It’s mid-March, and your inbox is already getting the “spring break” notices and end-of-year reminders from school. But if your child has an IEP, there’s more on your plate than just making sure backpacks are cleared out.
I see this every year: parents get to August, realize they missed something critical at the end of spring, and spend summer scrambling to fix it. A triennial reevaluation wasn’t scheduled. ESY services weren’t requested. IEP goals were never reviewed. And nobody documented it in writing while the case manager could still access records.
You don’t have to be that parent. This checklist gives you seven essential tasks to complete before school ends. Some are quick. Some need planning. All of them matter.
1. Confirm Your Annual IEP Review Is Scheduled (and It’s Before June)
Federal law requires your child’s IEP to be reviewed and revised at least annually. Most schools do this in spring. But “should be done” and “actually is on the calendar” are not the same thing.
What to do:
- Check your current IEP document. Find the date of the last annual review. Count forward one year. That’s your deadline.
- Contact the school’s special education office (typically your child’s case manager) and confirm the annual IEP meeting is scheduled before school ends. Don’t assume it is.
- If it’s not scheduled, request it now. Don’t wait until May or June when staff are thinking about summer.
What happens if you don’t:
- The school could start next year operating under an IEP that’s now legally overdue. This is technically a compliance violation.
- Goals from last year might not get reviewed or updated based on current progress.
- If your child’s needs have changed (and they probably have), they won’t be reflected in the IEP until you force another meeting.
- Service levels might not be adjusted, even if your child’s progress warrants a change.
The inside scoop: Schools know the deadline. They’re supposed to schedule by April to leave room for May/June meetings. If your school is slow to schedule, that’s a red flag. Follow up in writing (email) if the date isn’t locked in.
2. Check If a Triennial Reevaluation Is Due
Every three years, the school is required to reevaluate your child’s eligibility and needs for special education. It’s called a triennial reevaluation. Three years is a long time, and a lot can change. But schools sometimes let this deadline slip.
What to do:
- Find your child’s last reevaluation report. Look at the date.
- Count forward three years. If that date is coming up in the next few months, the school should be planning the reevaluation now.
- If you’re not sure when the last one was, ask. Request the evaluation report so you can see the date clearly.
- If a reevaluation is due, confirm with the school that they’ve scheduled it or are scheduling it for spring/early summer.
What to request in the reevaluation:
- Academic assessments if your child has academic disabilities.
- Speech/language testing if speech is a service.
- Occupational therapy or physical therapy assessments if relevant.
- Behavioral or social-emotional assessments if behavior is a concern.
- Updated IQ or cognitive testing if it’s been three years.
What happens if you don’t:
- The school might operate past the reevaluation deadline without updating your child’s eligibility information. This is a compliance violation.
- Your child’s current abilities and needs might not be accurately documented. If needs have changed (either improved or worsened), the IEP won’t reflect it.
- If you need to challenge the IEP later, you’ll be arguing based on outdated test data.
- If your child is approaching a transition point (like middle school or high school), you want fresh evaluation data to inform the transition plan.
The inside scoop: Reevaluations cost money and take time. Schools sometimes drag their feet. Don’t let them. If it’s due, push for it in spring so the results inform the annual IEP update.
3. Discuss and Request Extended School Year (ESY) Services
You’ve probably heard this term if you’ve been in special education for any length of time. But many parents don’t understand what ESY is or whether their child qualifies. Now is the moment to ask.
What to do:
- At the annual IEP meeting, specifically ask: “Does my child meet the criteria for Extended School Year services?”
- If the team says yes, make sure ESY is written into the IEP with specific services, frequency, and duration.
- If the team says no, ask why. Get the explanation in writing (Prior Written Notice).
- If you think your child might need ESY but the school hasn’t brought it up, raise it yourself. Bring data about regression during past breaks.
What to include in the discussion:
- How your child performed after winter break. Did they lose skills?
- Whether your child has crucial skills (like communication, behavior management, self-care) that need continuous practice.
- Whether your child is close to mastering an important skill and summer practice could push them over the edge.
- Any behaviors that worsen during extended breaks without therapeutic support.
For a complete guide to ESY eligibility and how to request it, see my detailed article on Extended School Year services.
What happens if you don’t:
- If your child qualifies for ESY and you don’t request it, you miss the summer window entirely. You can’t request ESY in July when summer is half over.
- Your child loses skills over the break that take weeks or months to rebuild in the fall.
- The school won’t proactively tell you about ESY. You have to ask.
- If the school denies ESY without a good reason, you’ll have missed your window to challenge it.
The inside scoop: Schools budget for ESY in spring. Once the deadline passes, they’re not adding services mid-summer. Request ESY by March or early April, or wait until next year.
4. Review IEP Goal Progress and Ask for Data
Your child has IEP goals. They’ve been working on them all year. Now is the time to ask: are they on track? Is the progress good enough? Does the goal need to change?
What to do:
- At the annual meeting, ask to see progress monitoring data for each goal. This is data collected regularly throughout the year.
- Ask specific questions: “Is my child meeting this goal? At what rate of progress? Is that rate good enough?”
- If a goal hasn’t been met, ask why. Is the instruction not working? Does the goal need to be revised? Is it time for a new goal?
- If a goal was mastered early in the year, celebrate that and discuss the next step. Does your child need a new goal or a modified version?
- Request that progress monitoring data be provided to you regularly, not just at annual meetings. Many schools will do a brief written update monthly or quarterly.
What to push back on:
- “We’re making progress” without showing you the data. Progress is measurable. You should see the numbers.
- Goals that haven’t changed in two or three years. Even if your child hasn’t fully met the goal, the goal should be updated if priorities have shifted.
- Goals that are vague or unmeasurable. “Improve reading” is not a goal. “Read and comprehend grade-level passages with 80% accuracy” is a goal.
What happens if you don’t:
- Goals that aren’t working stay in place. Your child spends another year working on something that’s not effective.
- You lose sight of whether your child is actually progressing. You might think services are helping when the data shows otherwise.
- Goals might stay on the IEP long after they’re relevant to your child’s actual needs.
- If you need to escalate a concern later (like “the school isn’t providing adequate services”), you won’t have baseline data to prove it.
The inside scoop: Progress monitoring is supposed to happen. Not every school does it consistently, but you can ask for it. If you see a pattern of no progress, that’s a red flag about service quality or goal appropriateness.
5. Request Copies of All Educational Records and Progress Reports
This is administrative but crucial. Get everything in writing while the school year is still active and records are accessible.
What to do:
- Send a written request to the school’s records office: “I am requesting copies of all educational records for my child, including progress monitoring reports, benchmark assessments, attendance records, and any evaluations or testing from this school year.”
- Specify a deadline (give them 5-10 business days). Schools have 45 days maximum to provide records, but push for faster.
- Request records in digital format if possible (email, PDF). Make copies for your own files.
- Create a home file system or folder with all IEP documents, evaluations, progress reports, and correspondence. You’ll need these for reference, and they’re invaluable if you ever need to escalate a concern.
What to include in your records request:
- Current IEP and all prior IEPs (going back at least 3 years).
- All evaluation reports (psych testing, speech/language, OT, academic testing, etc.).
- Progress monitoring data from the entire year.
- Attendance records.
- Any incident reports, behavioral documentation, or discipline records.
- Benchmark assessment results.
- Teacher notes or comments from conferences.
- Correspondence between home and school (emails, notes).
What happens if you don’t:
- Once summer hits, staff scatter. Good luck getting records in August.
- If you need documents to challenge something in the IEP, you’ll have to request them when you’re already in a dispute (slower process, more adversarial).
- You’ll lose track of your child’s progress over years. You won’t see patterns or know whether services are actually working.
- If your child transitions to a new school or district, you might not have complete records to share.
The inside scoop: Schools are required to provide records. They might push back (“we need to redact information” or “we need to charge you a fee”), but you have rights. If they’re slow, follow up. If they refuse, that’s a compliance issue you can escalate.
6. If Your Child Is Changing Schools Next Year, Start Transition Planning
Spring is when families make summer school decisions. If your child will be at a different school next year (elementary to middle, middle to high, or moving to a new district), now is the time to get ahead.
What to do:
- Notify the school that your child is transitioning. They’ll begin coordinating with the receiving school.
- Request a transition meeting before the end of the year. The current school should meet with the new school’s representative to review the IEP and discuss how services will continue.
- Ask for a tour of the new school’s special education setting, if applicable. Talk to the new case manager about your child’s needs.
- Request that your current IEP be shared with the receiving school immediately (with your permission, of course).
- Discuss any concerns about the transition: Does the new school offer the same level of service? Will your child have a familiar aide or teacher during the transition?
For a complete guide to school transitions and protecting your IEP, see my article on IEP school transitions.
What happens if you don’t:
- The receiving school might not get the IEP until days before school starts.
- Services might not be set up on day one. Your child could start at a new school without the support they need.
- You’ll be scrambling in August to coordinate with a new team, rather than having built relationships in spring.
- If the new school isn’t prepared, your child’s IEP might not be implemented correctly during the critical transition period.
The inside scoop: School transitions are common stress points for IEP implementation. Schools change. Case managers change. Aides change. Getting the current school and new school on the same page in spring makes the transition smoother and protects your child’s rights.
7. Document Everything in Writing Before Staff Leave for Summer
This is the most overlooked step, and it’s the most important. Before teachers, therapists, and case managers leave for summer, get everything documented.
What to do:
- Send emails summarizing any decisions made at the IEP meeting, any concerns you raised, and any commitments the school made. “Per our meeting on [date], the school will [specific commitment]. I’m confirming this in writing so we have documentation.”
- If something was discussed verbally at the meeting but isn’t clearly in the IEP, follow up in writing. “At the meeting, you mentioned that OT services might be increased next year. I want to confirm: will the IEP be revised in August to reflect this change?”
- Ask for progress reports in writing. “Please provide me with [specific child’s name]’s progress monitoring data through the end of the school year. I’d like to see where we stand before summer.”
- If you have concerns, document them in writing now. Don’t wait until August. “I’m concerned that [specific concern]. I’m requesting [specific action]. Please respond in writing about how you plan to address this.”
Why this matters:
- Over summer, staff are hard to reach. If something falls through the cracks, you won’t know until fall.
- Written documentation creates a paper trail. If you later need to escalate a concern, you have evidence of what was promised and what happened.
- In my experience as a school administrator, things that aren’t written down don’t happen. Good intentions disappear. Staff turnover happens. Written commitments stick.
What happens if you don’t:
- You’ll have a hazy memory of what was said at the spring meeting. The school might remember it differently.
- If the school makes a commitment and then doesn’t follow through in August, you have no proof they ever agreed to it.
- You’ll be back to square one in the fall, trying to chase down decisions and commitments that should have been finalized in spring.
Your March-to-June Action Plan
Here’s the timeline:
- Now (Mid-March): Confirm annual IEP meeting is scheduled, check triennial reevaluation deadline, request ESY meeting if needed.
- Late March/Early April: Attend ESY IEP meeting (if applicable). Get written decision about ESY.
- April/May: Attend annual IEP meeting. Review progress. Discuss goals. Plan for transitions if applicable.
- May: Request copies of records. Follow up on any unfinished business from the annual meeting.
- End of May/Early June: Send documentation emails confirming decisions and commitments. Confirm summer plans (ESY dates, location, transportation, if applicable).
- Before summer break: Review your file. Make sure you have copies of everything. Know what’s been completed and what still needs attention.
If This Feels Overwhelming
Managing an IEP is a lot. You’re juggling meetings, data, timelines, and administrative steps while also raising your child and working and living your life. If you feel behind or overwhelmed by any of these steps, you don’t have to do it alone.
I help families navigate end-of-year IEP planning, prepare for annual meetings, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Whether you need help with one specific task or guidance through the entire end-of-year process, I’m here.
Contact me at alison@stoneeac.com or call 480.973.3553.
Don’t let summer catch you unprepared. Let’s make sure your child’s IEP is reviewed, updated, and ready to support them for the year ahead.