The IEP can look finished and still need clearer details.
You need to know if the IEP is specific enough to review, and which Washington, D.C. dates or notices may need official verification, not just if the school says the plan is standard.
The free audit checks the language in the actual IEP against the student's documented needs so you can focus on the pages and questions that matter most.
Start with the situation you are actually in.
Open this review when you are reviewing the Washington, D.C. IEP and need to connect the written plan to evaluation dates, meeting notices, parent concerns, and the services the school actually committed to provide.
This page is for preparing clearer school questions, not for deciding legal claims. The strongest next step is usually a specific written request tied to the IEP page and the data behind it.
The audit can review the IEP pages you include.
It does not stop at one concern or a short checklist. When the relevant pages are included, the audit reviews major IEP sections for unclear language, missing context, documentation gaps, and issues that may deserve a written question.
Evaluations and Present Levels
Check that the IEP describes the student's needs, strengths, baseline data, and current performance.
Goals and Progress Monitoring
Confirm goals are measurable, tied to documented needs, and supported by clear progress-reporting methods.
Services and Accommodations
Look for supports that are individualized, specific enough to follow, and clear about provider, frequency, duration, and setting.
Placement and Access
Review how the plan addresses classroom access, least restrictive environment, behavior, communication, and related-service needs.
Parent Concerns and Team Decisions
Make sure parent input, school refusals, Prior Written Notice, and important meeting decisions are documented clearly.
Procedure Questions to Verify
Identify notice, timeline, refusal, or vague-commitment questions that may need local verification before a parent relies on them.
What this review pays attention to
Along with the included IEP pages above, the audit pays special attention to these issues that may be relevant to this concern. These are examples of extra scrutiny, not the limits of the review.
Evaluation timeline to verify: 120 calendar days from the date of referral for the full evaluation process.
IEP meeting timeline to verify: An IEP must be developed within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination.
Official Washington, D.C. source review: confirm current timeline, exception, and local-procedure language before relying on a rule.
State-specific terms to verify: D.C. uses the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) as its special education authority. D.C. has notable compensatory education precedent; missed IEP implementation may support a remedy review.
Review the page for signs that the IEP lists provider, frequency, duration, location, and measurable progress reporting.
Review 14 common Washington, D.C. IEP record questions here.
Start with the concern that brought you here. Each section names records to check, a calm written request, and a meeting question. Verify state timelines and legal questions against the linked official sources before relying on them.
Review the written plan
Washington, D.C. IEP Review
Start with this guide when you have the current, draft, or proposed Washington, D.C. IEP and need a calm second look before signing, sending concerns, requesting a meeting, or asking the school to document a decision. Start with the written IEP, one record-backed concern, and one narrow request. For D.C., keep DCPS, public charter LEA, nonpublic placement, and OSSE records labeled separately before relying on a timeline, service, or notice conclusion.
Records to check
- Check if present levels describe current needs with enough data to explain the goals, services, and accommodations.
- Confirm each annual goal has a baseline, measurable target, measurement method, and progress-reporting schedule.
- Look for records showing services list provider role, frequency, duration, location, start date, and how missed or changed sessions are tracked.
What to write
“Please help me identify the IEP pages and records the team is relying on for this concern, including the present level, goal, service, accommodation, progress data, and any Washington, D.C. notice or timeline record connected to the decision.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which Washington, D.C. IEP page shows the need, the service or accommodation, the progress measure, and the data the team is relying on before I decide what to ask for next?”
Washington, D.C. IEP Documentation Check
This page is for moments when the question is not just if the Washington, D.C. IEP feels weak, but if the written record shows the decision, data, service commitment, parent concern, notice, consent, or timeline clearly enough to verify. For D.C., separate DCPS, public charter LEA, nonpublic placement, and OSSE records before relying on a timeline, notice, or service-delivery conclusion.
Records to check
- Check if the IEP documents the service, accommodation, placement, progress, or evaluation decision clearly enough to trace.
- Confirm parent concerns and requested changes appear in the written record instead of only in meeting conversation.
- Look for records showing prior Written Notice, consent, meeting notices, or procedural safeguards are present when the record suggests a proposal or refusal.
What to write
“Please identify the written record the team is relying on for this Washington, D.C. IEP decision, including the IEP page, data considered, parent concern, notice or consent record, and if Prior Written Notice applies.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which written Washington, D.C. record shows the decision, data, service commitment, and parent input, and what official source should I verify before relying on a timeline or procedure?”
Washington, D.C. Special Education Action Plan
Start here when you know something is wrong with the Washington, D.C. IEP but need a calm order of operations: one concern, one supporting record, one written request, and one verified next step. In D.C., label DCPS, charter LEA, nonpublic placement, and OSSE records separately before choosing the next action.
Records to check
- Which concern most affects daily access, progress, services, placement, behavior, health, or safety right now.
- Which IEP page should already address that concern.
- Which record best supports the request without overwhelming the team or exposing unnecessary student information.
What to write
“Please meet or respond in writing about the concern below, identify the IEP page and data the team is relying on, and explain if the team will revise the plan or provide Prior Written Notice if it refuses the requested change.”
Ask in the meeting
“What is the strongest Washington, D.C. record-supported next step: clarification, meeting, records request, service review, PWN request, or local/state verification?”
Dates, notices, and decisions
Washington, D.C. Prior Written Notice Request
Use this page if a school in Washington, D.C. refused an evaluation, service, accommodation, placement, goal change, meeting request, or parent concern and you need the decision, reason, data, options considered, and next step in writing.
Records to check
- What the parent requested or what the school proposed.
- Confirm the school clearly accepted, refused, delayed, or changed the request.
- Look for records showing the written record explains the reason, data relied on, options considered, and other factors.
What to write
“Please provide the written notice for the team's proposal or refusal, including the action considered, the reason, the data relied on, options considered and rejected, and other factors the team used.”
Ask in the meeting
“What exact action is the team proposing or refusing, what data supports that decision, and where is the written notice in the record?”
No Final IEP After the Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Start here when an IEP meeting in Washington, D.C. already happened, but the parent has not received the final IEP, revised pages, meeting notes, implementation date, or written explanation of accepted and refused requests.
Records to check
- Which IEP pages changed after the meeting.
- Which parent requests were accepted, refused, or left unresolved.
- Look for records showing implementation dates, service changes, and accommodations are clear.
What to write
“Please send the final IEP or revised pages from the meeting, identify the implementation date for any changes, and clarify in writing which parent requests were accepted, refused, or left for follow-up.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which pages changed after the meeting, when do they take effect, and where does the record show the team's response to parent concerns?”
When an IEP Changed Without Notice in Washington, D.C.
This guide fits when an IEP service, placement, goal, accommodation, evaluation plan, behavior support, or implementation practice in Washington, D.C. appears to have changed and the parent cannot find the written notice, consent, amendment, or team decision record.
Records to check
- What exactly changed: goal, service, placement, accommodation, evaluation, behavior support, or implementation.
- Confirm the change is in a draft, final IEP, amendment, meeting note, PWN, consent form, or only practice.
- Look for records showing the written record explains what was proposed or refused and the data relied on.
What to write
“Please identify the IEP pages or implementation practices that changed, the date the change took effect, the team decision or notice supporting it, and the data relied on for the change.”
Ask in the meeting
“What changed, when did it take effect, what written notice or team decision supports it, and what data did the school rely on?”
Services, accommodations, and progress
Verify IEP Service Minutes in Washington, D.C.
This guide fits when your child attends school in Washington, D.C. and the service grid says speech, OT, counseling, specialized instruction, transportation, aide support, or another service should happen, but the records do not clearly show if the minutes were delivered.
Records to check
- The exact provider, frequency, duration, location, and start date written in the IEP service grid.
- Confirm each missed or shortened session has a date, reason, staff note, parent email, or attendance record.
- Look for records showing the school documented make-up services, schedule changes, or a team review after missed minutes.
What to write
“Please provide the service delivery record for the IEP services listed in the current plan, including missed sessions, make-up sessions, provider role, location, and any data the team reviewed about impact on progress.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which IEP service-grid line are we checking, what record shows delivery by date, and what will the team do if the record shows missed or unclear minutes?”
Documenting Missed IEP Services in Washington, D.C.
Start with this guide when Washington, D.C. IEP services were missed, shortened, delayed, or delivered inconsistently and you need to ask the school to review impact and correction options without assuming a specific remedy.
Records to check
- Which IEP service was missed and which dates are supported by records.
- Confirm make-up services were offered, delivered, documented, or refused.
- Look for records showing progress data changed during or after the missed-service period.
What to write
“Please compare the missed or shortened services listed below with the IEP service grid, provide any make-up records, and schedule an IEP team review to discuss impact, progress data, and correction options if there were gaps.”
Ask in the meeting
“What services were missed, what make-up support was documented, what impact data did the team review, and what correction option is being proposed or refused?”
When Staff Have Not Seen the IEP in Washington, D.C.
This page is for moments when a teacher, substitute, aide, provider, bus staff member, coach, or other school staff in Washington, D.C. may not know the IEP accommodations, behavior supports, health supports, service duties, or implementation responsibilities.
Records to check
- Which IEP pages the staff member needed to know for the situation.
- Confirm the IEP states specific staff responsibilities.
- Look for records showing the school can explain how teachers and providers are informed of responsibilities.
What to write
“Please confirm which staff are responsible for the IEP pages tied to this concern, how they are informed of their responsibilities, and how implementation will be clarified or documented going forward.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which staff needed this IEP information, what responsibilities were communicated to them, and what written clarification will prevent the same issue from repeating?”
Behavior, discipline, and dispute records
D.C. MDR Records to Gather Before the Meeting
Open this review when a D.C. public school, DCPS campus, public charter LEA, nonpublic placement, or OSSE-connected process has scheduled or may need a manifestation determination review. The parent should separate the school-team discipline packet from LEA ownership, OSSE procedural records, charter or nonpublic placement documents, transportation or attendance records, and parent-submitted context before asking the team to decide anything.
Records to check
- The date of the decision that may change placement and the school's removal-day count.
- Confirm the team reviewed the IEP, teacher observations, parent information, behavior plan, and relevant file records.
- Look for records showing behavior may be connected to disability-related needs or to failure to implement the IEP.
What to write
“Please send the records the D.C. team will rely on for the manifestation determination, including the removal-day count, incident reports, IEP/BIP/FBA records, teacher observations, parent input, services or implementation records, and a label showing if each record comes from DCPS, a charter LEA, a nonpublic placement, OSSE, transportation, attendance, or the parent.”
Ask in the meeting
“For each fact the D.C. team is relying on, which record owner supplied it: DCPS, the charter LEA, the nonpublic placement, OSSE, transportation, attendance, the school team, or the parent?”
Track IEP Removal Days in Washington, D.C.
Use this page if a child with an IEP in Washington, D.C. has suspensions, repeated pickups, shortened days, bus removals, class removals, or other exclusions and you need a date-by-date record before asking if discipline safeguards or an MDR should be reviewed.
Records to check
- Every formal and informal removal date, including suspensions, pickups, shortened days, and bus or class removals.
- Confirm the school count matches the parent count.
- Look for records showing removals may form a pattern or disciplinary change-of-placement question.
What to write
“Please provide the date-by-date removal count the school is relying on, including suspensions, shortened days, pickups, bus or class removals, and any dates the school excluded from the count with the reason.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which removal dates are counted, which are excluded, and what IEP/BIP implementation records did the team review before deciding next steps?”
Preparing for Washington, D.C. IEP Mediation
Open this review when an IEP disagreement in Washington, D.C. is headed toward mediation, a dispute-resolution conversation, or a settlement-style meeting and you need the record to show the exact decision, service, evaluation, placement, behavior, or progress issue being discussed. For D.C., label if each record comes from DCPS, a public charter LEA, a nonpublic placement, or an OSSE-level mediation or dispute-resolution process before discussing an agreement.
Records to check
- Which single IEP issue the parent needs mediation to resolve first.
- Which records support the parent's concern and which records the school may use to disagree.
- Look for records showing the parent request is written as a specific service, evaluation, accommodation, placement, data review, or meeting action.
What to write
“Please identify the records the school will rely on for the disputed IEP issue, provide any missing evaluations, progress data, service logs, meeting notes, or Prior Written Notice, and confirm what proposal or refusal the mediation session is expected to address. Please also identify if each mediation record or proposed action belongs to DCPS, a public charter LEA, a nonpublic placement, the school team, or OSSE.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which exact IEP issue are we mediating, what records support each position, and what written change would make the agreement trackable after the session? For D.C., which LEA, placement, or OSSE record owns each proposed action?”
Prepare the next meeting or request
Records to Request Before Your Washington, D.C. IEP Meeting
Start with this guide when an IEP meeting, eligibility meeting, reevaluation meeting, placement discussion, service review, behavior meeting, or dispute conversation is scheduled in Washington, D.C. and you need the records early enough to read them before the team asks for decisions. For D.C., sort meeting records by DCPS, public charter LEA, nonpublic placement, OSSE, provider, and parent-submitted source before the team asks you to respond to a proposed decision.
Records to check
- Which meeting question each requested record is supposed to answer.
- Confirm the parent has the current IEP, proposed changes, evaluations, progress data, service records, and school decision records before the meeting.
- Look for records showing records are missing for the exact service, goal, accommodation, evaluation, placement, behavior, or refusal on the agenda.
What to write
“Please provide the records the team will rely on at the upcoming IEP meeting, including draft or proposed IEP pages, evaluations, progress data, service records, meeting notes, notices, and any documents supporting proposed changes or refusals. Please label if each record comes from DCPS, a public charter LEA, a nonpublic placement, OSSE, a provider, or the parent, and identify which records the team will rely on for each agenda item.”
Ask in the meeting
“Which records is the team relying on for this agenda item, and where do those records show the data behind the proposed change, refusal, or next step? For D.C., which record owner is responsible for this agenda item: DCPS, charter LEA, nonpublic placement, provider, OSSE, or parent-submitted evidence?”
Upload only the records needed for this concern.
You do not need a perfect binder or every school record. Start with the current IEP pages tied to the issue, then add only the few records that explain the concern most clearly.
Current Washington, D.C. IEP
Upload the full document, including service grids, accommodations, placement, signatures, and meeting notes if they are part of the plan.
Evaluation and eligibility records
Include the reports and dates tied to the listed evaluation timeline language (120 calendar days from the date of referral for the full evaluation process.) so timeline questions can be organized for verification against current official guidance.
Meeting and notice history
Add meeting notices, Prior Written Notice, consent forms, and emails tied to the listed meeting timeline language (An IEP must be developed within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination.) or any disputed school decision.
Progress data and parent concerns
Include progress reports, work samples, service updates, and the written concerns you want the team to answer.
First Washington, D.C. request
"Please confirm the evaluation, meeting, and notice dates the team is relying on in Washington, D.C., and show where the current IEP documents the goals, services, accommodations, and parent concerns at issue."
Ask one question the team can answer.
"Can the team point to the IEP page or notice that documents the Washington, D.C. timeline decision, the data used, and the service or support the school is agreeing to provide?"
Get clearer questions from your actual IEP.
You do not need to compare every page to a checklist. Upload the relevant pages and let the audit help organize sections that may need clarification, weak language, or possible next questions.
Scan My IEP FirstWhat you get from the audit
The result is a prioritized review of the document, not another generic article.
Connects dates to documents
The audit helps surface if timeline records, notices, and the IEP tell the same story for this Washington, D.C. plan.
Keeps the focus on the written IEP
It separates state-procedure questions from the core issue: if goals, services, accommodations, and progress reporting are specific enough.
Prepares one clear follow-up
Parents can use the findings to ask for a correction, meeting, or Prior Written Notice without making broad legal claims.
Which evaluation, meeting, notice, or consent dates may need verification against current Washington, D.C. guidance.
Confirm parent concerns, services, accommodations, and progress reports are documented clearly enough to review.
Look for records showing the next step should be an IEP meeting request, Prior Written Notice request, or stronger action plan.
Which section creates the highest-priority documentation concern if the school declines to address it.
How the free audit works
Upload the IEP you want checked
Use the current document from the school. You do not need to highlight it, organize it, or know which section is wrong first.
The audit reviews the pages you upload
When those pages are included, it reviews goals, services, accommodations, progress monitoring, parent concerns, and procedure questions for unclear language or missing context.
Get prioritized findings
See which sections may need review first, which page to ask about, and what to raise with the school.
Reasons parents run this audit
If any of these sound familiar, the written IEP deserves a closer look.
The IEP sounds reassuring, but it does not name who will do what, how often, or how progress will be measured.
Request that the team rewrite the section with the provider, frequency, duration, setting, baseline, target, and measurement method.
The school says a support is already happening, but it is not written into the IEP.
Ask the school for the support to be added to the IEP so it is clear and follows the student across teachers and school years.
Progress reports show little growth, but the proposed IEP keeps the same plan.
Ask what data shows the current plan is sufficient, what will change, and how the team will measure if the new approach works.
You do not have to sort through the IEP by yourself.
Start with the concern. When you want document-specific help, upload only the relevant IEP pages and the few records that explain the issue.
Scan My IEP First