Saskatchewan IIP Process: How the IEP Equivalent Works Step by Step

Saskatchewan doesn't use the term IEP — the American term from U.S. federal law. The provincial equivalent is the Inclusion and Intervention Plan (IIP), developed within the eIIP system the Ministry of Education requires all divisions to use. Understanding exactly how the IIP process works — and where parents fit into it — is the difference between passively receiving decisions made by the school and actively shaping the outcome for your child.

Here's the process, broken down step by step.

Step 1: The Concern Is Raised

The IIP process doesn't start with a form — it starts with a documented concern about a student's learning or functioning. This concern can come from:

• A classroom teacher who observes persistent academic difficulties, behavioural challenges, or social-emotional struggles
• A parent who raises formal concerns about how their child is managing in school
• A specialist (SLP, OT, psychologist) who identifies significant functional impairment during a routine service visit

As a parent, you have the right to initiate this process. Don't wait for the school to bring concerns to you. If your child is struggling, put your concerns in writing and request that the school-based team review the situation.

Step 2: The School-Based Team Reviews

Once a concern is raised, the school-based team reviews the student's situation. This team typically includes the classroom teacher, the Educational Support Teacher (EST) or Learning Resource Teacher, and school administration.

Before moving to formal assessment, the team is required to implement pre-referral interventions — trying targeted classroom supports (Tier 2 interventions) and documenting the student's response. This is called "Intervention First" in Saskatchewan. The idea is that not every challenge requires intensive support; some students respond to targeted classroom adjustments.

This phase can take several weeks or months. If the documented data shows the student is not responding to Tier 2 supports and needs more intensive help, the team escalates.

Parent role at this stage: Push for written documentation of what interventions are being tried and the data being collected. Informal verbal updates are not sufficient. Ask for written progress notes or a summary of the interventions and the student's response.

Step 3: Referral for Formal Assessment

When the school-based team determines that a formal assessment is warranted, they submit a referral to the division's Intensive Support personnel. The type of assessment depends on the student's functional difficulties:

• Psychoeducational assessment — evaluates cognitive ability, learning disabilities, and psychological processing; conducted by a registered Educational Psychologist
• Speech-Language assessment — evaluates language skills; conducted by an SLP
• Occupational Therapy assessment — evaluates fine/gross motor skills, sensory processing; conducted by an OT
• Functional Behaviour Assessment — identifies the function of specific challenging behaviours; conducted by a behaviour consultant or psychologist

Wait times are significant. Depending on the division, psychoeducational assessment waitlists can extend up to two years. Rural divisions with itinerant specialists face even longer practical delays.

As a parent, under The Education Act, 1995, you have the statutory right to formally request that the Director of Education direct an assessment. Put this request in writing. The school cannot ignore a formal written request from a parent indefinitely — it creates a documented record of the division's response time.

Step 4: The Assessment

The assessment is conducted by the relevant specialist. A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment involves:

• Interviews with parents and teachers
• Direct observation of the student in the school setting
• Standardized testing (cognitive ability, academic achievement, processing)
• Scoring, report writing, and feedback session

Parents should be interviewed as part of the assessment process. If the assessor hasn't contacted you for input, ask to be included. Your observations about how the child functions at home, during homework, and in unstructured settings provide context the school cannot observe.

Once complete, the assessment report establishes the data baseline for the IIP's Current Level of Ability section.

Step 5: The IIP Is Developed

With assessment data in hand, the IIP development team convenes. This team must include parents — parent inclusion is not optional under Saskatchewan policy. The IIP is built around the student's assessed needs and must contain:

Who is the student? — Strengths, interests, learning history, relevant assessment data.

Current Level of Ability (CLA) — The specific, objective baseline of what the student can currently do. This must be concrete and measurable. "Struggles with reading" is not a valid CLA. "Reads 45 words per minute with 70% accuracy on grade-2 text" is a valid CLA.

Annual outcomes — The overarching measurable goals for the academic year.

Short-term objectives — Incremental steps toward the annual outcomes, with 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month benchmarks.

Strategies and responsibilities — Specific interventions, who is responsible for delivering them, and how often.

Transition planning — Both short-term (daily transitions, weekend return to school) and long-term (school-to-school or school-to-adult life).

Parent role at this stage: Come to the IIP meeting prepared with your own input. Know your child's strengths and areas of need. Know what accommodations you want to ask for. Know the difference between adaptations (which preserve regular curriculum) and modifications (which change it). If you receive the draft IIP only at the meeting itself, ask for time to review it before signing.

Step 6: Parents Sign — or Don't

Parents must sign the IIP to indicate formal agreement with the plan. This is not a rubber stamp. If you disagree with any component — the goals, the level of support, the classification of programming as modified versus adapted — you have the right to refuse to sign.

A refusal must be documented by the school division. They must record the reasons for the refusal and their ongoing efforts to resolve the dispute.

If you're uncertain about something in the IIP, don't sign under pressure at the meeting. Ask for time. You can also sign the IIP while noting in writing that you have specific reservations about particular sections — and stating those reservations explicitly.

Step 7: Implementation and Progress Monitoring

The IIP is a living document. Goals should be reviewed regularly — the eIIP system tracks progress against short-term objectives. Progress monitoring isn't just annual. It's ongoing, with data collected by the named responsible staff members.

If you aren't receiving regular progress updates, ask for them. Ask specifically how goals are being measured and how frequently. If a goal hasn't changed in six months, either it was met (and should be documented as such with a new goal set) or it isn't being worked on.

Annual IIP reviews are standard, but you can request an IIP review at any time if circumstances change significantly.

What the Process Looks Like in Rural Saskatchewan

For families in rural or northern divisions, every step above takes longer. School psychologists may cover multiple schools across large territories. SLPs visit monthly or less. Behaviour consultants are stretched thin.

The process doesn't change — your rights don't diminish because you're rural. But the practical timelines may be longer and you may need to push harder at each step. Specifically:

• Ask about telehealth assessment options
• Ask when the itinerant specialist is next scheduled to visit your child's school
• Document every delay in writing — when you requested something and when (or whether) it was acted on

The Saskatchewan IEP & Support Plan Blueprint includes a step-by-step guide to the Saskatchewan IIP process with checklists for each stage, including what to bring to the assessment meeting, what to ask during IIP development, and how to monitor whether the plan is actually being implemented.

See more Canada guides →