Five or ten minutes seems about right, although you may find that you need more time. If you can keep your written description to one or two pages, that would be good. This kind of information may also be entered on an evaluation or record summary form. The meat of the IEP is the cover sheet, usually called the accommodations page , and the goals and objectives pages . If the wrong forms are filled out or if important paperwork is left undone, you may not have an acceptable IEP at the end of the meeting.
Parents tend to focus on the goals and objectives pages, and often overlook the accommodations page.
That's a big mistake. The goals and objectives are all about what your child will do, and if they are not accomplished, there's no one who can be truly held accountable but your child. This is where really important promises are made . Saying that your child will do something costs the district nothing, but promising that the district will do something has a price tag attached. With few exceptions, district representatives see their role in the IEP as being the gatekeeper.