ARD/IEP Meetings

What's Required

Each local educational agency (LEA) must establish an admission, review and dismissal (ARD) committee for each eligible child with a disability and for each child for whom an initial Full and Individual Evaluation is conducted 19 TAC 89.1050. The ARD/IEP Committee is the: (1) Eligibility team defined in federal law IDEA 2004, 34 CFR 300.306. (2) Individualized education program (IEP) team defined in federal law IDEA 2004, 34 CFR 300.321. (3) Placement team defined in federal law IDEA 2004,34 CFR 300.116. The term IEP means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed and revised in accordance with the ARD/IEP committee framework. The ARD committee must review the child's IEP periodically, but not less frequently than annually, to determine whether the annual goals are being achieved. The ARD committee must determine the child's placement at least annually 34 CFR 300.116(b)(1). The ARD/IEP Committee may meet more often than annually to revise the student’s IEP, as appropriate, to address: (1) any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals, (2) the results of any reevaluation, (3) information about the student provided to, or by the parents, (4) anticipated needs of the student or (5) other concerns. A parent may request an ARD/IEP committee meeting (at a mutually agreeable time) at any time to discuss educational concerns such as placement, IEP goals and objectives, and the extent of services being provided to the student. The school must either grant the parent’s request to have a meeting or contact the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to ask for assistance through mediation.


What We Do

An Admission / Review / Dismissal (ARD) Committee must meet annually to review the Individual Education Program (IEP) for students receiving special education. The committee may meet more often than annually to revise the students IEP, or make other recommendations as needed appropriate. In addition, a parent may request an ARD committee meeting (at a mutually agreeable time) at any time to discuss educational concerns such as placement, IEP goals and objectives, and the extent of services being provided to their child.

IEP Meeting Guidelines:
  • Begin on time with all members present throughout the duration of the meeting
  • Have all members sign-in with arrival time
  • Follow IEP meeting agenda
  • Remain student focused 
  • Acknowledge all committee members as valuable participants by actively listening and showing respect for their ideas and questions 
  • Maintain confidentiality 
  • Silence communication devices and refrain from texting 
  • Work collaboratively to attain consensus
  • Ensure that the IEP Meeting Quality Indicators are followed

Types of ARD/IEP Meetings

ARD/IEP Committee Roles and Responsibilities

    The responsibilities of the IEP committee and the district include:
    • Evaluation, reevaluation, and determination for special education and related services;
    • Placement of students with disabilities including disciplinary changes in placement;
    • Develops and reviews the IEP and the Functional Behavior Assessment/Behavior Intervention Plan (FBA/BIP), reviews Teacher Input Forms, completes the transition information section of the ARD/IEP Committee Report document, and incorporates information in the ARD/IEP Supplement: Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) Addressing Needed Transition Services
    • Compliance with the least restrictive environment standard;
    • Compliance with state requirements of reading diagnosis and state assessment;
    • Development of personal graduation plans and addresses transitional services;
    • Development of accelerated instruction under Education Code 28.0211 and intensive programs of instruction under Education Code 28.0213.
    • Provides digital projection of the IEP documents during the ARD meeting
    • Provides an audio-taped copy of the student's ARD/IEP committee meeting in the parent's native language if the parent does not speak and understand English
    • Evaluation, placement, and coordination of services for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired 
    Note: Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year all IEP documents MUST be projected during the ARD/IEP Meeting.