Opinion ID: 156357
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Adequacy of the IEPs

Text: 46 In reviewing the adequacy of an IEP, [w]e begin ... by asking whether the State complied with IDEA procedures, including whether the IEP conformed with the requirements of the Act. We then determine whether the IEP was reasonably calculated to enable [the student] to receive educational benefits. Urban v. Jefferson County Sch. Dist. R-1, 89 F.3d 720, 726 (10th Cir.1996) (citation omitted). We have held, however, that [t]echnical deviations from the requirements of section 1401(a)(20) ... do not render an IEP entirely invalid; to hold otherwise would 'exalt form over substance.'  Id. (quoting Doe v. Defendant I, 898 F.2d 1186, 1190 (6th Cir.1990)). The Supreme Court has explained the importance of compliance with the IDEA's procedural requirements in this way: 47 the congressional emphasis upon full participation of concerned parties throughout the development of the IEP, as well as the requirements that state and local plans be submitted to the Secretary for approval, demonstrates the legislative conviction that adequate compliance with the procedures prescribed would in most cases assure much if not all of what Congress wished in the way of substantive content in an IEP. 48 Rowley, 458 U.S. at 206, 102 S.Ct. 3034. 49 Moreover, if we are evaluating an IEP prospectively only, we agree with the Third Circuit which has said that  'the measure and adequacy of an IEP can only be determined as of the time it is offered to the student, and not at some later date.... Neither the statute nor reason countenance Monday Morning Quarterbacking in evaluating the appropriateness of a child's placement.'  Carlisle Area Sch., 62 F.3d at 534 (quoting Fuhrmann v. East Hanover Bd. of Educ., 993 F.2d 1031, 1040 (3d Cir.1993)); see also Roland M. v. Concord Sch. Comm., 910 F.2d 983, 992 (1st Cir.1990) (An IEP is a snapshot, not a retrospective.). However, an IEP is a program, consisting of both the written IEP document, and the subsequent implementation of that document. While we evaluate the adequacy of the document from the perspective of the time it is written, the implementation of the program is an on-going, dynamic activity, which obviously must be evaluated as such. See Dixie Snow Huefner, Judicial Review of the Special Education Program Requirements Under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act: Where Have We Been and Where Should We Be Going?, 14 Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol'y 483, 493 (1991). Thus, we do not hold that a school district can ignore the fact that an IEP is clearly failing, nor can it continue to implement year after year, without change, an IEP which fails to confer educational benefits on the student. 50 The Kansas regulations specify in more detail than the relevant statutes what an IEP must contain: 51 (1) a statement of the child's present level of educational performance. The statement shall include, as appropriate, the following information about the child: (A) health; (B) vision; (C) hearing; (D) social and emotional status; (E) general intelligence; (F) educational performance; (G) communicative status; (H) motor abilities; and (I) vocational skills; 52 (2) a statement of annual goals which describe the educational performance anticipated within a year's time; 53 (3) a statement of short-term objectives which are measurable, and intermediate steps between the present level of performance and the annual goals; 54 (4) objective criteria, evaluation procedures, and data collection schedules for determining whether the short-term objectives are being achieved; 55 (5) a statement of the specific education services and related services needed by the child, even if not all of these services currently are available in the local education agency preparing the IEP. Any unique instructional media, methods, or behavior management procedures not ordinarily available to all students, but needed by this particular child for learning, shall be listed; 56 (6) a description of the extent to which the child will participate in regular classroom instruction, and other academic and non-academic environments, with nonexceptional children of the same age; 57 (7) the projected date for the initiation of the prescribed services and anticipated duration of the services, including a description of any extended school term services to be provided; and 58 (8) for students age 14 and older, a statement of needed transition services. 59 Kan. Admin. Regs. § 91-12-41(f). 60 The Federal regulations echo the statutory requirements for an IEP, see 20 U.S.C. § 1401(a)(20); 34 C.F.R. § 300.346(a), but Appendix C to Part 300 of the federal regulations provides more detailed requirements in a question-and-answer format. 10 In response to a question about the required statement of the child's present levels of educational performance, Appendix C leaves the content of such statements to the discretion of participants in the IEP meetings. 34 C.F.R. § 300 App. C, question 36. It urges, however, the statement to accurately describe the effect of the child's disability on the child's performance in any area of education that is affected, and avoid simple labels like mental retardation or deafness. Id. It further says test scores are appropriately included, but they should be self-explanatory or accompanied by an explanation. [R]aw test scores would not usually be sufficient. Id. Finally, [t]here should be a direct relationship between the present levels of educational performance and the other components of the IEP. Id. 61 The Appendix describes the purpose of the goals and objectives requirement as providing a way for the child's teacher(s) and parents to be able to track the child's progress in special education. However, the goals and objectives in the IEP are not intended to be as specific as the goals and objectives that are normally found in daily, weekly, or monthly instructional plans. Id. question 37. The Appendix describes short term instructional objectives as measurable, intermediate steps between the present levels of educational performance ... and the annual goals, which can serve as milestones for measuring progress toward meeting the goals, or provide general benchmarks for determining progress toward meeting the annual goals. Id. question 39. With respect to related services, the Appendix indicates that [t]he amount of services to be provided must be stated in the IEP. Further, [t]he amount of time to be committed to each of the various services to be provided must be (1) appropriate to that specific service, and (2) stated in the IEP in a manner that is clear to all who are involved. Id. question 51. 62