The IEP Process in Indiana: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents

The IEP process in Indiana has specific terminology, timelines, and procedures that differ from what you'd find in a generic federal guide. If you've been through a referral or are about to request one, here is exactly how the process works in Indiana — step by step, with the Article 7 details that actually matter.

Step 1: The Referral

The IEP process starts with a referral for special education evaluation. Anyone can refer a student — a parent, a teacher, a physician, the principal. But your referral as a parent is legally significant: it triggers specific procedural obligations for the district.

Submit your referral in writing. An email is sufficient and creates a timestamp. Address it to:

• The building principal, and
• The district's Director of Special Education (or Director of Pupil Services)

Your request should state that you are requesting a full and individual special education evaluation for your child, identify the areas of concern, and note any relevant documentation you have (medical diagnosis, private evaluation reports, prior assessments).

The clock starts the moment the district receives a written referral. They have 10 business days to respond with a Prior Written Notice either agreeing to evaluate or explaining in writing why they are refusing.

Step 2: Prior Written Notice and Evaluation Consent

When the district agrees to evaluate, they send you an evaluation plan describing:

• What assessments will be conducted
• What areas of disability will be assessed
• Who will conduct each assessment
• Your right to request an independent evaluation if you disagree with the results

You review this plan and sign it if you consent. The 50-instructional-day evaluation clock begins when you sign consent. This is Indiana's timeline — stricter than the federal 60-calendar-day standard. Instructional days exclude weekends, holidays, breaks, snow days, and summer. The clock pauses when school is not in session.

There is also an accelerated 20-instructional-day timeline for two situations:

1. When the student has progressed through RTI/MTSS tiers without success and is being formally referred
2. When the referral occurs in connection with disciplinary proceedings

If the district refuses to evaluate, they must explain why in writing. You can disagree with that refusal and file a state complaint with IDOE or request mediation or due process.

Step 3: The Evaluation

The district must assess your child in all areas of suspected disability at no cost to you. For most students, this includes cognitive assessment, academic achievement, and relevant domain-specific assessments (speech-language, occupational therapy, behavioral, etc.).

Indiana-specific notes on evaluation:

• SLD identification: Indiana prohibits the "severe discrepancy" model. Evaluators must use pattern of strengths and weaknesses or RTI/MTSS data — not a simple IQ-achievement gap calculation.
• Developmental Delay: This category is only available in Indiana for students ages 3–8. By age 9, the student must be re-evaluated and re-identified under a specific disability category.
• You have the right to participate in the evaluation process — providing background information, requesting specific assessments, and reviewing results before the eligibility meeting.

Keep copies of all assessment reports. Request them in writing before the CCC meeting so you have time to read them.

The Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint walks you through every step of the evaluation and IEP process — with scripts for CCC meetings, letter templates for each phase, and a guide to your rights at each step. Get the complete toolkit

Step 4: The Eligibility Case Conference Committee (CCC)

After evaluation is complete, the CCC meets to determine eligibility. In Indiana, this team is called the Case Conference Committee, not the IEP team — though they serve the same function.

Required members of the CCC:

• You (the parent) — a required participant, not an optional attendee
• A Public Agency Representative (PAR) — an administrator with authority to commit district resources
• The Teacher of Record (TOR) — the special education teacher who would be primarily responsible for the IEP
• A general education teacher (if the student spends time in general ed)
• Someone who can interpret evaluation results (often the school psychologist)
• The student (required for transition planning at age 16 or earlier)
• Others as relevant (speech pathologist, OT, behavior analyst, outside evaluator)

At the eligibility CCC, the team reviews all evaluation data and answers two questions:

1. Does the student have one of the 13 disability categories under 511 IAC 7-41?
2. Does the disability adversely affect educational performance in a way requiring specially designed instruction?

Both must be answered yes for an IEP.

If you disagree with the eligibility determination, state your disagreement at the meeting and in writing afterward. You can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at district expense and/or file a state complaint.

Step 5: IEP Development

If eligible, the CCC develops the IEP. This may happen at the same meeting as eligibility determination or at a subsequent CCC. The IEP must include:

• Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP): A detailed baseline of where your child is right now — not just labels like "below grade level" but specific data.
• Annual measurable goals: Specific, observable, measurable goals with baselines, criteria for mastery, and measurement methods.
• Special education and related services: What services the district will provide, for how many minutes per week, in what setting, beginning when.
• Accommodations: Environmental and instructional modifications.
• Participation in general education: What percentage of time in general education, and what supports enable that participation.
• Progress reporting: How and when you will receive reports on goal progress (Indiana requires this concurrent with report card intervals).
• Placement: The least restrictive environment where the IEP can be implemented.

You must receive a copy of the proposed IEP before or at the meeting. You do not have to sign at the meeting — take it home if you need time to review it.

Step 6: Placement

Placement is a separate decision from IEP services but is made at the CCC. The team must select the least restrictive environment (LRE) where the student's IEP can be implemented. This ranges from full inclusion in general education to a residential program.

Indiana's LRE options include:

• Full-time general education with accommodations and push-in support
• General education with pull-out resource room for specific subjects
• Self-contained special education classroom with some inclusion
• Self-contained day program at a different school
• Private day school at district expense
• Homebound instruction
• Residential placement

The school cannot place your child in a more restrictive setting simply because it's more convenient. Placement must be driven by what the IEP requires.

Step 7: Consent for Services and Implementation

Before the first IEP is implemented, you must provide written consent for services. This is separate from evaluation consent. Once you sign, services must begin without unnecessary delay.

Note: You can consent to parts of the IEP. If you agree with most services but disagree with the placement, you can consent to the services while disputing placement.

Annual Review and Three-Year Re-Evaluation

The IEP must be reviewed at least annually by the CCC. You must be invited to and participate in this review. Goals are evaluated, new goals are developed, services are adjusted.

Every three years (the "triennial"), the district must conduct a full re-evaluation unless the team determines that existing data is sufficient and you agree. A triennial re-evaluation checks whether the student still has a disability, still needs special education, and whether any areas of educational need have changed.

Key Indiana Contacts

• IDOE Office of Special Education (OSE): Handles state complaints and compliance. indianalearninglab.org/special-education
• IN*SOURCE: Free parent training and support. 800-332-4433, insource.org
• About Special Kids (ASK): Parent-to-parent support network. aboutspecialkids.org

Indiana's IEP process involves specific timelines, terminology, and procedural steps that differ from generic federal guides. The Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint is your comprehensive reference for every phase — from writing the referral letter to requesting a hearing if things go wrong.

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