Link to original source for the steps in the IEP process can be found here.
The formation of an individualized program involves seven steps, beginning with pre-referral and ending with evaluation of a youngster's program. These steps include:
Pre-referral
Referral
Identification
Eligibility
Development of the IEP
Implementation of the IEP
Evaluation and reviews
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Step 1. Pre-Referral
The IEP process is initiated through a series of pre-referral interventions. The interventions implemented vary depending on the kind of problem the student is exhibiting. The major purposes of this stage of the IEP process are to
Document and explain students' difficulties and challenges
Test the effectiveness of classroom accommodations and modifications
Assess the power of various instructional interventions
Pre-referral activities are employed to screen students before more formal identification procedures are implemented. In general, before any formal referral to special education is made, teachers and family members work together to see whether educational or behavioral difficulties can be resolved in the general education classroom. General education teachers receive both assistance and consultation from specialists. Students whose learning remains challenged are referred to special education and the next step of the IEP process.
Step 2. Referral
If pre-referral interventions are unsuccessful, an individual is referred for special education services. Referrals can come from many different sources including: parents, social service agency, public health nurses, day care professions, a doctor, or educational teacher. Young children who are at risk of having disabilities because of improper prenatal care, low birth weight, accident or trauma during infancy, or child abuse are referred for special services. Also, those with visible indications of a disability (e.g., a missing arm or leg, facial differences resulting from Down syndrome) or other signals of significant developmental delay (e.g., an 18-month-old not walking independently or a three-year-old not talking) are usually identified early and receive early intervention services during infancy or their preschool years. Typically, the referral process begins sooner for children with severe disabilities, because their disabilities are obvious at birth or during infancy. As children grow older, other signs often trigger referrals. For example, a toddler who is not walking by age two and a preschooler not talking by age three are both candidates for early referrals. As children get older, reasons for referrals change as well; students whose academic performance is significantly behind that of their classmates or who continually misbehave and disrupt the learning environment often draw the attention of their teachers.
Step 3. Identification
The purpose of this step in the IEP process is to determine whether a student/child has a disability, whether special education is required, and what types of services are needed. Evaluations are conducted by multidisciplinary teams made up of professionals who have expertise in each area of concern. Each member helps to evaluate the student's unique strengths and needs.
Medical history, information about social interactions at school and at home, adaptive behavior in the community, educational performance, and other relevant factors are considered. One result of the evaluation step of the IEP process can be determination that the individual does not have a disability. In these instances, the IEP process is discontinued. For those individuals who do have disabilities, this phase of the process results in a baseline of performance that guides the development of the individualized program plan and later will help evaluate the program's effectiveness.
Step 4. Eligibility
The information from the assessment step is used to identify students who actually have a disability and qualify for special education services. For those students, the IEP committee then determines what components of the full range of special education and related services are needed so that an appropriate education can be planned for and ultimately delivered. The education of those students who do not meet the eligibility requirements remains the responsibility of general educators.
Step 5. Development of the IEP
After thorough completion of the pre-referral, referral, evaluation, and eligibility steps of the IEP process, it is time to develop the actual individualized program plan. For those students who qualify for special education, the next step requires that parents and the IEP Team make decisions about appropriate education, services, and placement. It is at this point that the IEP Team begins its work to outline the individualized education needed by the student of concern. Collectively, the team members—including parents and the individual (if appropriate)—now use the knowledge they have gained to identify resources needed for that student to access the general education curriculum, determine the appropriate goals for that individual, and then turn all of that knowledge into a good educational program for the student. Of course, goals must reflect having greater success with the general education curriculum or preparing for independence and a community presence later in life. Now is the time when the constellation of services and supports that become part of the student's appropriate education are determined.
Step 6. Implementation of the IEP
The IEP now lays out what constitutes an appropriate education for the student, the extent to which the student participates in the general education curriculum, the accommodations the student receives both for instruction and for testing, and the array of multidisciplinary services from related service providers that support the student's educational program. Minor adjustments in students' goals or in the benchmarks that indicate their attainment do not signal a need for a new IEP or another IEP meeting. Services continue. However, major changes in goals, services, or placement do require parents to be notified in writing.
Step 7. Evaluation and Reviews
IEP's are reviewed annually. The purpose of the IEP review meetings is to ensure that students are meeting their goals and making educational progress. Because accountability measures determine whether the student is making progress, educators are careful to describe expectations for tasks and skills the student needs to learn in terms that can be evaluated.