The Lantern

An Individualized Education Program, or IEP, is a legal document the school develops for a student who has been found eligible for special education and needs special education services. It explains the student’s current needs, annual goals, specialized instruction, related services and service minutes, accommodations, supports, and how progress will be measured.

An IEP should be built around what the individual student needs to access learning and make meaningful progress. It is reviewed and updated at least once a year, and parents are an important part of the IEP team and decision making process.

An IEP does not expire just because the school year ends. It is reviewed on an annual cycle, and the IEP team must review the plan at least once a year to look at your child’s progress, current needs, goals, services, accommodations, and whether any changes are needed.

The annual IEP review is not the same as your child losing eligibility for special education. If your child continues to qualify and need special education services, the IEP team develops or revises the plan so an appropriate IEP remains in effect. Eligibility is considered separately through the reevaluation process.

I do not attend IEP meetings. My work focuses on helping you feel prepared before the meeting and supported afterward when you need help understanding what happened next.

Before the meeting, I can review relevant records, help you understand what may need to be addressed, and prepare you to communicate your concerns clearly with the team. After the meeting, I can review the updated IEP, Prior Written Notice, or other documents to determine whether they reflect what was discussed and whether anything still needs attention.

The complimentary consultation gives me an opportunity to understand where your child is in the educational process and what the school has already evaluated or proposed.

You do not need to know exactly what kind of support you need before scheduling. The consultation is not a full records review or case analysis. It helps determine the level of support your family needs and which Luminate service is the best match for those needs.

Schedule a complimentary consultation

Luminate offers three levels of consulting support based on how much review, preparation, and follow up your family needs. The Services page explains what is included and what each level costs, so you can compare your options before scheduling a complimentary consultation.

If the school says your child is not eligible for special education, that decision should come from the evaluation process. No single person makes that determination. The parent and a group of qualified professionals review the evaluation information and decide whether the student meets IDEA eligibility requirements and needs special education.

If you disagree with the school’s evaluation, you may have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation, or IEE, at public expense. An IEE is an evaluation completed by a qualified evaluator who does not work for the school or district responsible for your child’s education.

Before deciding whether an IEE is the right next step, I would first look closely at the evaluation and eligibility decision to understand how the team reached its conclusion and whether the information supports it.

Arizona Department of Education: Independent Educational Evaluation FAQs

You have the right to participate meaningfully in decisions about your child’s IEP. Changes can be discussed at an IEP team meeting, and in some situations you and the school may agree to amend the IEP without holding another full meeting. Any changes still need to be documented.

If you disagree with something the school is proposing, you can ask questions, request clarification about the information supporting the change, and make sure your concerns are considered as part of the process.

When the school proposes or refuses certain changes involving your child’s identification, evaluation, placement, or Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)The requirement that eligible students with disabilities receive the special education and related services they need at public expense and in accordance with their IEP., it must provide Prior Written Notice (PWN)Prior Written Notice (PWN)The official notice a school must give parents before proposing or refusing to change a student’s evaluation, identification, services, or placement. explaining the decision and the basis for it.

No. I am an educational consultant, not an attorney, so I do not provide legal advice or represent families in due process hearings or other legal proceedings.

Arizona ESA funds do not currently cover educational consulting services. ESA funds may cover approved education expenses such as private school tuition and fees, curriculum, educational supplies, tutoring, and educational therapies, but families should confirm current allowable expenses directly with the Arizona Department of Education.