Questions to Ask in an IEP Meeting: Before, During and After

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Questions to ask in an IEP meeting are the questions a parent brings to the table so that each part of the individualized education program is explained, backed by data and agreed on in the room. Parents are required members of the IEP team, and the team must consider their concerns. This guide, written for parents and for the case managers who help them prepare, lists questions to ask before, during and after the meeting, organized by IEP section, plus questions for autism, ADHD and dyslexia, a parent checklist, what IDEA entitles parents to, and what staff can do to make the meeting work.

Executive Summary

In 2024-25, 8.2 million students ages 3 to 21 were served under IDEA. The three groups this guide addresses are large: specific learning disability, which includes dyslexia, accounted for 31% of them; other health impairment, the category that names ADHD, for 15%; and autism for another 15%, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Each of those IEPs is reviewed at least once a year in a meeting where the parent is a full team member. Good questions turn that meeting from a presentation into a shared decision, and they work best when the school expects them and sends any draft early.

Why Questions Matter in an IEP Meeting

The IEP is a written statement “developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting” (34 CFR 300.320(a)), and the team must consider “the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child” (34 CFR 300.324(a)(1)). The Department of Education’s 2006 analysis of the regulations does not encourage a draft IEP before the meeting, particularly one that would inhibit a full discussion of the child’s needs; if staff prepare one, it should be presented as “preliminary recommendations for review and discussion with the parents.” Questions are how a parent takes part in that discussion.

The rules on attendance, notice and timelines are in our IEP meeting guide; this page is about what to ask. The questions below are examples written for this guide: adapt them, keep the five or six that matter most, and send them to the case manager ahead of time. This guide describes federal rules, not legal advice, and your state may add its own.

Questions to Ask Before the IEP Meeting

• Records: Can I see my child’s records and recent evaluations before the meeting? The school must respond before any IEP meeting, and never more than 45 days after the request (34 CFR 300.613(a)).
• Draft: Will there be a draft IEP, and can I have it a few days ahead? The 2006 analysis says the school should give parents a copy of its draft proposals before the meeting.
• Purpose and attendance: What is the purpose of the meeting, and who will attend? The notice must say both (34 CFR 300.322(b)).
• Language: Can you arrange an interpreter? The school must take whatever action is necessary so the parent understands the meeting (34 CFR 300.322(e)).
• Format: Can I join by phone or video? Phone calls are named in 34 CFR 300.322(c), and parents and schools may agree to video conferences (34 CFR 300.328).
• Progress: Can I see the latest data on each goal before we meet?

Questions to Ask in an IEP Meeting, Section by Section

The order follows the contents every IEP must include under 34 CFR 300.320, which makes open questions easier to track.

Present Levels of Performance

• Data: Which assessments, work samples and observations describe where my child is now, and how recent are they?
• Effect of the disability: How does it affect my child’s progress in the general education curriculum? The IEP must say (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)).
• Strengths and home: What does my child do well, and can my observations from home be included?

Strong present levels state numbers, not impressions; see our PLAAFP examples.

Annual Goals

• Link to needs: Which need in the present levels does each goal address (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2))?
• Measurable: What exactly will my child do, under what conditions, and how well, by the next annual review?
• Ambition: Is this goal appropriately ambitious in light of my child’s circumstances? Under the Supreme Court’s standard in Endrew F., the IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances, as summarized in the Department’s December 2017 Q&A.

Progress Reporting

• Method and schedule: How will each goal be measured, and when will I receive reports? The IEP must say, for example quarterly or with report cards (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)).
• Stalled progress: What happens if my child is not on track? The team must revise the IEP, as appropriate, to address any lack of expected progress (34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)).

What a useful report contains is explained in our guide to the IEP progress report.

Services and Supports

• Who and how much: Which services and supplementary aids will my child receive, how often, where and for how long (34 CFR 300.320(a)(4) and (a)(7))?
• Delivery: Who provides each service, and what happens to minutes missed when a provider is absent?
• Method: What research supports the instruction? Services must be based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable (34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)).
• Summer: Will the team consider extended school year services, which it decides individually (34 CFR 300.106)? See extended school year.

Speech-language, counseling, OT and PT services are explained in related services in special education.

Accommodations and State Tests

• Purpose: Which barrier does each accommodation address, and is it used in class every day?
• Tests: Which accommodations will my child use on state tests? State guidelines list only those that do not invalidate the score (34 CFR 300.160(b)).
• Alternate assessment: If one is proposed, why, and how could it affect a regular diploma? States must explain those effects to IEP teams (34 CFR 300.160(d)).
• Teachers: How will every teacher know what to provide? Each must be informed (34 CFR 300.323(d)).

Our guide to IEP accommodations lists them by category.

Placement and Least Restrictive Environment

• Time with peers: How much of the day will my child spend outside the regular class, and why (34 CFR 300.320(a)(5))?
• Supports first: Which supplementary aids were considered in the regular class? Removal is allowed only when the nature or severity of the disability means education there, with those supports, cannot be achieved satisfactorily (34 CFR 300.114(a)(2)).

Behavior

• Function: What do we know about why the behavior happens, and has it been observed in more than one setting?
• Positive supports: Which positive behavioral interventions will be used, and by whom? The team must consider them when behavior impedes learning (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(i)).

Transition, From Age 16 or Earlier

• Assessments: Which transition assessments were used to write the postsecondary goals (34 CFR 300.320(b))?
• Student voice: Was my child invited, and how were their preferences considered (34 CFR 300.321(b))?

Examples are in transition IEP goals.

Questions to Ask After the IEP Meeting

• Copy: When will I receive the IEP? The school must give it at no cost (34 CFR 300.322(f)).
• Written notice: Will I receive prior written notice of what was proposed or refused, and why (34 CFR 300.503)? See prior written notice examples.
• Start date: When do new services begin? The IEP must state the projected date (34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)).
• Consent: For a first IEP, what am I signing? Consent for an initial evaluation is not consent for services, which needs its own consent (34 CFR 300.300(a)(1)(ii) and (b)).
• Later changes: Can a small change before the next annual meeting be made in writing, with a revised copy for me? Both are possible (34 CFR 300.324(a)(4) and (a)(6)).

Questions for Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia

A diagnosis does not decide what goes in the IEP; the student’s needs do.

Questions to Ask for a Child With Autism

IDEA’s definition of autism names effects on communication and social interaction, resistance to change in routines and unusual responses to sensory experiences (34 CFR 300.8(c)(1)).

• Communication: How were my child’s communication needs considered, and is assistive technology needed? Both are special factors (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(iv) and (v)).
• Change: How will the school prepare my child for changes in schedule or staff?
• Social goals: Will social skills be practiced at lunch, recess and in class, not only in a small group?

Questions to Ask for a Child With ADHD

IDEA names attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in its definition of other health impairment (34 CFR 300.8(c)(9)).

• Skills or supports: Which goals teach organization and task completion, and which accommodations only work around them?
• Consistency: How will every teacher apply the same accommodations and behavior supports?

Questions to Ask for a Child With Dyslexia

Dyslexia is named in IDEA’s definition of specific learning disability (34 CFR 300.8(c)(10)).

• Instruction: Which reading skills will be taught directly, by whom, how many minutes a week, and with what research behind the method?
• Measurement: How will reading progress be measured between report cards?

What Parents Are Entitled to Under IDEA

These are federal rights; states may add more. When a disagreement could have legal consequences, read your state’s procedural safeguards notice and contact your state’s Parent Center.

Parents who disagree with the school’s evaluation may ask for an independent educational evaluation; see also our guide to the special education evaluation.

IEP Meeting Checklist for Parents

What to Request Ahead of Time

• The draft IEP and the latest progress report.
• Evaluation reports to be discussed, so you read them before you hear them.
• Names and roles of everyone attending, and any member to be excused.
• An interpreter, or a phone or video link, when the date is set.

What to Bring

• Your top questions, ranked, with the two you cannot leave without at the top.
• A one-page parent statement. The 2006 analysis notes that parents are free to give input through a written report.
• Notes from home: homework, a log of evenings, messages from teachers.
• Outside reports. A private evaluation you share must be considered if it meets the school’s criteria (34 CFR 300.502(c)).
• Someone who knows your child, if you wish (34 CFR 300.321(a)(6)).

Sample Parent Statement

This statement is an original example about a fictional student; adapt it to your own child.

“Leo is curious and loves building things. He reads more willingly at home this year, but homework still takes over an hour and ends in tears two or three nights a week. Our priorities: reading fluency, a plan for writing assignments, and fewer missed recesses. We would like to know how his reading is measured and how we can practice at home.”

What Staff Can Do to Make the Meeting Work

1. If you prepare a draft, send it early, labeled as preliminary recommendations.
2. Ask families for their questions a few days before, and put them on the agenda.
3. Book the interpreter when the date is set.
4. Start with strengths and parent concerns before staff data.
5. Spell out acronyms and show the data behind each statement.
6. Keep a visible list of open questions and close each one before the end.
7. Read back the decisions, then send the IEP and any prior written notice promptly.

For outside help, the Center for Parent Information and Resources lists nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers in the U.S. and its territories.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Arriving without having read the draft. Questions about a document seen for the first time stay general.
2. Asking only about service minutes. Minutes matter less if goals and present levels are vague.
3. Accepting “she’s doing better” without data.
4. Signing before open questions are answered. You may ask for time to review.
5. Leaving disagreement unrecorded. Ask that it be noted and explained in prior written notice.
6. Treating the meeting as a contest. “Help me understand” usually gets fuller answers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should parents say in an IEP meeting?

Start with your child’s strengths, then your main concerns and what you see at home; the team must consider parent concerns. Ask what data support each statement and goal. Say clearly when you agree, when you are unsure and when you disagree, and ask that disagreement be recorded. Ending with “What will I receive, and when?” keeps follow-up concrete.

Can an IEP go away?

Yes, in specific ways. Eligibility ends after a reevaluation finds the student no longer has a disability needing special education, when the student graduates with a regular diploma, or when the student exceeds the state’s age for services (34 CFR 300.305(e)). A parent can also revoke consent in writing; the school must send prior written notice before services stop (34 CFR 300.300(b)(4)).

What are the five factors that need to be considered at every IEP meeting?

They are the special factors of 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2): positive behavioral supports when behavior impedes learning; language needs of a child with limited English proficiency; Braille for a child who is blind or visually impaired, unless found inappropriate; communication needs, with added requirements for a child who is deaf or hard of hearing; and assistive technology. The team considers them when developing and reviewing every IEP.

What are the most common IEP accommodations?

The answer depends on the student’s needs. The IEP lists classroom accommodations among the supplementary aids and services, and separately lists accommodations for state and district tests, which must be ones the state’s guidelines allow. Ask how each one will be used in class every day, not only on test day. Our IEP accommodations guide lists them by category.

Can parents bring someone to an IEP meeting?

Yes. Parents may invite other people who have knowledge or special expertise about the child, such as a relative, a private provider or an advocate, and the parent who invites them decides whether they have that knowledge (34 CFR 300.321(a)(6) and (c)). The meeting notice must tell parents about this right. Letting the school know ahead of time helps everyone plan.

Can AI help parents prepare questions for an IEP meeting?

An AI chatbot can help turn your notes into a short list of questions or explain an unfamiliar term in plain words. Describe the situation without your child’s name, school or records, check every answer against the IEP and the school’s explanations, and bring the final questions yourself. The ChatGPT for teachers guide explains privacy basics that apply to families too.

Related Resources

• IEP Meeting Guide
• PLAAFP Examples
• IEP Accommodations
• Prior Written Notice Examples
• IEP Progress Report
• Related Services in Special Education

Conclusion

The best questions to ask in an IEP meeting are specific, tied to a section of the IEP and answered with data. Parents who read the draft early, bring a short statement and a ranked list, and leave with the IEP and written notice in hand take part as the full team members the law intends. Schools that invite those questions early get plans families can support at home.

Sources: 34 CFR 300.320, Definition of individualized education program; 34 CFR 300.321, IEP Team; 34 CFR 300.322, Parent participation; 34 CFR 300.324, Development, review, and revision of IEP; 34 CFR 300.300, Parental consent; 34 CFR 300.503, Prior notice by the public agency; 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. v. Douglas County School District (Dec. 7, 2017); U.S. Department of Education, OSEP, 2024-25 Static Tables (Part B Child Count & Educational Environments); Center for Parent Information and Resources, Find Your Parent Center. Other sections of 34 CFR Part 300 are linked where they are cited.

Join the 2027 Special Education Pilot

Many of the best questions in an IEP meeting come back to one issue: how often the student will actually practice each goal between meetings, when adult 1-on-1 time is limited at school and at home. If your district is exploring new ways to add that practice, Telo AI is being adapted for students with IEPs: patient, 1-on-1 practice aligned to each student’s IEP goals. We are inviting districts to shape it with us in a 2027 pilot.

Apply to pilot Telo AI in your Special Education program