Special Education and Related Services as outlined on an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Special Education and Related Services as outlined on an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

What are Special Education and Related Services

All students are general education students and work on grade level learning standards for the grade and courses they are assigned. General education teachers are experts at supporting all students to access and make meaningful progress in grade level learning standards and should adjust the depth, breadth, and complexity of the standards needed to support access and extend the learning. There are no modified or alternative learning standards.

Some students may also be eligible to have support through an IEP. IEPs provides an additional layer of special education and/or related services that layer on top of general education instruction on grade level learning standards. The purpose of the IEP is to bridge the gap between a student's present level of academic and functional performance and those of grade level expectations. The IEP is also intended to meet the students’ unique needs resulting from their disability.

The IEP is not the student’s sole educational program or curriculum

For each student eligible for special education services, their educational program has three parts that go together to support them for their next steps after high school: 

  • the general education curriculum, 
  • the school’s routines and activities, and 
  • the IEP

IEP teams also play a key role in outlining and supporting accommodations and modifications that assist students to be successful across learning environments as well as providing valuable support and collaboration with other staff who are supporting a student’s learning.

Inclusive Education requires a team vision and expectation that each student can actively participate, belong, contribute, and learn in the school and larger community. This process is based on meaningful collaboration between general educators, special educators, related service providers, families, and students.

Examples of how IEP support interacts with the grade level learning standards

A student’s IEP outlines the Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), related services, supplementary aids, services, and program modifications or supports for school personnel that support students to access and benefit from the grade level learning standards they are also working on. 

The following list provides examples for how each component may be authored in an IEP. Additionally, it illustrates how general education teachers play an essential role in implementing the IEP supports and supporting student learning in the general education environments. 

  • Accommodations that a general education teacher may provide include:
    • Needed seating or grouping arrangements (e.g., sitting at the front of the class or away from doors and windows
    • Support for instruction (such as graphic organizers, calculators, or audio recording of lessons)
  • Modifications a general education teacher may provide include:
    • Reducing the number of items a student needs to complete
  • Specially Designed Instruction and Related Services may include:
    • Daily 15-minute direct instruction in phonics and reading fluency provided by a special educator in the general education classroom.
  • Program Modifications or Supports for School Personnel:
    • Special Education teacher quarterly coaching for general education teachers to support student growth through implementation of positive behavior supports.

Resources to Learn More

  • Tips from the Special Education Division–October 2024 and November 2024 unpack guidance around specifically designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, related services, and supplementary aids and services that all support students to progress. 
  • Creating Accessibility in Grade Level Standards.
  • Comprehensive Inclusive Education OSPI web page, and the Comprehensive Inclusive Education: Connecting General Education and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) guidance.
  • OSPI has a 10 Step Guide to the Special Education Process that details how special education works. 
  • U.S. Department of Education, Building and Sustaining Inclusive Educational Practices: Aligned with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)and Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).