Academics · Subject Resources

The IEP binder,
in order and on time.

Families get a stack of special education paperwork every year, and the dates in it decide when they can ask for change: the annual IEP review, the three-year reevaluation, the notice that starts a disagreement. Add each document with its date and the key points in your own words. The organizer works out when the next review and reevaluation are due and flags what needs an answer.

Add a documentWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Study skills kit, $29 for 30 items.

Documents

The worked example is made up: a third grader’s IEP from last December coming up for review, an evaluation from October 2023 now past three years and a notice declining summer services that the family disagrees with. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Subject Resources$5

What you finish with
A record per document: kind, date, source, title, signature status, where the copy is, key points in your words and four checks. Works out each document’s age; reads the newest IEP and evaluation to give the annual review and three-year reevaluation dates; flags an IEP over a year old or due within 30 days, an evaluation over three years old, a notice you disagree with and documents not yet read in full.
Who it is for
Parents and caregivers of children with an IEP or 504 plan, and older students who manage their own plans.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per document. Prints one document summary, the whole binder index in a table or a blank index sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Study skills kit ($29) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Gather every document you have, newest first.
  2. Add each with its date and kind.
  3. Write the key points in your own words.
  4. Watch the review and reevaluation dates.
  5. Bring the printed index to every meeting.

Add a document

Dates in the law

Dates families can count onDocumentHow oftenFederal ruleIEPReviewed at least once a year34 CFR 300.324(b)ReevaluationAt least every three years34 CFR 300.303Progress reportsAs the IEP says, often with report cards34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)Prior written noticeWhen the school proposes or refuses34 CFR 300.503Dates families can count onIEPHow often: Reviewed at least once a yearFederal rule: 34 CFR 300.324(b)ReevaluationHow often: At least every three yearsFederal rule: 34 CFR 300.303Progress reportsHow often: As the IEP says, often with report cardsFederal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)Prior written noticeHow often: When the school proposes or refusesFederal rule: 34 CFR 300.503
The family or the school can ask for an IEP meeting or a reevaluation sooner; a reevaluation is generally not more than once a year unless both agree.

Disagreeing

When the school proposes or refuses something, it must send prior written notice explaining what and why. If you disagree, say so in writing, keep a copy and look at the options in the procedural safeguards notice: a meeting, mediation, a state complaint or a due process hearing.

504 plans

Section 504 plans follow different rules from IEPs: there is no federal annual review requirement for a 504 plan, though many schools review them each year. Ask your school what its schedule is and add it to your notes.

Sources

  1. IDEA regulations, 34 CFR 300.303 (reevaluations), 300.320 (IEP content and progress reports), 300.324 (review and revision) and 300.503 (prior written notice) (ecfr.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. A guide to the individualized education program (ed.gov).
  3. Center for Parent Information and Resources. Organizing your child’s special education records (parentcenterhub.org).
  4. U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Parent and educator resource guide to Section 504 (ed.gov/ocr).

The worked example is made up. This organizer is not legal advice; your state’s parent training and information center can help. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.