DC IEP Annual Review: What Happens and How to Prepare

Every IEP must be reviewed at least once per year. In DC, this is true whether your child attends DCPS or a charter school — and the annual review is not just a formality. It determines your child's educational program for the next twelve months. Walking in prepared is the difference between an IEP that reflects your child's actual needs and one that is a copy-paste of last year's document.

What the Annual Review Must Include

The IEP annual review is a meeting of the IEP team — which includes you, your child's general and special education teachers, a representative of the school, someone who can interpret evaluation results, and any relevant service providers. When transition planning applies (age 16 and older), the student should also attend.

The team must:

Review progress on current goals: For each annual goal in the IEP, the team should review data on your child's progress and determine whether the goal was met, partially met, or not achieved.

Update or write new goals: Based on the progress data and any new evaluations, the team writes new annual goals for the coming year. Goals should be measurable — you should be able to read a goal and understand exactly what the student will be able to do, under what conditions, and at what level of accuracy.

Review and update the present levels of performance: The IEP's "present levels" section describes where your child is right now, academically and functionally. This should be updated with current data before new goals are written.

Review and update services: Is the frequency, duration, and type of services still appropriate? Does your child need more? Different services? New related services?

Review placement: Is the current educational setting still the least restrictive environment appropriate for your child's needs?

Review accommodations and modifications: Are the current accommodations still the right ones? Are there new needs based on grade-level demands?

What You Should Bring to the Annual Review

The most prepared DC parents bring their own documentation to the annual review rather than relying entirely on the school's data.

Progress reports: Collect all progress reports issued throughout the year. Compare the language used from one to the next. Vague progress reports ("progressing" without data) are a red flag.

Work samples: Keep samples of your child's actual work from throughout the year. These are evidence of what your child can and cannot do, independent of the school's summary.

Your own observations: What has the year actually looked like? Where has your child struggled? What has improved? This is qualitative data the team needs.

A list of your concerns and priorities: Write them down before the meeting. It is easy to leave a meeting and realize you forgot to raise something important. A written list keeps you on track.

Questions about any goals you want changed: If a goal was not met, ask why and what changes to the program might address the barrier. If a goal was met easily, ask whether it was ambitious enough and what the next level looks like.

The Problem with Copy-Pasted IEPs

One of the most common failures in DC special education — and a significant source of the district's high complaint rate — is IEPs that are not meaningfully revised at the annual review. The same goals carry forward year after year. Present levels are updated only nominally. Services stay the same regardless of whether they are working.

If your child's IEP looks substantially the same as last year's, ask directly: what specific data shows these goals and services are still appropriate? Which goals were actually met, and what does the new goal represent? If the team cannot answer with data, that is a signal that the review was inadequate.

DC law requires that IEPs be developed based on your child's individual needs, not based on what the school finds administratively convenient. The Endrew F. standard requires goals that represent meaningful progress — not minimal improvement.

DC's 120-Day Rule and Annual Reviews for New Students

If your child was recently identified and went through the initial IEP process, DC's 120-calendar-day timeline governed that process: evaluation, eligibility, IEP, and implementation all within 120 days of consent. After that initial IEP is in place, the annual review cycle follows standard IDEA timelines — the IEP must be reviewed no less than once every twelve months.

The annual review must happen on or before the anniversary date of the most recent IEP. If the school misses this deadline, that is a procedural violation. Keep track of your IEP dates and send a written reminder approximately six weeks before the anniversary if no meeting has been scheduled.

What to Do When You Disagree with the Annual Review

You are a full member of the IEP team. You can agree with some proposals and disagree with others. You do not have to sign the IEP at the meeting.

If you disagree with the proposed goals, services, or placement:

1. State your disagreement clearly and ask for it to be documented in the meeting notes.
2. Do not sign the IEP if you disagree with it. Signing typically signals consent to implement.
3. Request the school's prior written notice explaining what they are proposing and why.
4. Request additional time to review the document before making a decision.

After the meeting, you can pursue mediation, file a state complaint with OSSE, or file for due process. You can also request another IEP meeting at any time.

During any dispute, the "stay put" rule protects your child: if you request due process, your child stays in their current placement and continues receiving their current services until the dispute is resolved, unless you and the school agree to a different arrangement.

The District of Columbia IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a full annual review preparation checklist, guidance on evaluating the quality of proposed IEP goals, and a script for raising concerns at the meeting without derailing the process.

Annual Reevaluation vs. Annual Review: They Are Different

The annual review is a meeting. A reevaluation is a new evaluation of your child's current functioning — it uses testing and assessment to update the picture of your child's needs.

IDEA requires reevaluation at least every three years (the "triennial") unless you and the school agree it is not needed. It can also happen sooner if conditions warrant — if your child's needs have changed significantly, if prior evaluations are not reflecting current functioning, or if you request one.

At the annual review, the team may decide a reevaluation is warranted. If so, that triggers a separate process. Do not confuse a review of existing data (which happens every year) with a new evaluation (which must happen every three years and can be requested at any time).

If it has been close to three years since your child's last evaluation, raise it at the annual review. If the school does not initiate the reevaluation process, request it in writing.

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