Chapter 5: The Individualized Education Program (IEP)

The blueprint for delivering special education is documented on the learner’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed as a requirement in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) to serve as both a mandated component in the special education placement process and as a useful instructional tool.

Federal legislation mandates that special education delivered to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners who are English learners (ELs) address both content and language development, which should be documented on the IEP (see IDEIA, 2004).

Specifically, if an EL requires special education, legislation requires schools to address how language development relates to IEP implementation. That is, for ELs, IDEIA (2004) “requires that the IEP team consider, among other special factors, the language needs of a child” (DCL, 2015, pp. 26–27). Therefore, to meet legislative mandates when developing IEPs for ELs, educators incorporate both language and content objectives in the delivery of special education reflecting culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) instruction.