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What Are The Different Types of IEP Meetings

There are many different types of IEP meetings. The initial, annual, re-evaluation, and tri-annual. Understanding the difference can be a little confusing at times. Here we will walk through the different types and break them down so you have a better understanding of what they all mean.

Initial IEP Meeting

The initial IEP meeting is the first meeting you’ll have to discuss the needs of the child. You will only have one initial IEP meeting. In this meeting, the team creates the IEP. From then on, it becomes an annual meeting where you will revisit the IEP on a yearly basis.

Annual IEP Meeting

In the annual IEP meeting, you’re looking to readjust goals. You’ll be looking at adjusting the accommodations and making any changes needed to better support the student after one year of information has been gathered. The annual re-evaluation and adjustment meeting is important because you can’t just make an initial IEP and roll with it. It must be evaluated after 1 year of data. A few questions you’ll ask:

  • Did the student meet the goals set in the initial IEP meeting?
  • Do the goals need to be amended or adjusted?

Re-Evaluation IEP Meeting

The re-evaluation meeting might sound like the same thing as the annual meeting, however the re-evaluation meeting can occur at any time within a year timeframe. 

Why would you need a re-evaluation meeting? There are few reasons. 

  • The student is not meeting their goals
  • The parents, teacher, or even the student does not feel that the IEP accommodations are providing the proper support within the classroom. 
  • There has been a new diagnosis that needs to be considered. 

A parent or teacher may request a re-evaluation at any time within the annual timeframe. Typically, the school will request this in writing. The re-evaluation meeting is a great way to find if something new has cropped up or there are concerns with the IEP. This would be the time for the team to get back together and discuss options.

Checklist

Tri-annual IEP Meeting

As the name states, the tri-annual meeting occurs every 3 years. It is required to have this meeting. Why is this required? A lot can change in a 3 year period. Fluctuations in student performance and the student’s abilities may require new accommodations. As the student grows, they may be more or less impacted by a certain disability in the IEP. This meeting addresses those changes and how it impacts the student day-to-day. 

In the tri-annual meeting, we’re launching from an entirely different set of data. Cognitive, behavioral, social-emotional, and academic data is covered again to get a better understanding of how the student has grown in the last three years. From there, an IEP is created based on that data.

Conclusion

At any time, new data could facilitate a change to the IEP. It may mean more supports are added into IEP or some supports are withdrawn or faded back based on testing that the student no longer needs the support.