What to Do When Your Child Isn’t Making Progress on Their IEP Goals

The progress report comes home, and the words aren’t necessarily alarming.

“Progressing toward goal.”

“Making some progress.”

“Continues to work on this skill.”

But you look at your child’s schoolwork. You think about the struggles you’re still seeing at home. Maybe you compare this report with the one from three months ago and realize it sounds almost exactly the same.

So, is your child actually making progress?

When your child has an IEP, you don’t have to rely solely on vague impressions of how things are going. Their IEP goals should give you a way to track progress in specific areas, and the school should be collecting information that shows whether they’re moving toward those goals.

If that progress isn’t happening, you don’t necessarily have to wait until the next annual IEP meeting to talk about it. Here’s how to figure out what’s happening and what you can do next.

How Do You Know if Your Child Is Making Enough Progress on Their IEP Goals?

Start with the goals themselves. Your child’s IEP is required to include measurable annual academic and functional goals. It must also explain how progress toward those goals will be measured and when you’ll receive periodic reports about that progress.

The U.S. Department of Education specifically states that IEP teams must review a child’s IEP periodically and revise it as appropriate when the child isn’t making expected progress toward annual goals. If you have concerns, all you need to do is pull out the current IEP alongside your child’s most recent progress report and compare them.

Suppose your child’s reading goal says they will increase their oral reading fluency from 55 words per minute to 90 words per minute by the end of the IEP period. Six months into the year, they’re reading 58 words per minute.

Technically, that’s progress. But it’s completely fair and reasonable to ask whether they’re progressing at a rate that puts them on track to reach the annual goal.

The same applies to functional goals. If your child is supposed to independently transition between classroom activities in four out of five opportunities but still requires adult prompting almost every time, that’s information the team needs to consider.

What Should You Look for in an IEP Progress Report?

A progress report should help you understand where your child currently stands in relation to each annual goal. But you need to look beyond labels like “progressing” or “satisfactory.”

If the goal itself contains numbers, frequencies, percentages, accuracy rates, or other measurable criteria, look for comparable information in the progress report.

For example:

IEP goal: Your child will correctly solve two-digit addition problems with 80% accuracy across three consecutive assessments.

Progress report: “Student is making progress in math.”

You still don’t know whether your child is solving those problems with 30% accuracy or 75% accuracy, and that’s something you should ask about. Depending on the skill, the school may have work samples, assessments, observation records, behavior data, reading fluency scores, frequency counts, rubrics, or other information used to monitor progress. Ask to see the data behind the progress report if you need a clearer picture.

Why Might a Child Not Be Making Progress on Their IEP?

A lack of expected progress doesn’t automatically tell you what has gone wrong. That’s what you and the IEP team need to figure out.

Sometimes a goal may have been based on an inaccurate or outdated understanding of your child’s abilities. The teaching approach might not be effective for your child. Your child may need a different frequency or intensity of services. There may be another area of need that hasn’t been adequately assessed or addressed.

It’s also worth asking whether the IEP is being implemented as written. If your child is supposed to receive speech therapy twice a week, for example, have those sessions consistently occurred? If an accommodation allows extended time on assignments, are all of your child’s teachers providing it?

The California Department of Education recommends looking at whether the services a student needed to make progress were appropriately identified in the IEP and whether the student actually received those services when a student is struggling to meet expected standards. That alone can help you decide what questions need to come next.

What Questions Should You Ask When Your Child Isn’t Meeting IEP Goals?

You don’t have to walk into a conversation with the school knowing why your child isn’t progressing. Start by gathering information. Questions such as these can help:

• What data are you using to measure progress on this goal?
• Can I see my child’s progress data from the beginning of the IEP period through now?
• How frequently is this skill being measured?
• Is my child on track to meet the annual goal?
• Have all of the services and accommodations in the IEP been provided consistently?
• What interventions or teaching strategies are currently being used?
• Has the team changed its approach in response to the lack of progress?
• Does the team believe my child’s current services are sufficient?
• Is additional assessment needed to understand why my child is struggling?

Listen for specific answers. “We’re working on it” doesn’t tell you nearly as much as an explanation of the intervention being used, how frequently it’s happening, what the data currently shows, and how that compares with where your child started.

Can You Request an IEP Meeting Before the Annual Review?

Yes, and this is particularly important for California parents who assume they have to wait for the date printed on the annual IEP.

California’s Department of Education notes that parents have the right to request an IEP team meeting to review their child’s IEP. State law specifically identifies a student’s lack of anticipated progress as one of the circumstances in which an IEP team shall meet.

California’s special education timelines generally require an IEP meeting requested by a parent to review an existing IEP to be held within 30 days of the request, excluding certain school breaks.

That means if you’re seeing a problem in October, you don’t necessarily have to spend the rest of the school year watching it continue. You can put your request for an IEP meeting in writing and explain your concerns about your child’s progress. Keeping the request clear and specific can help create a record of what you’re asking the team to address.

What Can the IEP Team Change if Your Child Isn’t Progressing?

An IEP isn’t frozen until its next anniversary date. Federal special education regulations require the team to revise the IEP, as appropriate, to address a lack of expected progress toward annual goals and, when appropriate, progress in the general education curriculum.

What needs to change will depend entirely on your child’s circumstances. The team might need to reconsider a goal, adjust specialized instruction, change an intervention, modify accommodations or supports, examine the frequency or duration of a service, collect different data, or conduct additional assessments.

For some children, the existing plan may simply need time. For others, months of limited progress can be an important signal that the current approach needs another look.

Your questions can keep that conversation grounded in your child’s individual data: What has been tried? What does the data show? Why isn’t it working? What should change? When should it change?

What if the School Says Your Child Is Making “Some” Progress?

An IEP doesn’t guarantee that a child will achieve a particular educational outcome. But simply pointing to some improvement doesn’t necessarily end the discussion about whether the child’s educational program is appropriate.

In the landmark Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District case, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the educational benefit required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Following that decision, the U.S. Department of Education explained that an IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of their individual circumstances.

For you as a parent, that makes the quality and context of the progress important. If your child has moved from 20% accuracy to 22% accuracy over eight months, for example, you can reasonably ask the team to explain whether that represents the expected progress and what the data suggests about the effectiveness of the current program.

When Should You Consider Getting IEP Support?

Sometimes you know something isn’t working but aren’t sure where the problem is. You may have pages of progress data you don’t know how to interpret. The school may tell you your child is progressing while you’re seeing significant struggles. Or you might have questions about whether services are sufficient, whether goals are appropriate, or what you can ask the IEP team to reconsider.

That’s where outside IEP support can be useful. A special education advocate can review your child’s IEP alongside progress reports, evaluations, service information, and other records to help you understand what the data is showing and what questions you may want to raise.

You don’t need to wait until you’re in a serious dispute with the school to ask for help. Advocate to Educate provides special education support to families throughout California, including IEP reviews, meeting preparation, and advocacy. We can help you examine your child’s goals and progress, understand their current services and supports, and prepare for a productive conversation with the IEP team.

If you’re concerned that your child isn’t making meaningful progress, contact Advocate to Educate to schedule a consultation and get experienced IEP support for your child.

FAQ

What happens if my child doesn’t meet their IEP goals?

Not meeting an IEP goal should prompt the team to look at why expected progress isn’t occurring. Federal IDEA regulations require IEP teams to revise an IEP as appropriate to address a lack of expected progress toward annual goals.

Can I ask for an IEP meeting if my child isn’t making progress?

Yes. Parents can request an IEP team meeting rather than waiting for the annual review. In California, a parent-requested meeting to review an IEP generally must be held within 30 days, subject to rules regarding school breaks.

How can I tell if my child’s IEP services are working?

Look at objective progress data alongside the child’s baseline and annual goals. Ask what data is being collected, how often progress is measured, whether all services have been delivered as written, and whether your child is progressing at a rate that puts them on track toward their annual goals.

Can an IEP be changed during the school year?

Yes. IEPs can be reviewed and revised during the year. Federal regulations specifically require IEP teams to revise an IEP as appropriate when expected progress isn’t occurring.

What does a special education advocate do if my child isn’t progressing?

A special education advocate can review your child’s IEP, evaluations, goals, progress reports, and other relevant information; help you understand areas of concern; prepare questions and requests; and support you in communicating with the IEP team. Advocate to Educate provides this type of IEP help to families throughout California.