Evaluation and need
Review whether the record identifies relevant academic, functional, behavioral, communication, and related-service needs during the period at issue.
IEP & FAPE expert witness · Nationwide
The written program is only the beginning.
Independent analysis of IEP development, implementation, progress monitoring, placement, related services, and the educational record in IDEA and special education litigation.
Independent analysis
Questions tested against the record.
IEC tests the program described on paper against evaluations, student needs, service delivery, progress evidence, team decisions, and what occurred in practice.
IEP design
Examine present levels, measurable goals, services, supports, accommodations, placement, and the relationship among those components.
Implementation
Compare the written program with schedules, service logs, classroom records, provider notes, attendance, staffing, and other evidence of delivery.
Progress monitoring
Analyze what data were collected, how progress was interpreted, whether concerns were recognized, and how the team responded over time.
Placement and LRE
Evaluate the individualized rationale, supplementary supports considered, participation with nondisabled peers, and the record supporting placement decisions.
Team process
Reconstruct notices, meetings, parent concerns, recommendations, revisions, and the educational reasoning documented by the team.
Potential referral issues
Program design and delivery.
- Failure to implement IEP services or accommodations
- Inadequate or disconnected annual goals
- Missed related services and compensatory-education questions
- Insufficient progress monitoring or response to regression
- Placement and least-restrictive-environment disputes
- Behavior support and functional-performance needs
- Transition planning and postsecondary readiness
- Systemic staffing or program-capacity concerns
Evidence
Connect plan to practice.
The strongest analysis does not isolate a single IEP. It follows evaluations, plans, implementation evidence, progress, communications, and revisions across the relevant timeline.
- IEPs, evaluations, eligibility records, and prior written notices
- Service logs, provider notes, schedules, and staffing records
- Progress reports, work samples, assessments, grades, and attendance
- Behavior data, discipline records, plans, and incident documentation
- Team notes, parent communications, emails, and meeting recordings
- Policies, program descriptions, discovery materials, and testimony
Analytical framework
Standards, implementation, and context.
Individualized program
Assess whether the components of the IEP form a coherent response to the needs reflected in the contemporaneous educational record.
Implementation evidence
Distinguish isolated documentation gaps from material patterns by testing multiple sources against one another.
Reasoned limitations
Identify alternative explanations, disputed evidence, unavailable data, and the boundaries of educational-practice testimony.
This page describes potential educational-practice analysis. It is not legal advice and does not state an opinion about any particular matter.
Start with the right question
Let’s assess the fit.
Share a brief description of the matter, jurisdiction, parties, deadlines, and educational issues. Conflict checks and confidentiality come first.
Dave@inclusiveeducationconsultants.com