School supports
Learn about support for kids who struggle in school. See options like tutoring and homework help. Find out how students qualify for IEPs, special education, or 504 plans.
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ABCs of IEPs
What’s an IEP? And why are there so many confusing acronyms in special education? Hear answers to common questions about IEPs and more.
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- Fraction number line: An evidence-based math strategy
- How to organize your child’s IEP binder
- Financial aid and scholarships for students who learn and think differently
- Teacher videos: 5 reasons why making your own videos can help with distance learning
- How to plan online lessons with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Private vs. school evaluations: Pros and cons
- Tutoring options: Pros and cons
- The difference between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and traditional education
- The difference between tutors and educational therapists
- The difference between the Every Student Succeeds Act and No Child Left Behind
- My bilingual son has an IEP, and I still don’t know how it will work remotely
- Do kids with an IEP have to go back to in-person school this fall?
- What is explicit instruction?
- Respectful redirection: A behavior strategy for teachers
- The difference between push-in and pull-out services
- IEP accommodations during distance learning
- Strategy instruction: What you need to know
- 4 benefits of inclusive classrooms
- What is multisensory instruction?
- Classroom posters: STEM stars who learn and think differently
- Elkonin sound boxes: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- How to plan STEM lessons with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- 4 tips for teaching STEM to kids who learn and think differently
- How to use flexible grouping in STEM
- How to plan an inclusive STEM lesson
- Growth mindset printables for STEM
- Girls and STEM: What educators need to know
- How students who learn and think differently can thrive in STEM
- What is STEM?
- 5 ways to help families foster STEM learning
- Video: 5 myths about assistive technology
- Dyslexia tutoring: What families need to know
- Download: School communication log
- What is Orton–Gillingham?
- My child is falling behind in school. Now what?
- What’s in an IEP
- Surprising IEP and 504 plan accommodations to help kids self-regulate and manage emotions
- Homework is hard for my child. How can the teacher help?
- After one IEP meeting, my husband and I were finally on the same page
- Classroom accommodations for language disorders
- Different types of schools: Know the options
- Questions to ask about online schools
- How to get an IEP
- Teachers weigh in: What I wish parents asked at parent-teacher conferences
- Staying on top of your child’s IEP
- My child’s 504 plan doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- 7 tips for developing a good 504 plan
- Classroom accommodations for students who learn and think differently
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: What you need to know
- 504 plan terms to know
- How to apply for SAT and ACT accommodations
- What are your rights in the 504 plan process?
- 6 strategies for making sure your child’s 504 plan is being followed
- 504 plans: 5 common pitfalls
- How to get a 504 plan for your child
- How my daughter and I helped change the SAT accommodations policy at her high school
- Download: Sample scripts for dispute resolution
- Classroom accommodations for written expression disorder
- Questionnaires for connecting with students and families
- 10 tips for a better IEP meeting
- 10 special education myths you may hear
- Classroom accommodations for executive function challenges
- When-then sentences: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- 5 common misconceptions about IEPs
- The 13 disability categories under IDEA
- The difference between IEPs and 504 plans
- 10 key procedural safeguards in IDEA
- 7 things to know about college disability services
- 6 tips to make sure your child’s IEP is implemented properly
- Download: Anatomy of an IEP
- Download: IEP goal tracker
- Download: IEP binder checklist
- The IEP meeting: An overview
- Who’s on the IEP team
- How to consent to some parts of an IEP and not others
- Should I encourage my child to go to IEP meetings?
- Legal FAQs about IEP meetings
- IEP case managers: A guide for parents
- Questions to ask before and during your child’s IEP meeting
- When and why teachers can be excused from IEP meetings
- Setting annual IEP goals: What you need to know
- How to tell if your child’s IEP goals are SMART
- Setting an IEP baseline: PLOP, PLAAFP, and PLP
- FAQs about standards-based IEPs
- Questions to ask about your child’s IEP goals
- Can I ask for self-advocacy IEP goals for my child?
- My child’s IEP doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- How to work on your child’s IEP goals over the summer
- What is IEP transition planning?
- How my IEP transition plan helped me start college with confidence
- School vouchers: What you need to know
- Questions to ask when hiring a tutor
- Dyscalculia tutoring: What families need to know
- 5 places to find free or low-cost tutoring
- How to teach using explicit instruction
- Classroom accommodations for anxiety
- What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
- Counting with manipulatives to learn addition: An evidence-based math strategy
- Number representations: An evidence-based math strategy
- Dividing fractions using fraction strips: An evidence-based math strategy
- Place value disks: An evidence-based math strategy
- Place value with straw bundles: An evidence-based math strategy
- Evidence-based math instruction: What you need to know
- Vocabulary words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Retelling: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Sight words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Spelling regular words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Spelling irregular words: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Phonics blending: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Paragraph shrinking: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Change a letter: An evidence-based literacy strategy
- Fact fluency: An evidence-based math strategy
- Pre-correcting and prompting: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Nonverbal signals: An evidence-based behavior strategy
- Positive behavior strategies: A guide for teachers
- 6 models of co-teaching
- What is co-teaching?
- What is trauma-informed teaching?
- Video: See UDL in action in the classroom
- Lesson planning with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- How to break down barriers to learning with UDL
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A teacher’s guide
- What is culturally responsive teaching?
- Flexible grouping: What you need to know
- How to begin positive relationships with families: 8 tips to try
- Family engagement and student success: What the research says
- How to use accommodations and modifications in the classroom
- 504 plans: A guide for teachers
- For teachers: What to expect in an IEP meeting
- How to read an IEP: 5 things teachers should look for
- Classroom accommodations for dyslexia
- 4 small and special ways to thank your child’s teachers
- What’s the difference between remedial instruction and a compensatory approach?
- Classroom accommodations for dyscalculia
- 6 options for resolving an IEP dispute
- Your child’s rights: Important terms to know
- Classroom accommodations for ADHD
- Can my child get accommodations for AP testing?
- Accommodations for state standardized tests
- Classroom accommodations for sensory processing challenges
- Classroom accommodations for nonverbal learning disabilities
- Getting an IEP for your very young child
- Can you get a 504 plan for anxiety?
- Why I celebrate technology as a go-to for kids with dyslexia
- Transferring school districts: 8 steps to take if your child has an IEP
- FAQs about homework for kids
- Treatment for kids with dyslexia
- How I’m making peace with my son’s IEP
- Educational therapy: What you need to know
- 8 multisensory techniques for teaching reading
- How occupational therapists help kids who struggle with motor skills
- How to help if English language learners are struggling in school
- The teacher isn’t following my child’s IEP. What can I do?
- 9 steps to take if the IEP eligibility meeting doesn’t work out
- Amanda Morin wants to “level the playing field” for parents
- Can an IEP or 504 plan include something about getting emotional support at school?
- I can’t take off work to go to the IEP meeting. What should I do?
- Public, private, and charter schools: How they compare
- Would my child be better off at a charter school?
- Do colleges view 504 plans as better than IEPs when students apply to college?
- 11 tips on informal negotiation strategies
- What’s the difference between RTI and MTSS?
- Parent-teacher conferences: How to get ready for your next meeting
- 8 steps to take if your child is facing disciplinary action
- Printable back-to-school downloads
- What does it take for instruction to be “evidence based”?
- The difference between IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences
- Does my child need to be evaluated to get a 504 plan?
- Download: Sample letters for dispute resolution
- What is structured literacy?
- Distance learning toolkit: Key practices to support students who learn differently
- How to use culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
- What conditions qualify for a 504 plan?
- The first assistive technology I recommend to parents
- Not an IEP or a 504 plan — it’s our mediation agreement
- How to help your child get emotional support at school
- Deciding on an evaluation: 5 common questions
- Dyslexia laws: What they are and how they work
- “Stay put” rights: What they are and how they work
- 10 things for teachers to know about English language learners
- Who ensures schools follow special education law?
- How does optical character recognition help kids with reading issues?
- Download: Sample letters for requesting evaluations and reports
- Emergency contact information for students: Why it’s important
- State academic standards: What you need to know
- The school evaluation process: What to expect
- Finding out if your child is eligible for special education
- Special education teachers: A guide for families
- Parent training centers: A free resource in your state
- 4 challenges of English language learners who learn and think differently
- 5 options for resolving a 504 plan dispute
- What to include in a state complaint for IEP dispute resolution
- SAT or ACT? How to know which is best for your child
- FAQs about tutoring for kids who learn and think differently
- How to get a free or low-cost private evaluation
- Checklist: What to look for on a grade school visit
- Checklist: What to look for on a middle school visit
- Checklist: What to look for on a high school visit
- 6 myths about 504 plans
- What is occupational therapy?
- Individualized instruction vs. differentiated instruction
- What is instructional intervention?
- How schools monitor student progress
- The difference between tutoring and academic coaching
- Social Thinking: What you need to know
- What to double-check on your child’s IEP
- FAQs about having your child attend IEP meetings
- Can a student with a 504 plan get a transition plan?
- What to expect at a due process hearing
- 6 strategies to teach students self-regulation in writing
- 7 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about sensory processing challenges
- FAQs about school evaluations
- 504 plans and your child: A guide for families
- 6 steps to request a free school evaluation
- 6 things to do if you’re denied early intervention
- What to expect at a resolution session
- 4 worries I had when my son’s IEP ended
- Assistive technology: Questions to ask the school
- Do charter schools have to give accommodations to kids who learn and think differently?
- 9 examples of assistive technology and adaptive tools in school
- Is online tutoring a good option for my child?
- What research supports Orton–Gillingham?
- Are my child’s struggles serious enough for an evaluation?
- Someone on my side of the IEP table
- 9 tips to make the most of your parent-teacher conference
- Not too late: A high school IEP for my daughter
- What is an evaluation for special education?
- Will the school provide a translator at an IEP meeting if I need one?
- Does my child need to be evaluated to qualify for SAT test accommodations?
- 3 tiers of RTI support
- How a student with dyslexia changed my teaching career (and my life)
- 9 reasons kids might refuse to use accommodations
- Are evaluations for IEPs and 504 plans different?
- Can I refuse to let the school evaluate my child?
- Learning about evaluations
- 6 benefits of having your child evaluated
- Different terms you may hear for evaluations
- Why your child’s school may deny your evaluation request
- I disagree with the school’s evaluation results. Now what?
- Who pays for assistive technology? Parents or schools?
- What to expect at an IEP eligibility determination meeting
- Why second evaluation results may differ from first ones
- Prior written notice: Your right to hear about changes to your child’s IEP
- Classroom accommodations for developmental coordination disorder
- FERPA: Protecting your child’s records
- 5 tips to learn how to use an assistive technology tool
- Download: Back-to-school update for families to give to teachers
- Toolkit for teachers: Navigating IEPs
- Deciding on homeschooling? 3 things to consider
- Teacher to teacher: Use a daily warm-up to build empathy
- To be Black in America with a learning disability
- Teaching with empathy: Why it’s important
- 6 phrases to use when asking your professor for support
- 5 myths about English language learners (ELLs) and special education
- 5 myths about social-emotional learning
- How SEL helps you as a teacher
- Teacher to teacher: How racial identity work makes us better advocates for our students
- Dyslexia testing results: What they mean for instruction and supports
- 7 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about ADHD
- 8 tools for kids with dysgraphia
- Our community weighs In: Crying at IEP meetings
- 9 tips to help military families navigate the system
- 5 watch-outs when you’re choosing a school for your child
- Terms teachers use when kids struggle in school
- The ups and downs of my son’s 504 plan for ADHD
- What can I do if the school is moving too slowly with an evaluation?
- Speech therapy: What it is and how it helps with language challenges
- 5 conversation starters for discussing an evaluation report with teachers
- 5 conversation starters for discussing supports and services with teachers
- When a child has dyslexia and dyscalculia, treat the math challenges separately
- School discipline rights for kids with IEPs and 504 plans
- IEP personal stories
- 3 things to say when your child worries about getting help at school
- The discrepancy model: What you need to know
- The school wants to move my child from an IEP to a 504 plan. How will that affect my child?
- How I got over my fear of AP statistics (and passed!)
- How self-advocacy helped me fight for my rights in college
- 10 steps to take if your child is denied services
- 15 college programs for kids who learn and think differently
- 8 steps to kicking off your child’s IEP the right way
- 6 steps to request an IEP meeting
- Sample letter: Requesting your child’s school records
- Beyond IEP meetings: How I connect with my son’s general education teachers
- 5 examples of Universal Design for Learning in the classroom
- How to keep your child’s services in place during a dispute
- What to expect at a mediation session
- A unique IEP solution for our twice-exceptional son
- What is Child Find?
- Wilson Reading System: What you need to know
- Independent educational evaluations (IEEs): What you need to know
- FAQs about specialized math instruction in grade school
- Foster care, special education, and learning and thinking differences: What you need to know
- Strengths-based IEPs: What you need to know
- 6 tips for creating your child’s IFSP
- 5 things to do before an IEP meeting
- IEP and special education terms
- Summer learning programs for kids who learn and think differently
- Charter schools and learning and thinking differences
- Questions to ask about the school’s reading instruction
- What happens when you switch schools during the evaluation process
- Do IEPs cover extracurricular activities?
- What are academic modifications?
- Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA?
- The most important thing to remember before your next IEP meeting
- How RTI monitors progress
- Informed consent in the special education process: What you need to know
- Printable tools to help manage your child’s IEP
- 6 steps for requesting your child’s school records
- Alternate assessments: What you need to know
- Common accommodations and modifications in school
- What is an IFSP?
- What is Accelerated Reader?
- What are remedial programs?
- Unilateral placement: Moving from public to private school
- Classroom accommodations for auditory processing disorder
- Out-of-district placement: How it works
- How speech-language pathologists work with kids
- What happens to your child’s IEP if you switch schools
- When choosing apps to help your child with schoolwork, keep this tip in mind
- 12 questions to ask the school about 2e students
- Special education services in military DoDEA schools
- What is a behavior intervention plan?
- Why I feel invisible at IEP meetings (a dad’s view)
- The day I rejected my son’s IEP
- My kids’ experience with special education at Catholic school
- Types of college accommodations and services
- What is a reevaluation for special education?
- Checklist: Questions about colleges with special programs
- Types of colleges and how they differ
- Checklist: What to ask colleges about assistive technology
- What to bring to an IEP meeting
- Private evaluations: What you need to know
- What to do if your child is losing IEP services
- Should my child study for a special education evaluation?
- Who’s on the evaluation team at your child’s school
- Evaluation rights: What you need to know
- 5 things to do after an IEP meeting
- 5 things to do during an IEP meeting
- How will I know if the accommodations in my child’s IEP are working?
- What are private schools for students with learning disabilities and ADHD?
- 5 reasons parents play a key role in the IEP process
- Why kids with executive function challenges have trouble with planning
- 3 questions to ask yourself before your next IEP meeting
- 9 tips for talking to your child’s teacher about executive function challenges
- 5 common myths about early intervention
- Types of tests for executive function challenges
- Preparing for an evaluation
- 10 smart responses for when the school cuts or denies services
- 7 tips for a productive 504 meeting
- A heartbreaking choice: Should my son have accommodations for lockdown drills?
- 5 things I learned about 504 plans when my son with ADHD got one
- Homeschooling kids who learn and think differently
- What is a sensory diet?
- What is and isn’t covered under FAPE
- What are your rights in the IEP process?
- What is social-emotional learning?
- How to get your child help in school without an evaluation
- Are IEPs different for English language learners?
- Can a student have both an IEP and a 504 plan?
- Can my child get an IEP for slow processing speed?
- What evaluation testing results mean
- What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
- Early intervention services: Who pays for what
- 8 steps to advocating for your child at school
- 5 questions to consider when choosing assistive technology tools
- How assistive technology can help kids with note-taking
- Download: Sample 504 plan for a child with ADHD
- 5 common techniques for helping struggling students
- Download: Anatomy of a school behavior contract
- How to show empathy to your students with compassionate curiosity
- What is differentiated instruction?
- FAQs about the GED
- Related services for kids who learn and think differently
- Extended school year services: What you need to know
- 7 steps to make teacher videos more accessible and engaging during distance learning
- Surprising IEP and 504 accommodations for note-taking, assignments, and tests
- 3 common reasons schools change accommodations
- Download: Parent-teacher conference worksheet
- Video: Middle-schooler teaches future teachers about dyslexia
- Video: How a great teacher helped a student with dyslexia find her path
- The school wants to change my child’s accommodations. What can I do?
- 5 common concerns about getting your child help at school
- What is least restrictive environment (LRE)?
- Is there a standard form or template for 504 plans?
- Download: School contact lists
- 6 things to know about private schools and special education
- The difference between interventions and accommodations
- What is MTSS?
- Accommodations: What they are and how they work
- What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
- Download: IEP or 504 plan snapshot for your child
- Download: FAPE at a glance
- Section 504 fact sheet
- Printable: Help families prepare for parent-teacher conferences
- The difference between a school identification and a clinical diagnosis
- IDEA fact sheet
- Download: Sample IEP transition plan and goals
- The difference between accommodations and modifications
- IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA: Which laws do what
- The difference between supports and services in school
- What is an IEP?
- What is response to intervention (RTI)?
- What is PBIS?
- Paraprofessionals: What you need to know
- What is a 504 plan?
- 6 strategies teachers use to help kids who learn and think differently
- Video: A college student with dyscalculia shares her story
- Video: 8 insider tips on navigating IEP meetings
- Video: Mario Ornelas, chef and college student with dyscalculia, dyslexia, and weak working memory
- What is a functional behavioral assessment (FBA)?
- Understanding IEPs
- What is special education?
- What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
- Navigating IEP meetings
- What RTI should and shouldn’t include
- Understanding evaluation results and next steps
- What is assistive technology?
- Don’t let your pride get in the way of asking for help in school
- A guide to having hard conversations with your teacher
- IEP roadmap: How kids get special education
- Video: Inside a reading intervention
- How to write an effective email to parents and caregivers
- Video: Inside a dyslexia evaluation
- Video: Elijah Ditchendorf, a high school science whiz who has dyslexia
- How to teach kids with dyslexia to read
- Who’s on the RTI team
- Getting an IEP for your teen