Edward A. Martinelli, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Director, Learning Disabilities Testing
Here’s an interesting podcast on some IEP basics. I think it’s important to remember that each state may do things differently, so what they talk about regarding requirements might be different here in Utah or among various school districts.
There’s one caveat I’d make on the conversation at about the 19-20 minute mark regarding accommodations in college. I was the director of a disability office at a fairly large college for seven years and whether the student had an IEP or a 504 plan in the K-12 setting, it made no difference in our determination about college-level services. So there's really no need to get the IEP changed to a 504. Both were indicative of a potential disabling condition and warranted follow-up. There are neither 504 plans or IEPs in college; just accommodation plans. Additionally, the accommodations or IEP directives in the K-12 setting might not be transferred to the college setting. ADA is looking for different outcomes (access vs success) than IDEA. There were many accommodations that could be transferred over, but not all. Not all colleges are the same, but most work out of a pretty consistent process. Additionally, I don't know that it was entirely clear, but the LSAT/MCAT/GRE folks are going to want an eval within the last 3-5 years. So it's while true that the IEP and/or testing done in the high school will be helpful, it won't be sufficient, and the student will likely need a new eval as they approach college graduation. Hopefully the college will be proactive and explain this to the student while they are registered with the office.
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