not legal advice. For the federal rights that apply at every annual review, read know your rights, and for your state's parent training center and complaint process, see your state's resources.
Start with the goals.
Paste one goal from the current IEP and find out in seconds whether it is measurable enough to hold anyone to. No account needed.
Check a Goal — Free