Wisconsin DPI IEP Forms Explained: I-4, ER-1, and the Model Form System

One of the most disorienting parts of a Wisconsin IEP meeting is being handed forms with names like "I-4," "ER-1," and "M-1" and being expected to follow along. These are Wisconsin's DPI Model IEP Forms — a standardized set of documents that every public school district in the state must use throughout the special education process.

Understanding what each form is, what it must contain, and how to read it as a parent gives you a significant advantage at every stage of the process.

Why Wisconsin Uses Model Forms

Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) created the Model IEP Form system to ensure statewide compliance with both federal IDEA requirements and Wisconsin's own Chapter 115 and PI 11 regulations. Every form has a specific legal function, required fields, and a place in the sequential timeline of the special education process.

The forms are not optional. Districts are required to use them (or substantially equivalent locally developed forms that meet all the same legal requirements). This standardization actually benefits parents — it means every district's IEP documents follow the same structure, and you know exactly what to look for.

DPI publishes the full set of model forms at dpi.wi.gov/sped/laws-procedures-bulletins/procedures/sample/forms. They also publish a detailed Forms Guide that explains what each field requires. The challenge is that the Forms Guide is written for educators, not parents — it describes compliance requirements rather than helping families understand what they are reading.

The Core Forms You Will See

Form ER-1: Evaluation Report

The ER-1 is the cornerstone evaluation document. It is completed by the school's evaluation team (including the school psychologist, special education teacher, and relevant specialists) and documents:

• All assessment data collected
• The team's analysis of how each disability category's criteria are met or not met
• The determination of whether the child has a disability and, if so, under which PI 11.36 category
• Whether the child has a need for specially designed instruction

There are category-specific variants of the ER-1 for Autism (ER-1-AUT) and Emotional Behavioral Disability (ER-1-EBD). For Specific Learning Disability, the form is ER-2-A.

As a parent, pay attention to: Whether the evaluation actually addresses all the areas you requested. A comprehensive evaluation must be broad enough to identify all of the child's special education and related service needs — not just the most obvious one. If you suspected both a learning disability and attention difficulties, both should appear in the ER-1.

The ER-1 must be completed within 60 calendar days of your signed consent to evaluate. You are entitled to a copy.

Form I-4: Individualized Education Program

The I-4 is the IEP itself — the document that defines your child's educational program for the year ahead. It must be developed, reviewed, and revised at each annual IEP meeting.

The I-4 contains several interconnected sections:

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP): This is the foundation of the entire IEP. The PLAAFP must provide a data-driven snapshot of where the child is currently performing and explicitly state how the disability affects the child's involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. Vague PLAAFP statements ("Johnny struggles with reading") do not meet this standard. Strong PLAAFPs include specific data: reading fluency scores, behavior frequency counts, current grade-level performance in each area.

Measurable Annual Goals: Based directly on the PLAAFP, these goals state what the child is expected to achieve in 12 months. Wisconsin requires that goals include a clear baseline (where the student is now, in specific measurable terms) and a measurable level of attainment (the target, in the same metric). "Johnny will improve in reading" is not a measurable goal. "Given a 3rd grade passage, Johnny will read 80 words per minute with no more than 3 errors, up from a current baseline of 45 words per minute" is.

Services: The I-4 must list every special education service (specially designed instruction) and related service (speech, OT, PT, counseling, etc.), including the frequency, duration, and location. "Speech therapy" is not enough — the form must state how many minutes per week, in what setting (pull-out, push-in, small group), for what period of the school year.

Accommodations: Documented supports that change how the student accesses instruction or demonstrates knowledge without changing the content — extended time, preferential seating, text-to-speech, read-aloud, separate testing room.

Placement: Where the child will receive services along the Least Restrictive Environment continuum, with documentation of how much time is in general education vs. specialized settings.

For transition-age students (age 14 in Wisconsin), the I-4 connects to the Postsecondary Transition Plan (PTP) and must include transition services.

As a parent, pay attention to: The PLAAFP and goals linkage. Every goal should connect to a specific need identified in the PLAAFP, and every service should connect to a goal. If the IEP includes a goal for writing fluency but no specially designed instruction for writing, that is a gap. If the PLAAFP mentions significant behavior challenges but there are no behavior goals or supports in the I-4, that is also a gap.

Form M-1: Prior Written Notice

Prior Written Notice is one of the most important procedural safeguards in Wisconsin special education law, yet most parents do not know to ask for it.

The district must provide Prior Written Notice whenever it proposes to initiate or change your child's identification, evaluation, educational placement, or provision of FAPE — or whenever it refuses to do any of these things.

If the school refuses to evaluate your child, they must send you an M-1 explaining the refusal. If they propose changing your child's placement, they must send an M-1 before making that change. The M-1 must include:

• A description of the proposed or refused action
• An explanation of why the district is proposing or refusing to act
• A description of any other options the IEP team considered and why those options were rejected
• A description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report the district used in deciding

As a parent, this form is your leverage. If a district verbally tells you they will not evaluate your child, ask for the M-1 in writing. A school that refuses a reasonable request is legally required to document that refusal and explain it. Many districts will reconsider a refusal when faced with the requirement to formally document it.

Other Forms You May Encounter

Form IE-1 / IE-2 / IE-3: Forms used during the initial referral review stage (15 business days), documenting whether the team has determined that additional evaluation is needed.

Form RE-1: The reevaluation form, used to initiate the triennial reevaluation required every three years. Initiates the same 60-day timeline as an initial evaluation.

Form P-1: The placement form, documenting the specific educational placement offer and the continuum of placement options considered. Issued within 30 days of an eligibility determination.

Form I-7: Testing accommodations documentation for state assessments (Forward Exam, ACT, ACT Aspire/PreACT Secure). Each state assessment has its own I-7 variant.

How to Use DPI Forms Strategically

The forms system works in your favor when you know what each section requires. Before any IEP meeting, download the blank I-4 from DPI's website and use it as a checklist for what you want to see addressed. When you receive the completed I-4, check:

• Does the PLAAFP contain specific data points, or is it vague?
• Does each goal have a baseline, a measurable target, and a data collection method?
• Is every service listed with frequency, duration, and location?
• Are the accommodations specific enough to be consistently implemented?
• If transition age, does the I-4 connect to a PTP with measurable postsecondary goals?

If sections are incomplete or vague, you can ask for them to be revised before you sign. You do not have to sign the IEP at the meeting. You can take it home, review it, and sign when you are satisfied — or send your concerns in writing.

The Wisconsin IEP & 504 Blueprint includes annotated walkthroughs of the I-4 and ER-1 forms, showing what complete, legally sufficient responses look like in each section — so you know the difference between a form that meets the standard and one that protects the district while shortchanging your child. Get the complete toolkit at specialedstartguide.com/us/wisconsin/iep-guide/.

The Bottom Line

Wisconsin's model forms system is a double-edged tool. In the hands of a knowledgeable parent, the I-4 is a roadmap for holding a district accountable — every section has a legal standard, and a blank or vague section is a documented failure. In the hands of a parent who does not know what the forms require, they can become a compliance shield for a district delivering less than what the law mandates.

Read the forms before every meeting. Know what each section must contain. And never sign anything at the meeting before you have had time to review what was actually written.

See more United States guides →