The school lowered an IEP goal instead of fixing what failed
Your child did not meet last year’s goal, and the draft in front of you asks for less: a lower target, a shorter passage, a smaller number, with the same instruction and services underneath it. No: when a goal is not met, the team revises the IEP to address the lack of expected progress, and a smaller target with nothing else changed is not that revision (34 CFR 300.324(b)). Start by pulling the IEP page or the letter the dispute turns on and writing down today’s date; every move below adds to that record.
What the rule says
“Reviews the child’s IEP periodically, but not less than annually, to determine whether the annual goals for the child are being achieved.”
34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)(i)
A missed goal is the team’s cue to look at instruction, not a reason to write a smaller one.
What to do this week, in order
Set last year’s goal, the new draft goal and this year’s progress data side by side on one page, line by line.
A side-by-side goal-and-data page
Get the school’s written account of what changed in instruction, services or method after progress on the harder goal stalled.
The written answer about what changes34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)(ii)(A)
Request the progress-monitoring log behind the new goal: the sessions run, the scores recorded and the dates of each.
The progress-monitoring log for that goal34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)
Email the paragraph below to the case manager, and name the exact goal before signing anything.
Your email, and the day it arrived
What to put in writing
Replace what sits in brackets and send it by email, so the date is fixed.
- To
- Whoever drafted the smaller goal, plus the case manager
Dear [Case manager’s name], The new goal drafted for [child’s name] asks for less than the target set on [review date], with no change to the [service or instruction] that has not worked yet. Before I sign it, send me the progress-monitoring log behind both goals and describe, in writing, what will be different in how this is taught. If the answer is that the target simply gets smaller, put that finding in writing, pointing to prior written notice at 34 CFR 300.503. Regards, [Your name]
If the answer is no, it arrives as prior written notice: what was refused, why, and the records the district relied on (34 CFR 300.503(b)).
When to escalate, and to whom
Escalate when the written answer is a no, or when the record you built this week draws no answer at all.
| The path | The count | How it runs |
|---|---|---|
| A state complaint | 60 days to a decision | A signed letter to your state education agency about a violation inside the past year; the state decides in writing within 60 days.34 CFR 300.152(a), 300.153(c) |
| Mediation | Voluntary, at no cost to you | You and the district sit with an impartial mediator the state pays for; it can start before any complaint and may not delay a hearing.34 CFR 300.506(b) |
| A due process complaint | 2 years to file | A hearing before an impartial officer; the district holds a resolution meeting within 15 days, and the decision is due 45 days after the 30-day resolution period.34 CFR 300.507(a)(2), 300.510(a)(1), 300.515(a) |
Those counts are IDEA’s; your state may set its own window for due process, and publishes its own complaint form.
This page explains the federal rule, and it does not replace your state’s procedures, or advice from someone qualified to read your file.
Have the pages this dispute is about read back to you, free.
The review reads every page you upload, names the service, goal or wording that is vague or missing, and gives you its page number.
Review my IEP — freeFree, no card. It reads your pages and contacts no one.
Where this comes from
- Review of the IEP and its goals (34 CFR 300.324)Where the quoted review duty sits.
- Measurable annual goals and progress reports (34 CFR 300.320)What the log should show.
- A second evaluation at public expense (34 CFR 300.502)If the evaluation itself is disputed.
- Prior written notice (34 CFR 300.503)What every no owes you.
When the paragraph needs to become a full letter, the letter templates carry one for each request.