How to Read an IEP: New Mexico
Understanding Hours, Services, Placement, and Least Restrictive Environment
New Mexico IEP Guide: Hours, Services, and Related Services
What is the hours and services section of an IEP?
This is the part of the IEP that tells you how many hours of special education and related services a student will receive– and where they will be receiving them. Typically, special education services, also known as specially designed instruction, is kept separate from related services. In special education services, you should see the total number of push in hours (aka hours of support in general education) separate from total number of pull out hours (aka hours in a separate classroom). You should also see who is providing those supports. Some districts put paraprofessional support under related services. Some under special education services. In either case, under special education hours you should see where and how much services are being provided and who will be providing them. For funsies, some districts also specify what the services are for, like reading, writing, or math– although that is pretty rare.
Then there is normally a separate box that has related services. Related services include nursing, transportation, occupational therapy, psychological services, counseling, speech and language pathology…. And more. If a student qualifies for any of these, the provider has to enter the hours of support they will offer and where they will offer it. Transportation is pretty straight forward. It’s daily and just means bussing. The others can get complicated. For example, a speech pathologist can see a student for direct services or for consult. Direct services means that the SLP has scheduled hours they meet with the student (once a week for 30 minutes; once a month for 30; whatever). Consult means that the SLP is playing problem solver. They might meet directly with a student, but only as needed. Mostly they are serving as a knowledge base when the student’s teachers are hitting issues. They monitor and provide consultation as needed.
Where are the hours and services found in an IEP?
Weirdly, hours are normally at the very beginning or very end of an IEP. Districts seem split on that– but they rarely appear in the middle.
How do services and hours vary across states and districts?
The big question here is why do some students get occupational therapy and some don’t– and why do some get services in general education and others are pulled out. There are a lot of differences in how special education is structured between schools, districts, and states. We are working on putting up some case studies of different ways that special education can be structured. This section, however, focuses on how the section is set up in the IEP and how that might look different in different places.
I cannot fathom why one district will do minutes per day, another hours per year, and another minutes per month. It is so confusing and I always wind up needing a calculator when I look at a different district’s IEP! So the first thing to check for is how the service frequency is written. Also, some districts write services in two lines– one pre summer break and one for after summer break. That just means that the district is worried that if they write services for the year, someone will think they are supposed to provide services over the summer. Note that this is false– unless a student has Extended School Year (ESY) no one reasonably thinks you are providing services over the summer…. But still some districts split hours. So expect the service units (minutes, hours), time frame (weeks, day, month, year) to vary a lot, along with how the hours are broken up. Also, hours can be at the beginning or end of an IEP so good luck! I often have to hunt for hours, which should be the most basic part of an IEP. Every IEP, however, will have a student’s hours and the settings where they will be delivered, with hours in general education and in special education settings listed separately.
This IEP comes from the New Mexico Public Education Department. See the full IEP here.
Because the images are hard to read, a transcript is below.
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
If this IEP spans parts of two school years, please complete this page twice, separating the services to be delivered within each school year.
Activities with typically developing peers
☑ Recess
☑ Lunch/Breakfast
☑ Music
☑ Art
☑ Library/Computer class
☑ PE
☑ Assemblies
☑ Extracurricular activities
Regular Education Services
Accommodations Needed
☐ Subject: ____________________________ ☐ YES ☐ NO
☐ Subject: ____________________________ ☐ YES ☐ NO
☐ Subject: ____________________________ ☐ YES ☐ NO
☐ Subject: ____________________________ ☐ YES ☐ NO
☐ Subject: ____________________________ ☐ YES ☐ NO
☐ Subject: ____________________________ ☐ YES ☐ NO
If YES, complete INSTRUCTIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS section.
✰ Special Education & Related Services
| Special Education & Related Services | Minutes per Day/Week/Month/Semester/Year | Start Date | Ending Date | Service Provider(s) | Location: Time in Regular Classroom | Location: Time in Special Education Setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time Totals:
Supplementary Aids and Services
| Supplementary Aids and Services | Minutes per Day/Week/Month/Semester/Year | Start Date | Ending Date | Service Provider(s) | Location: Time in Regular Classroom | Location: Time in Special Education Setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time Totals:
If you are a parent, look for whether the hours seem appropriate for your child’s need. For example, if the child is functioning three grade levels below and the special education services are 20 minutes a week, it seems like that is not likely to be enough to provide what your child needs. You should also be looking at where services are provided– is your child getting pulled out all? Are they mostly in their general education classroom? As an IEP team member, you have the right to push back and say you want more services or want your child in general education more. Also, who is providing services? Is it a paraprofessional? If so, who are they? Are they trained? Ask questions! You have a right to know who is working with your child and how they will know what to do.
If you are a teacher, look at the hours closely. Pull means time a student will miss from your class. When will that be? You want to negotiate that! If you are an elementary teacher, you don’t want a student missing core math instruction for example. Push in means time you will get support. Do you want time during art? Probably not. You need to speak up and say when you need that time. Let’s be real. Scheduling is a beast and you might get ignored– but the squeaky wheel gets the grease so speak up! Also, hours are written at the annual IEP due date. That might be March– and the student in your class in September. Are those hours right? Are they what the student is getting now? Are they what the student needs? If not, speak up. IEPs can always be amended and the hours should reflect what a student needs and is getting now– not what they came up with last year.
New Mexico IEP Guide: Placement and Least Restrictive Environment
What is the placement and least restrictive environment section of an IEP?
This is a weird section that appears on some IEPs. Basically, every student is required to be educated in the least restrictive environment possible. That means that every district is legally required to report to federal government what amount of students’ time is spent with general education peers and what part is spent in special education only settings. Many districts will calculate this number for you based on service hours. The program will automatically add up the number of minutes a student is getting services in a separate setting (special education class) based on the hours of service and spit out a placement percentage (82% included, 35 hours in general education, or something like that). Other districts use ooooooold software programs that can’t calculate that and so they make the general education teacher manually add up the number of hours in special education and general education settings. Note that special education teachers seem to be really bad at mathematics and so these often don’t match the hours of service. That’s why districts have switched to more sophisticated programs– eventually this as a separate, manually entered section will vanish from all IEPs.
Where is placement and LRE found in an IEP?
Anywhere. Often at the end of service hours, on the front page, or at the end of the IEP.
How does placement and LRE vary across districts and states?
This varies so much! You might not see this on an IEP at all, it might be a small box, or it might be a big section that the parent has to sign separately from the IEP. TBH it depends on how antiquated the software the district uses is. Yay for upgrades.
This IEP comes from the New Mexico Public Education Department. See the full IEP here.
Because the images are hard to read, transcripts from them are below.
✰ LEVEL OF SERVICE
X = The total number of hours per week of special education service. _______
Y = The total number of hours in a typical school week, (excluding lunch and recess). _______
Level of service = X divided by Y (express as percent).
Example: X = 6 hrs./wk Y = 30 hrs./wk. 6 divided by 30 = .2 (20%) = Level 2 (moderate)
☐ 10% or less of the school day (Level 1-minimum)
☐ 11% – 49% of the school day (Level 2-moderate)
☐ 50%- or more of the school day (Level 3-extensive)
☐ approaching a full school day or 3Y/4Y (Level 4-maximum)
LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT
(This statement should provide the rationale for removal from general education.)
Decisions regarding placement are based on the individual needs of students and must begin with the consideration of the general education setting. The purpose of this section is to document the rationale with respect to each academic or functional area that is necessary to educate the student in the general education setting.
If the student will be included in the general education setting for more than 80% of the time, no rationale is required. Items 1 through 3 of this section of the IEP need not be completed or included in the student’s IEP.
If the student will not be included in the general education setting for more than 80% of the time, items 1 through 3 below MUST be completed.
1. Explain why supplementary aids and services are not adequate to meet the student’s needs in the general education class [34 CFR §300.320 (a)(4), and 34 CFR §300.114 (a)(2)(ii)]:
2. Explain how placement in a special education setting will be more advantageous in meeting student’s needs [34 CFR §300.320 (a)(4)(iii)]:
3. Explain why placement in a general education setting is reduced or limited and what is being done to reintegrate the student back to a general education setting [34 CFR §300.320 (a)(5)]:
✰ SETTING
a = Total number of hours per week in segregated location. ____________
b = Total number of hours in a typical week (excluding, lunch and recess). ____________
Setting = a divided by b (express as a percent). ____________
Example: 1) 2 hrs./wk. 2) 30 hrs./wk. 2 divided by 30 = .06 (6%) = Setting 1
Pre-School Only
Note: A Regular Early Childhood Program is a program that includes a majority (at least 50 percent) of nondisabled children (i.e., children not on IEPs).
☐ In regular classroom at least 10 hours per week
☐ In some other location at least 10 hours per week
☐ In regular classroom less than 10 hours per week
☐ In some other location less than 10 hours per week
☐ Other setting: Public/Private Separate Schools, RTC, Homebound/Hospital, Provider Location
Kindergarten – 8th Grade Only
☐ In regular classroom 80% of the school day, or more (Setting 1)
☐ In regular classroom 40% to 79% of the day (Setting 2)
☐ In regular class less than 40% of the day (Setting 3)
☐ Other setting: Public/Private Separate Schools, RTC, Homebound/Hospital (Setting 4)
Is the student’s program and related services, being provided in his or her neighborhood school?
☐ YES ☐ NO:
If NO, explain? _________________________________________________
Identify the school site that the student will be attending: _____________________________
Note: Review placement decisions at least once a year, as part of the annual review process.
If you are a parent, look for whether the hours seem appropriate for your child’s need. For example, if the child is functioning three grade levels below and the special education services are 20 minutes a week, it seems like that is not likely to be enough to provide what your child needs. You should also be looking at where services are provided– is your child getting pulled out all? Are they mostly in their general education classroom? As an IEP team member, you have the right to push back and say you want more services or want your child in general education more. Also, who is providing services? Is it a paraprofessional? If so, who are they? Are they trained? Ask questions! You have a right to know who is working with your child and how they will know what to do.
If you are a teacher, look at the hours closely. Pull means time a student will miss from your class. When will that be? You want to negotiate that! If you are an elementary teacher, you don’t want a student missing core math instruction for example. Push in means time you will get support. Do you want time during art? Probably not. You need to speak up and say when you need that time. Let’s be real. Scheduling is a beast and you might get ignored– but the squeaky wheel gets the grease so speak up! Also, hours are written at the annual IEP due date. That might be March– and the student in your class in September. Are those hours right? Are they what the student is getting now? Are they what the student needs? If not, speak up. IEPs can always be amended and the hours should reflect what a student needs and is getting now– not what they came up with last year.
