How Can I Help My Child’s IEP Work Better for Them Next School Year?
By Julie Diamond, Founder & CEO, Diamond Teachers Group
If you’re looking for guidance to help better understand your child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP/IPP), and how to prepare for the school meeting, check out one of our previous blogs ‘How Do I Understand My Child’s IEP and What Should I Do in School Meetings?’
As we move through the spring months, many families begin to hear about upcoming Individual Education Plan (IEP) reviews for the next school year. This is an important time in your child’s educational journey, as it allows you to reflect on what has been working, identify ongoing needs, and ensure the right supports are in place for continued success.
An IEP is not just a school document. It is a legal document and a roadmap for your child’s learning. When reviewed thoughtfully and collaboratively, it can be one of the most powerful tools in supporting your child’s academic growth, confidence, and independence.
In this blog, I want to walk you through how to review your child’s IEP, understand key components like accommodations and modifications, and involve your child in the process so they can begin building self-advocacy skills that will support them for years to come.
Understanding the Purpose of an IEP Review
An IEP is a living document that is meant to evolve as your child grows and their needs change. The review process is an opportunity to:
Reflect on your child’s progress over the current school year
Assess which strategies and supports have been effective
Identify ongoing challenges or learning gaps
Adjust accommodations, goals, or programming for the upcoming year
While schools typically initiate formal reviews, parents play a critical role in ensuring the document truly reflects the child’s lived experience, not just classroom data.
Accommodations vs. Modifications: What’s the Difference?
One of the most important parts of reviewing an IEP is understanding the difference between accommodations and modifications. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they are very different in practice.
Accommodations
Accommodations change how a student learns, but not what they are expected to learn.
Examples include:
Extra time on tests or assignments
Access to assistive technology (speech-to-text, audiobooks)
Preferential seating
Breaks during work periods
Visual schedules or checklists
Accommodations allow students to access the same curriculum as their peers with supports that remove barriers to learning.
Modifications
Modifications change what a student is expected to learn.
Examples include:
Reduced number of questions or assignments
Different grade-level expectations
Simplified curriculum content
Alternative learning goals
Modifications are typically used when a student is working significantly below grade level and requires a different learning pathway.
Understanding this distinction is essential when reviewing your child’s IEP, as it directly impacts expectations, assessment, and long-term planning.
Involving Your Child in the IEP Process (Ages 11+)
One of the most valuable steps you can take as a parent is involving your child in their IEP process. I typically recommend this to families if they have a child who is 11 years old or older and it would be appropriate for them to participate.
This does not mean they need to attend formal meetings, but it does mean including them in conversations such as:
“What helps you learn best in class?”
“When do you feel stuck or frustrated?”
“What kind of support helps you feel more confident?”
“What do you want your teachers to understand about how you learn?”
Involving your child in these discussions helps build self-awareness and self-advocacy skills, which are essential for success in high school and beyond. It also helps them feel seen, heard, and included in decisions that directly impact their learning experience.
Over time, this can shift a child from relying entirely on adults to beginning to understand and advocate for what they need independently.
Share the IEP with Everyone Supporting Your Child
One of the most overlooked but impactful steps in supporting a child with an IEP is ensuring consistency across all learning environments.
This includes sharing your child’s IEP with:
Clinical or Therapeutic Support (occupational therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists, etc.)
Tutors
When everyone understands your child’s accommodations, goals, and learning profile, support becomes far more consistent and effective.
At Diamond Teachers Group, our tutors are certified teachers, which allows them to do more than simply help with homework. They are able to:
Identify which strategies are working well during tutoring sessions
Observe patterns in learning challenges
Reinforce school-based accommodations in a targeted way
Provide meaningful feedback that can support your IEP meeting discussions
This creates a stronger bridge between school and outside support, ensuring your child is not receiving fragmented or inconsistent strategies.
Preparing for Your IEP Meeting
Before your meeting, take time to reflect on your child’s experience this year.
Some helpful questions to consider:
Which supports helped my child the most this year?
Where did they continue to struggle despite support?
Did accommodations feel sufficient, or do they need adjustment?
Has my child’s confidence improved or decreased? Why?
What feedback have teachers, tutors, or support staff shared?
Bringing notes from home, tutoring sessions, or even your child’s own reflections can make a significant difference in the quality of the conversation.
When You May Want Additional Support
IEP meetings can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to interpret educational language, advocate for your child’s needs, and make informed decisions about next steps.
If you would like additional support, we offer an IEP Review Meeting service where we:
Walk you through your child’s IEP in plain language
Help you understand your rights as a parent/guardian
Identify whether accommodations and/or modifications are appropriate
Discuss strategies you can request at your school meeting
Support you in preparing questions and advocacy points for the school team
This can be especially helpful if you are unsure whether your child’s current supports are sufficient or if you are navigating transitions such as elementary to high school.
Your child’s IEP is most effective when it is regularly reviewed, understood, and supported by everyone involved in their learning. When parents, educators, tutors, and students themselves are aligned, children are far more likely to feel confident, supported, and successful. You may know the saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’...
Most importantly, involving your child in this process helps them build the lifelong skill of self-advocacy. Understanding how they learn and what they need is just as important as academic progress itself.
If you have questions about your child’s IEP or would like support preparing for an upcoming meeting, we are here to help.
👉 Learn more about our IEP Review Meeting support or contact us directly. We are always here to support you and your child’s learning journey.