Northeast · VT
Vermont special education IEP compliance and timelines
Governing regulations: Vermont State Board of Education Rules, Series 2360 (Special Education); 16 V.S.A. Chapter 101. State education agency: Vermont Agency of Education.
- Initial evaluation
- Vermont follows the federal timeline: the initial evaluation must be completed within 60 days of receiving parental consent. Before that, the school has 15 days to respond to an evaluation request from an appropriate source.
- Initial IEP meeting
- A meeting to develop the IEP must be held within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination. (34 CFR § 300.323(c)(1); Vermont State Board Rule 2363)
- Annual review
- At least once every 365 days (34 CFR § 300.324(b)(1)).
- Reevaluation
- At least every 3 years, planned by an evaluation planning team, and not more than once a year unless the parent and LEA agree (34 CFR § 300.303).
- Transition planning
- Must be in effect by age 16.
- Academic standards
- Vermont's adopted Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
- IEP forms & systems
- No single mandated statewide IEP software. The Agency of Education publishes state IEP and evaluation forms, and supervisory unions choose their own platforms.
Where Vermont differs from the federal baseline
- A school has 15 days to respond to an evaluation request from an appropriate source (Vermont State Board Rule 2362.2.1(b)).
- Evaluations are designed by an Evaluation Planning Team (EPT) that includes the parent (Vermont State Board Rule 2362.2.2).
- Each school must maintain an Educational Support Team (EST) to provide general education supports before and alongside referral to special education.
- Special education is administered at the supervisory union or supervisory district level, and Act 173 moved state special education funding to a census-based block grant.
Current monitoring priorities
- Initial evaluation timeline compliance (Indicator 11)
- Implementation of Act 173 and supervisory union special education systems
- Secondary transition IEP content (Indicator 13)
VT IEP compliance checklist
- 01Signed consent date recorded; evaluation due within 60 calendar days.
- 02Eligibility determined and initial IEP meeting scheduled: A meeting to develop the IEP must be held within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination.
- 03PLAAFP includes measurable baselines and a statement of how the disability affects involvement in the general curriculum (34 CFR § 300.320(a)(1)).
- 04Each annual goal is measurable, with condition, behavior, criterion and measurement method (§ 300.320(a)(2)).
- 05Progress reporting schedule stated for each goal (§ 300.320(a)(3)).
- 06Transition goals and services in effect by age 16 where applicable.
- 07Prior Written Notice issued for every proposal or refusal, with all seven § 300.503(b) elements.
- 08Annual review scheduled within 365 days; reevaluation within 3 years.
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