What if I’m not getting IEP progress reports?

Your child’s IEP has to say when you’ll get progress reports, often with report cards. If one is overdue, ask the case manager in writing for the missing report and its data. You can also ask to see the records, which the school must let you inspect before any IEP meeting, and never more than 45 days after you ask.

What to do

Find the part of the IEP that says when progress will be reported — often quarterly or alongside report cards.
34 CFR § 300.320(a)(3)(ii)
Email the case manager asking for any report that is overdue, naming the reporting date the IEP gives.
Ask for the data behind each report — the probes, work samples, or logs — not only a summary word like “progressing.”
34 CFR § 300.613
If the reports show little movement, ask for a meeting to revise the goals or the services behind them.
34 CFR § 300.324(b)(1)(ii)(A)

What the law says

The IEP must describe when periodic reports on your child’s progress toward the annual goals will be provided, such as quarterly or together with report cards.
34 CFR § 300.320(a)(3)(ii)
The IEP must also describe how progress toward each annual goal will be measured.
34 CFR § 300.320(a)(3)(i)
You can inspect and review your child’s education records. The school must respond without unnecessary delay, before any IEP meeting, and never more than 45 days after your request.
34 CFR § 300.613(a)
The IEP team must review the IEP at least once a year and revise it as appropriate when your child is not making the expected progress.
34 CFR § 300.324(b)(1)
After the annual meeting, you and the school can agree to amend the IEP in writing — including its reporting schedule — without a full meeting.
34 CFR § 300.324(a)(4)

Ready to put it in writing? The letter tool's “Progress Report Request” template is written for this.

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Common questions

The report just says “progressing.” Is that enough?

It tells you very little on its own. A useful progress report connects to the measure named in the goal — a score, a count, a percentage — so you can see the number moving. Asking for the data points behind the word is a fair and common request.

Can I get progress updates more often than the IEP says?

You can ask, and many teachers will share data informally between reports. If more frequent reporting would really help your child, ask the team to write a different schedule into the IEP, at the next meeting or by amendment.

What if there have been no progress reports at all this year?

Put the gap in writing: list the dates the IEP promised and the reports you did not receive, and ask when they will arrive. If that does not resolve it, your state’s parent training center can help you decide on a next step.