504 vs. IEP: What's the Difference?

504 vs. IEP: What's the Difference?

   Students with disabilities may need special accommodations to be educated. For these students, educational plans are created that allow the parents, teachers, and administrators to determine what specific services will be provided and how the child will be assessed. There are two types of plans that can be created depending on the type of disability the student has, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan. 

    There are many similarities between IEPs and 504 plans. Both are constructed by the parents of the child, the child’s general education teacher, and a special education teacher at no cost to the parents (The Understood Team, 2017). Parental consent is required to evaluate the student and construct the plan. For both plans, schools must provide the parents with prior written notice in order to make an adjustment to the plan. If the parents feel that the plan is not being implemented properly, or that the plan is inadequate for their child, there are similar methods that can be taken to resolve disputes, including mediation and lawsuits. Lastly, both plans are typically reviewed annually and the student is reevaluated every three years, though the rules for 504 plans are less standardized and therefore vary by state (The Understood Team, 2017).

    Despite these similarities between IEPs and 504 plans, there are many differences that teachers should be aware of. First, the two types of plans are required by different laws, both of which are federal laws meant to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) outlines the details relevant to IEPs, while Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 covers 504 plans (The Understood Team, 2017). The IDEA defines 13 specific disabilities that are covered, including: specific learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, emotional disturbance, speech or language impairment, visual impairment, deafness, hearing impairment, deaf-blindness, orthopedic impairment, intellectual disability, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, and multiple disabilities (The Understood Team, 2017). Section 504 is more broad than the IDEA, so some students who aren’t eligible for IEPs may be accommodated by 504 plans, such as a child with AIDS or diabetes. 

    Second, the teams that construct IEPs and 504 plans are different. While both teams include the parents of the child, at least one general education teacher, and at least one special education teacher of the child, the IEP team also consists of a school psychologist or other specialist and a district representative with authority over special education services. On the other hand, the school’s principal is involved in the creation of a student’s 504 plan (The Understood Team, 2017). 

    Furthermore, IEPs are standardized written documents with many necessary components. Those components include: a statement of the student’s current level of achievement, measurable annual goals, a description of how progress towards goals will be measured and reported, a list of what special services will be provided, a statement of program modifications and support for school personnel, an explanation of the extent to which the student will not participate with nondisabled students, a summary of individual accommodations necessary to measure achievement on standardized assessments, and lastly a description of when the services will start, how often they will be administered, etc. (Center for Parent Information and Services, 2010). 504 plans, however, aren’t standardized and needn’t necessarily be written (The Understood Team, 2017). In general, they include the accommodations that will be provided to the child and the names of who will provide the services and who will ensure the plan is implemented. Lastly, states receive additional funding for IEP eligible students, while states do not receive such funding for 504 eligible students, though they can be fined for not complying (The Understood Team, 2017).

    In summary, IEPs and 504 plans both describe the specific accommodations and services that will be provided to students with disabilities. The IDEA lists specific disabilities that are covered by law, and IEPs are standardized and more detailed than 504 plans. Regardless, both are provided free of charge and are constructed by a team of individuals to benefit the disabled student. Check out the Venn diagram below for a visual comparison of the two!

    

References

Center for Parent Information and Resources. (2010). Contents of the IEP. Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/iepcontents/#contents

The Understood Team. (2017). The Differences Between IEPs and 504 plans. Understood. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/504-plan/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans

Special Education History and Current Status

Current Status of Special Education

           According to Skiba et al. (2008), one of the issues about the current status of special education is the disproportional representation of certain minority groups. This imbalance is quite ironic, considering the emergence of the earliest legislation related to special education was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement promoting equality for all. Their summary of the research literature revealed that African-American students are more likely to be represented in categories of intellectual disability (formerly referred to as mental retardation) and emotional disturbance, while Native American students are more likely to be diagnosed with learning disabilities. On the other hand, Hispanic students are underrepresented in most categories of special education (Skiba et al., 2008). The cause of such disproportionalities is undoubtedly multifaceted, with possible contributing factors including testing bias, socio-demographic factors associated with poverty, and unequal educational opportunities. Due to the complex nature of disproportional representation, a “one size fits all” intervention approach is unlikely to be successful. Therefore, individual and local interventions are recommended (Skiba et al., 2008).

Part of the solution to this problem will certainly come from training teachers to improve the referral process and become more culturally competent. I’d like to think that this MAT program is part of that solution. Throughout this program, one of the major themes has been learning how to meet the individual needs of all our students. We’ve discussed, for example, being culturally competent to make the classroom safe for diverse learners, catering to multiple learning styles in our lesson plans, using reading comprehension strategies for English language learners, and scaffolding instruction for both struggling and advanced students. For these students, differentiating instruction with variety has been the key to meeting all their unique needs (McLaughlin, 2015). This course adds a new challenge to the mix: special education. We know that principles of inclusion and education in the least restrictive environment mean that we’ll have students with disabilities in our classrooms. With the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act identifying thirteen categories of disabilities alone, it will of course be a challenge to meet the needs of all our learners simultaneously, and variety alone cannot be the answer (Understanding Special Education, 2016). I’m confident, however, that this course and program will provide me with the tools necessary to help all my students become the best learners they can be.