IDEA states that each child’s IEP must contain:
(3) A description of—
(i) How the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals described in paragraph (2) of this section will be measured; and
(ii) When periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with the issuance of report cards) will be provided…[§300.320(a)(3)]
It is first essential to have measurable IEP goals with baselines upon which progress is monitored. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents of students with disabilities should receive IEP progress reports at least as often as students without IEPs receive report cards. IEP progress reports should be sent to parents in concurrence with report cards. So parents of students with disabilities will receive both a report card and an IEP progress report.
While both a report card and IEP progress report measure your student’s progress and learning by providing important data, they are reporting on two different aspects of your child’s progress. There may be times when your student receives “passing” grades on their report cards but is not making progress on their IEP goals/objectives or your student is making progress on their IEP goal/objectives but receives a failing grade on their report card. A student’s progress or mastery toward their IEP goals is never the basis for their report card grades. It is important for parents to understand what these two different “reports of progress” provide. If you have not been receiving IEP progress reports at least as often as you receive report cards, this is a violation of your parental rights.
All students receiving special education services are required to have at least one measurable annual IEP goal. These goals are not a substitute for graded assignments or assessments linked to the general curriculum that contribute to report card grades. Report cards only give you information about how your child is performing on classroom tasks & activities, such as tests, quizzes, classwork, homework, and participation. IEP goals identify specific areas of need such as academic skills, functional skills, speech, and behavior needs in which your student will receive specially designed instruction in order to access and progress in the general curriculum.
As part of the special education process, schools are required to report on your student’s progress toward mastery of the IEP goals. The IEP team decides how often you receive the IEP progress report, however, this timing usually coincides with the time when general education report cards come out. You should see the steady improvement toward mastery of the IEP through the progress reports. This is because, if the services and supports are working, your child should be approaching mastery of the target skill over the course of the year.
The method by which progress is monitored is extremely important in insuring that accurate and appropriate progress monitoring is occurring. More specifically, the methods for measuring progress must include objective measures of the specific goal. Simply utilizing subjective measures, such as observations or grades is not sufficient to measure progress on IEP goals. Moreover, specific information must be provided regarding the methods being used to measure progress. For example, simply stating “data collection” is insufficient. Rather, the specific means by which data will be collected should be provided, such as who will be collecting the data, how the data will be collected, how often the data will be collected, and under what circumstances the data will be collected.