IEP Progress Report: Requirements, Codes and Comment Examples

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

An IEP progress report is the periodic written report that tells parents how their child is progressing toward each measurable annual goal in the IEP, on the schedule the IEP itself sets. It is required by IDEA, but its format is left to states and districts. This guide covers the federal requirement, what a strong report contains, progress codes, 12 original comment examples by status, how to turn data into a short narrative, when a lack of progress requires revising the IEP, and a template outline you can adapt.

Executive Summary

Each IEP written for the 8.2 million students served under IDEA in 2024-25 must say when parents will receive periodic reports on progress toward the annual goals. Federal rules stop there: in 2006, the Department of Education left “the specific manner and format” of those reports to state and local officials.

That freedom is where reports go wrong. Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) warns against reports that use only codes, and the Department’s Endrew F. Q&A connects periodic reporting to the team’s duty to revise the IEP when a student is not making expected progress. A report that says “progressing” without a number informs no one.

What Is an IEP Progress Report?

An IEP progress report is a written update, goal by goal, on how far a student has moved toward each annual goal, using the measurement method the IEP names.

It is not the report card. A grade summarizes performance in a course; the progress report answers a narrower question for each goal: at the current rate, will the student reach the criterion by the annual review? It is also not progress monitoring itself. Monitoring is the frequent collection and graphing of data, covered in IEP data collection sheets; the report summarizes that data for the family at set times.

What IDEA Requires for IEP Progress Reports

Every IEP must include a description of how progress toward the annual goals “will be measured” and “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” (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)).

In the 2006 regulations, the Department explained that “the Act does not require report cards or quarterly report cards”; they are examples. “The specific times that progress reports are provided to parents and the specific manner and format in which a child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals is reported is best left to State and local officials to determine” (71 Fed. Reg. 46664-46665). Commenters had asked to keep the earlier rule requiring reports to say whether progress was sufficient to meet the goals by year end; the Department declined, because the regulations cannot require IEP content beyond the Act.

• States may add rules. New York, for example, requires each annual goal to include the evaluative criteria, evaluation procedures and schedules used to measure progress (8 NYCRR 200.4(d)(2)(iii)).
• Objectives: students who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards also have benchmarks or short-term objectives (300.320(a)(2)(ii)), which reports can use as checkpoints.
• Transition goals: OSPI’s guidance asks for progress on each goal, including goals that support postsecondary goals.

The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) sums it up: states and districts have discretion over the specific content of the periodic reports, so start with your state’s guidance and your district’s form.

How Often Are IEP Progress Reports Sent?

As often as the IEP says. Many IEPs tie reports to the report card schedule, often quarterly, but OSPI’s Tips on Progress Reporting (updated 2018) notes that teams may report more often, and that districts should be able to document when and how each report was provided. Whatever the schedule, the data behind it should be collected far more often than reports go home.

What a Strong IEP Progress Report Contains

OSPI’s tip sheet asks for “actual information/data as stated in the goal,” including “starting and ending data points for that grading period,” the instructional changes made and why, and an explanation of any significant increase or decrease.

IEP Progress Report Codes

Many districts use short status codes. OSPI advises avoiding codes alone (“1, 2, 3, 4, SP, NP, MP”); if codes are used, include the data in an accompanying narrative. The set below is an original example; use your district’s codes and definitions.

The IRIS Center’s brief on monitoring progress toward IEP goals gives a simple rule for choosing between ON and IP: once at least six data points are collected, compare the four most recent with the goal line.

IEP Progress Report Comments: 12 Examples by Status

These comments are original examples about fictional students. Adapt the wording and replace every number with your student’s data.

Goal Met

1. “Diego met his goal. On the last three monthly checks he completed all 8 steps of the lunch routine independently, up from 3 steps in September. The team will propose a new goal on paying for lunch with a debit card.”
2. “Priya met her writing goal early, scoring 3 or 4 on the paragraph rubric in 5 of her last 5 samples. We will contact you to schedule an IEP meeting to set a more ambitious goal for the rest of the year.”

On Track to Meet the Goal

3. “Maya read a median of 59 words correct per minute with 92% accuracy on her last three weekly probes, up from her baseline of 48. Her goal line for this week is 57, so she is on track to reach 85 by October 2027.”
4. “Jordan was engaged during independent work in 64% of observed intervals this quarter, up from 42%, close to his goal line. His self-monitoring card was added in November and his data rose after it.”
5. “Kofi now asks a peer to join a game at recess on 3 of 5 observed days, up from 0. He is on track for his goal of 4 of 5 days. Practice continues twice a week with a trained peer.”

Progress, but Not Enough to Meet the Goal

6. “Lena now answers 13 of 20 multiplication facts in 2 minutes, up from 9, but she needs 18 by May and her last four probes are below the goal line. On January 12 we added daily 5-minute fact practice with immediate feedback.”
7. “Theo includes the problem and solution in 5 of 10 story retells, up from 2. That rate will not reach 8 of 10 by spring, so the SLP has added a visual story map and will review his data with you in four weeks.”
8. “Ana started 4 conversations with peers over eight observed lunches, up from 1, short of her goal line. We propose an IEP meeting to discuss adding a weekly lunch group with two trained peers.”

Not Making Progress

9. “Eli recorded his assignments on 1 of 5 days in each of the last four weekly checks, the same as his baseline. Daily check-out started late because of a staffing change. We will start it Monday and invite you to meet within 30 days if data do not improve.”
10. “Sam’s score on the hygiene routine checklist dropped from 6 of 10 steps to 4 after three weeks of absence. Instruction resumed on March 3; we will graph weekly and share results with you every two weeks until he regains his baseline.”

Not Yet Introduced

11. “Instruction on the keyboarding goal begins on November 18, after the device arrives. Kayla’s baseline is 12 correct words per minute; the first data will appear in the next report.”
12. “The bus-route goal will start in the spring semester, as planned in the IEP, when community instruction begins. Classroom practice with route maps starts in January.”

How to Turn Progress Data Into a Narrative

1. Open the graph, not your memory. Use the data sheet and goal line for each goal.
2. Write the numbers in the goal’s units: baseline, start and end of the period.
3. Name the status by comparing recent points with the goal line.
4. Explain any change in instruction, attendance or services, with dates.
5. State the next step and, when needed, propose a meeting.
6. Read it as a parent would. Replace jargon such as “baseline” or “probe” with plain words where you can, and avoid comments that could fit any student.

Start from the measurable goal itself; if the goal is too vague to report on, OSPI suggests the “stranger test”: could someone unfamiliar with the IEP measure it and judge the progress? See the complete guide to IEP goals and our IEP example for a goal written to be reported.

When Progress Is Not Enough: Revising the IEP

The IEP team must review the IEP “periodically, but not less than annually,” and revise it, as appropriate, to address “any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals” (34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)).

• Endrew F.: the Supreme Court’s 2017 standard requires an IEP “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.” The Department’s Q&A on Endrew F. (December 2017) says that when a child is not making expected progress, the team “must revise, as appropriate, the IEP to address the lack of progress,” may meet during the year, and should use the periodic progress reports to keep parents informed; parents may request a meeting at any time.
• Do not wait for the annual review. OSPI’s tip sheet says a district must convene the IEP team when a student fails to make progress within a reasonable period, and warns that goals repeated from year to year may signal a problem.
• Small changes: after the annual meeting, the parent and district may agree to amend the IEP in a written document without a meeting, and the team must be informed (34 CFR 300.324(a)(4)).
• Faster than expected: IRIS notes the team may need to reconvene to keep the goal challenging and ambitious.

How to run that meeting is covered in our IEP meeting guide. Progress data also feed decisions such as extended school year services.

IEP Progress Report Template

An outline to adapt to your district’s form:

Funding and Staffing

Progress reports cost staff time more than money. The IRIS brief asks administrators to put a data collection schedule in place and to make sure the educators collecting data are trained to use the measure. That time is scarce: 45 states reported special education teacher shortages in 2024-25 (Learning Policy Institute, 2026). Graphs updated weekly turn report writing into a short summary rather than a reconstruction.

Common Mistakes District Leaders Make

1. Codes without data. “SP” tells a parent nothing about size or direction.
2. “Progressing” on every goal, including goals with flat data.
3. Writing reports from memory the week they are due.
4. Copying last period’s comment with a new date.
5. Reporting on goals no one taught without saying so and when instruction starts.
6. No record of delivery, so the district cannot show the IEP schedule was kept.
7. Reporting insufficient progress twice without proposing a meeting or a change.

Questions District Leaders Should Ask

• What share of last quarter’s reports included data for every goal?
• How many goals were reported as insufficient progress twice in a row, and how many led to a meeting?
• Can we prove each report was sent on the IEP’s schedule?
• Do families understand our codes, and have we asked them?
• How many goals were met early and raised during the year?

Frequently Asked Questions

What does IEP status mean?

There is no federal definition. On a progress report, status usually means the code that summarizes where the student stands on a goal, such as met, on track, insufficient progress, no progress or not yet introduced. In a student record it can also mean whether the IEP is current: an IEP must be in effect at the start of each school year and reviewed at least annually.

What does progress report mean in school?

In general education, a progress report is usually an interim update on grades between report cards. For a student with an IEP, the IEP progress report is different: it reports, goal by goal, how the student is progressing toward each measurable annual goal, on the schedule the IEP states, using the measurement method the IEP names.

What is IEP progress monitoring?

It is the frequent, scheduled collection of data on each IEP goal, using a tool that directly measures the goal’s skill, plotted on a graph with a goal line so the team can see early whether instruction is working. The IRIS Center suggests collecting data regularly, for example every two weeks or monthly. Formats are in our IEP data collection sheets guide.

How to write remarks in a progress report?

Give the data in the goal’s own units, compare it with where the student started and with the goal line, name the status, say what changed in instruction and why, and state the next step. Keep it to two to four sentences in plain language, and make sure the remark could only describe this student.

How often are IEP progress reports needed?

As often as the IEP says. IDEA requires the IEP to state when periodic reports will be provided and gives quarterly reports or reports issued with report cards as examples, but it does not set a frequency. State rules or district policy may add requirements, and teams can choose to report more often.

Can AI help write IEP progress report comments?

An AI tool can turn a teacher’s notes and numbers into a clear, plain-language draft, or check a draft against the elements above. Remove the student’s name and other identifying details first, use only district-approved tools, and check every number against the data sheet before the report goes home. See the ChatGPT for teachers guide.

Related Resources

• IEP Data Collection Sheets
• IEP Goals: How to Write Measurable Goals
• IEP Meeting Guide
• IEP Example: A Complete Sample IEP
• PLAAFP Examples
• Extended School Year

Conclusion

An IEP progress report is a short document with a large job: it tells a family, several times a year, whether the IEP is working. Federal law sets only the schedule; the quality comes from the district. Reports built from current graphs, written in the goal’s own numbers, honest about insufficient progress and tied to a next step give parents a real view of their child’s progress and give teams an early signal to change course.

Sources: 34 CFR 300.320, Definition of individualized education program; 34 CFR 300.324, Development, review, and revision of IEP; U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Part B final regulations and analysis of comments, 71 Fed. Reg. 46540 (Aug. 14, 2006); U.S. Department of Education, Questions and Answers on Endrew F. (December 7, 2017); OSPI, Tips from the Special Education Division: Progress Reporting (updated September 2018); IRIS Center, Monitoring Student Progress Toward Meeting IEP Goals; Center for Parent Information and Resources, Measuring and Reporting Student Progress; 8 NYCRR 200.4, Procedures for referral, evaluation, IEP development, placement and review; U.S. Department of Education, OSEP, 2024-25 Static Tables (Part B Child Count & Educational Environments); Learning Policy Institute, An Overview of Teacher Shortages: 2026 (July 13, 2026).

Join the 2027 Special Education Pilot

When a progress report shows a goal falling behind, the usual fix is more practice, and more 1-on-1 time with an adult is exactly what a stretched caseload cannot add. Telo AI is being adapted for students with IEPs: patient, 1-on-1 practice aligned to each student’s IEP goals and pace, which frees teachers and aides for small-group and individual work. We are inviting districts to shape it with us in a 2027 pilot.

Apply to pilot Telo AI in your Special Education program