Free printable checklist
IEP meeting prep checklist for parents
Use this checklist to organize your observations, current evaluations, parent vision statement, accommodation questions, and follow-up steps before your child’s Individualized Education Program meeting.
HTML checklist
Four phases of IEP meeting preparation
1. 3–4 Weeks Before: Records & Data
- Review current IEP goals, progress reports, and present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP).
- Gather outside therapy evaluations (OT, Speech, PT, psychology) and medical updates.
- Collect work samples, test examples, and home behavior or sensory observation records.
- Ask your school team about its document-sharing process for evaluation reports or meeting drafts prior to the conference.
2. Parent Vision & Annual Priorities
- Draft a 1-page Parent Input Statement highlighting your child’s strengths, interests, and learning style.
- Identify top 3 priorities for this academic year (academic, social-emotional, or functional independence).
- Document strategies that work at home (visual schedules, sensory breaks, extra wait time for verbal responses).
- Note specific challenges during transitions, peer interactions, or sensory overload.
3. Accommodations & Team Discussion
- Review proposed classroom accommodations, testing modifications, and assistive technology (AT).
- Clarify related services: frequency, duration, and delivery model (push-in vs. pull-out).
- Discuss Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) or sensory supports if applicable.
- Confirm how goal progress will be measured and reported to parents.
4. Meeting Day & Post-Meeting Actions
- Bring an organized binder with extra copies of your parent statement and observation data.
- Take detailed notes during the meeting; ask for immediate clarification on unfamiliar acronyms.
- Ask the team to explain the review and signature process, and clarify any questions before signing.
- File all finalized documents and calendar future progress report dates.
Action space
Top 3 priorities for this meeting
Agreed next steps & follow-up dates
Print or save
Download the IEP meeting checklist PDF
Choose standard A4 or US Letter paper size for easy binder storage.
Optional app records
Bring factual daily logs from BrightTrace
Daily logging, child profiles, routine plans, reminders, the timeline, basic comparisons, and single-event reviews are free. The optional Insights subscription adds multi-factor comparisons, repeated-event reviews, and a PDF summary you can choose to share during special education conferences. Your family’s records stay stored locally on your device.
Organize your observations on iPhone
BrightTrace stores core records and photos on your iPhone, with no BrightTrace account or cross-device cloud sync.
