May 4 , 2007
| TO: | Chief School Administrator |
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| FROM: |
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| SUBJECT: | Model IEP Forms |
I am writing to inform you that the model IEP forms on the Department’s website have been revised and updated to include changes to New Jersey’s special education regulations that became effective September 5, 2006. As in the past, these model forms are intended to assist districts in ensuring that all required components of the IEP are included. While use of these model forms is not mandatory, the IEP form selected and utilized by a school district must address each required component. In addition, I want to remind school districts that you are not required to include pages from the model IEP in a student’s IEP if the page is not applicable for the student. For example, preschool students’ IEPs do not require inclusion of the pages addressing transition planning, as transition to postsecondary outcomes is not applicable for those children.
The model IEPs include updated terminology, such as the use of the term “general education” in place of “regular education,” rewording of headings and annotations in various areas for purposes of clarity, updated citations to applicable regulations throughout, and the addition of new and/or revised components. A brief overview of these amendments follows.
The first page of the model IEP was amended to include a footnote reminding the IEP team to note that a required team member was excused whenever the parent consents to excusal of a team member from the IEP meeting. In addition, the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance section was revised to require consideration of academic, developmental and functional needs of the student.
The Transition Service Needs section was amended to Transition Planning to better identify the purpose of the section and all of the transition pages were reorganized and amended to reflect the revised standards for transition. The Behavioral Interventions section was changed to Behavioral Intervention Plan to better identify the purpose of the section and was revised and reorganized to clarify the purpose of the section and better assist in developing and delineating appropriate behavioral interventions for students.
The LRE section was also restructured to better reflect school district’s obligations and the decision-making process attendant to determining the LRE for a student. In addition, a page was added for IEP teams to document their placement determination based on Federal reporting requirements for LRE. This section will assist IEP teams in assessing the restrictiveness of placements and will expedite required data reporting by school districts.
The model IEPs are at the following link: http://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/form/. I trust you will find the model IEP forms useful.
RW/CK/JW
| c: | Members, State Board of Education |
