Samantha Carvin just finished her freshman year of high school at Westshore Junior & Senior High School, but school hasn’t always been easy for her.
By the time she was in second grade, her teacher at Brevard knew she was struggling with reading and suspected she might have dyslexia, a learning disability that affects the ability to read and affects about 20 percent of the population, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
It wasn’t until October of her third grade that she began receiving support through her IEP (Individualized Education Program).
The process of getting an IEP can be long and involve many people. Here we explain why a student needs an IEP and what is required to get one.
What is an IEP?
According to the Florida Department of Health, an IEP is a document that “ensures agreed-upon and documented necessary supports and services” for a child with a disability, including the child’s current level of academic achievement, goals, and any special education and related services needed.
Who is eligible for an IEP?
Florida students with disabilities in kindergarten through grade 12 are covered by an IEP. According to the state Department of Education, these students typically receive support through their school district’s Florida Exceptional Student Education Program, which serves students with a variety of disabilities, including autism, traumatic brain injury, speech, vision, language and intellectual disabilities.
According to the Florida Department of Education, 599,273 students in Florida are classified as “exceptional students” for the 2023-2024 school year. This is about 20.48% of the 2,872,309 students enrolled in public schools in the 2023-2024 school year. That same year, Brevard has 18,541 exception students, which is just over 25% of all students enrolled in Space Coast public schools.
How do students get their IEPs?
For some students, disabilities may be identified and diagnosed before they even enter school, while for others, teachers discover that the student is struggling in a particular area.
Regardless of when a disability is identified, an IEP typically requires collaboration with multiple people within the family and the school district, and the development process can be lengthy.
The team that creates the documentation includes:
General education teachers, special education teachers, people who can interpret the results of evaluations the child has received, representatives of the school system familiar with special education services, representatives of transition service agencies, people who know the child, people invited by the parents, children who have an IEP
Once an IEP is written, it is reviewed at least annually, and according to Florida law, a school district cannot make changes to an IEP without consulting the parent or guardian.
Finch Walker is an education reporter for Florida Today. Contact Walker at [email protected]. @_Finch Walker.