IEP Meeting Checklist for Massachusetts Parents: Questions to Ask at Every Team Meeting

Walking into an IEP Team meeting without a checklist is like negotiating a contract you haven't read. The district team has attended hundreds of these meetings. You may have attended one or two. That gap in experience is real, and preparation is how you close it.

This checklist is built around Massachusetts law — 603 CMR 28.00 and M.G.L. c. 71B — and the 2024–2025 DESE IEP form. Use it before, during, and after every Team meeting.

Before the Meeting: Documents to Request in Writing

Send these requests to the Team Chair and the Director of Special Education by email at least one week before the meeting date.

Documents to request:

• [ ] All evaluation reports (you have the legal right to these at least 2 calendar days before the meeting under Massachusetts law)
• [ ] A copy of the current IEP for comparison
• [ ] A draft of any proposed IEP goals or services, if available for annual reviews
• [ ] Progress reports on every current annual goal
• [ ] Any N-1 or N-2 forms issued since the last meeting
• [ ] Data logs and progress monitoring data the Team will reference

If you receive evaluation reports the morning of the meeting, you can request a postponement. You cannot meaningfully participate in a discussion of findings you haven't had time to review.

Preparation steps:

• [ ] Review the current IEP page by page — flag goals you believe are inadequate, services you believe should be added, and accommodations that aren't being implemented
• [ ] Write out your questions in advance, grouped by topic (see question bank below)
• [ ] Identify one person to attend as a dedicated note-taker — you cannot secretly record in Massachusetts under M.G.L. c. 272, § 99
• [ ] Prepare a brief written Parent Input statement (the new 2024 Massachusetts IEP form includes a Parent/Student Input section — this is your formal voice in the document)

At the Meeting: Questions to Ask

These questions are designed to get the district's positions on the record. Ask them one at a time, and have your note-taker write down the answers verbatim.

On evaluation findings:

• [ ] What is the baseline data for each area assessed?
• [ ] Are there any areas of suspected disability that were not evaluated? If so, why?
• [ ] What specific deficits did the evaluation identify that the proposed IEP addresses?
• [ ] How do these findings compare to the student's performance 12 months ago?

On annual goals:

• [ ] What is the current baseline for each proposed goal?
• [ ] How was this goal selected — what data supports choosing this target?
• [ ] How will progress be measured, and how often?
• [ ] Who is responsible for collecting progress data?
• [ ] What happens if my child is not making progress toward this goal by the midpoint of the year?

On services:

• [ ] What is the rationale for the proposed number of service hours per week?
• [ ] Who will deliver this service — a certified specialist or a paraprofessional?
• [ ] Will services be delivered in a push-in or pull-out model, and why?
• [ ] If services are being reduced from the previous IEP, what data supports that reduction?
• [ ] Is Extended School Year (ESY) being considered for this student? If not, why not?

On placement:

• [ ] Is the proposed placement the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in which this student can receive FAPE?
• [ ] What supplementary aids and services have been tried to support the student in a more inclusive setting?
• [ ] If a more restrictive setting is being proposed, what specific documentation shows the student cannot be served in a less restrictive environment?

On the new 2024 Massachusetts IEP form:

• [ ] Has the student's disability profile been updated to reflect the new multi-disability designation option?
• [ ] Where is assistive technology addressed in the service delivery grid?
• [ ] Is transition planning included if the student is 14 or older?

On accommodations and modifications:

• [ ] Which items are accommodations (change how the student accesses the curriculum) vs. modifications (change what the student is expected to master)?
• [ ] Are any proposed modifications likely to affect the student's ability to earn a Competency Determination (MCAS)?
• [ ] Are accommodations documented for MCAS — standard or non-standard?

At the End of the Meeting: Before You Leave

• [ ] Ask the Team Chair to confirm the date by which you will receive the written proposed IEP
• [ ] If the district declined any request you made, ask for an N-2 form (Notice of School District Refusal to Act) documenting the refusal, the data used, and the alternatives considered
• [ ] Do NOT sign the IEP at the meeting — you have 30 days to respond
• [ ] Request a copy of all documents referenced or distributed at the meeting

Do not let anyone pressure you to sign the IEP before you leave. You are entitled under Massachusetts law to take the document home, review it carefully, and return your response within 30 days. A partial rejection — accepting some services while disputing others — is often your most strategic option under 603 CMR 28.05(7)(b). Accepted services begin immediately; disputed elements go to resolution.

After the Meeting: The Letter of Understanding

Within 24 hours, send an email to the Team Chair summarizing your understanding of what was decided, what was proposed, and what you requested that was declined. End with: "If my understanding of any of the above is incorrect, please respond in writing within three business days."

This email creates a contemporaneous legal record. The district must confirm or correct it in writing — either outcome gives you documentation.

The Massachusetts IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a printable version of this checklist, question scripts for each IEP section, and templates for the Letter of Understanding and partial IEP rejection — organized by the sections of the new 2024 DESE IEP form.

The 30-Day Response Window

After receiving the proposed IEP, your three options are:

Accept in full — all services begin immediately.

Accept in part, reject in part — accepted services begin without delay; rejected elements remain in dispute. This is frequently the right move when the IEP is mostly adequate but missing one or two critical supports.

Reject in full — no new services begin; stay-put preserves your child's last agreed-upon placement.

The BSEA received 14,326 notifications of rejected IEPs in FY 2024, up from 12,560 the year before. If you find yourself disagreeing with the proposed IEP, you are far from alone — and Massachusetts law gives you structured tools to respond.

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