The Federal law, called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines the “IEP team” as a group of people who are responsible for developing, reviewing, and revising the IEP (Individualized Education Program) for a student with a disability. By law, these people include:
- The parents of the student
- The student, as appropriate (In Mass. student is invited to attend at age 14.)
- At least one regular education teacher of the child, if the student is (or might be) participating in the general education environment.
- At least one special education teacher or provider.
- A representative of the local public agency (i.e. School Principal, School Administrator) who:
- knowledgeable about specially designed instruction for students with disabilities,
- the general curriculum,
- the availability of local public agency resources.
- Someone who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results (i.e. School Psychologist, Special Educator Teacher, Speech and Language Pathologist, etc.) who may be another team member.
- Other people whom the parents or the school have chosen to invite, who have the knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related service.
- The student, available services
- External and internal sources of assistance
- The IEP process