Required IEP Sections in Hawaii
What sections are required in an IEP in Hawaii?
Hawaii IEPs must contain all federally required components under IDEA (34 CFR 300.320) as implemented through Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Title 8, Chapter 56, which governs special education in the only statewide school district in the United States. Because Hawaii has a single statewide school district — the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) — there are no local education agencies; the HIDOE itself is both the SEA and the LEA for all special education purposes. Required IEP sections include: present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP); measurable annual goals; a description of how progress will be measured and reported; special education and related services with projected start dates, frequency, location, and duration; an explanation of non-participation with nondisabled peers; individual accommodations for state and districtwide assessments; and transition services for eligible students. HAR § 8-56-28 governs IEP content requirements. The IEP must also address extended school year (ESY) eligibility. Hawaii-specific forms and IEP templates are maintained by the HIDOE Special Education Section and are used statewide, reflecting the single-district structure.
What Hawaii Requires
Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance must describe how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum, or for preschool children, participation in appropriate activities (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(1); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)).
The IEP must include measurable annual goals designed to meet the child's needs resulting from the disability and to enable progress in the general curriculum (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(2); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)).
The IEP must describe how the child's progress toward annual goals will be measured and how parents will be informed of that progress at least as frequently as nondisabled students' parents receive report cards (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(3); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)).
All special education, related services, supplementary aids and services, and program modifications must be specified with projected start date, frequency, location, and anticipated duration (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(4), (7); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4), (7)).
The IEP must include a statement of any individual appropriate accommodations necessary for state and districtwide assessments; if the student will take an alternate assessment, the IEP must document the justification and identify the specific alternate assessment (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(6); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)).
The extent to which the student will not participate with nondisabled peers in regular classes and activities must be explained (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(5); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(5)).
Because HIDOE is simultaneously the SEA and the only LEA in Hawaii, all statewide special education policies, procedures, and IEP forms are directly administered by HIDOE's Special Education Section (HRS § 302A-101; HRS Chapter 302H).
Key Timelines
The IEP must be in effect at the beginning of each school year (34 CFR 300.323(a)).
Initial IEP must be developed within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination (HAR § 8-56-28(a); 34 CFR 300.323(c)).
The IEP must be reviewed at least annually and revised as needed (HAR § 8-56-32; 34 CFR 300.324(b)).
Transition services must be addressed in the IEP beginning no later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate (HAR § 8-56-28(b)(8); 34 CFR 300.320(b)).