The purpose of this book is to assist readers to use better practices when developing educationally meaningful and legally sound Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Beginning with the history and purpose of IEPs, this book examines the context and reasons IEPs were first created. The core chapters address better practices in conducting assessments, developing present levels of academic achievement and functional performance statements, crafting measurable annual goals, determining special education services, and monitoring and reporting on students progress. The authors also discuss placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE) and provide forms and graphics to assist in developing students special education programs.

MITCHELL L. YELL is the Fred and Francis Lester Palmetto Chair in Teacher Education and professor of special education at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Yell has published 134 journal articles, 6 textbooks, and 38 book chapters and has conducted numerous workshops on various aspects of special education law, classroom management, and progress monitoring. In 2020, he was named Researcher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children.

DAVID F. BATEMANis professor in the department of educational leadership and special education at Shippensburg University, where he teaches courses on special education law, assessment, and facilitating inclusion. Dr. Bateman recently coauthored A Principals Guide to Special Education,A Teachers Guide to Special Education,Special Education Law Case Studies,Special Education Leadership: Building Effective Programming in Schools, andCurrent Trends and Legal Issues in Special Education.

JAMES G. SHRINER is associate professor in the department of special education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His work includes research on the effects of federal and state policies on the educational services provided to students with disabilities. He is the creator and developer of the IEP Quality Project Tutorial, a web-based decision-making support tool for IEP teams (Institute of Education Sciences awards, R324J06002; R324A120081, and Illinois State Board of Education, Part D awards).