IEP Progress Monitoring in New York

How often should you receive IEP progress reports in New York?

New York State requires that each measurable annual goal in the IEP include evaluative criteria, evaluation procedures, and evaluation schedules to be used to measure progress toward meeting the annual goal during the period beginning with placement and ending with the next scheduled review by the committee (8 NYCRR §200.4(d)(2)(iii)(b)). The evaluative criteria specify the measure to determine whether the goal has been achieved, the evaluation procedures identify the method by which progress will be measured, and the evaluation schedule indicates when progress will be measured (NYSED IEP Form Directions). This three-component framework for goal measurement is a New York-specific requirement that is more explicit than the federal standard under 34 CFR §300.320(a)(3), which requires only a description of how progress will be measured and when periodic reports on progress will be provided. The IEP must identify when periodic reports on the student's progress toward meeting the annual goals will be provided to parents, such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports that are concurrent with the issuance of report cards (8 NYCRR §200.4(d)(2)(iii)(b); 34 CFR §300.320(a)(3)(ii)). The IEP itself is not the progress report; rather, it documents when and how frequently parents will receive separate progress reports. Districts may copy the goal section of the IEP and add a template for reporting progress (NYSED IEP Q&A Guidance). Each individual teacher or service provider responsible for providing instruction to assist the student in meeting a particular goal has responsibility for progress monitoring of that goal (NYSED IEP Q&A Guidance). When the IEP is reviewed annually, the present levels of performance and/or evaluation results should reflect the progress made during the previous year (NYSED IEP Q&A Guidance). If a student is not making expected progress toward annual goals, the CSE must review the goals and services and, as appropriate, revise the IEP to ensure the student is being provided with appropriate supports and services (NYSED IEP Q&A Guidance; 8 NYCRR §200.4(f)). For students with short-term instructional objectives or benchmarks (those taking the NYSAA and preschool students), progress must also be tracked toward these intermediate steps (8 NYCRR §200.4(d)(2)(iv)). The method of measuring and reporting progress is left to local discretion based on individual student needs, though the schedule must be identified in the IEP (NYSED IEP Form Directions).