IEP...Chapter 15...What's the Diff?

A lot of times, educators get questions about the differences between an IEP and a “Chapter 15” which is also known as a 504 Service Agreement. If your child has one of these documents through the school or school personnel has discussed this with you and you are confused, they are not the same thing. There are differences. Both are, however, designed to help your child. Here are some ways they are different.

Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a written plan for the provision of services for the education of students who are disabled or gifted (a GIEP). The school district has a responsibility under “Child Find” for children “thought-to-be” eligible for special education services and/or accommodations. This responsibility includes locating, identifying, and evaluating all students with suspected disabilities, including but not limited to evaluating students for whom a request (either by school personnel or by parents) for an evaluation has been made.

Two criteria exist for an IEP, both of which must be met:

- The student must meet one of the 13 disability categories defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004 (IDEA).

- The student must need special education; that is, the child requires specifically designed instruction to receive educational benefits

The 13 categories are:

- mental retardation (pending language change to "intellectual disability")

- hearing impairment

- speech or language impairment                                             deafness

- visual impairment (including blindness)                                  deaf-blindess

- emotional disturbance                                                           multiple disabilities

- orthopedic impairment                                                          autism

- traumatic brain injury                                                           other health impairment

- specific learning disability

504 Service Agreement/Chapter 15 (in PA). A student that does not qualify for special education services under IDEA (an educational law) still may qualify for services under Section 504 (a civil rights law) if the disability is shown to substantially limit his or her educational performance.

A child with a disability is one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities, such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. Accommodations often refer to building accessibility, classroom adjustments and curriculum modifications and may be updated or revised as the need changes. Examples may be children who need access to water and unlimited bathroom access because they are diabetic or children who need an inhaler before physical activity such as recess or gym class because of severe asthma.

Keep in mind that these two plans are never done in isolation and nothing should be done without s parent as part of the team. If your child is having difficulty in school or has a medical condition that you think is impeding his/her progress in school, the first step is always to communicate with your child’s teacher.