IEP Meetings vs. Parent-Teacher Conferences

IEP Meeting

Parent-Teacher Conference

Purpose

To create, review, revise, and update the student’s IEP.

Typically to discuss the student’s academic progress in school.

How Long

It depends on what’s being discussed. A meeting can be 30 minutes, or it can last an hour or more.

Schools typically schedule 10 to 20 minutes for a parent-teacher conference.

Which Students

Students who are eligible for special education.

All students.

Who Attends

Required members of the IEP team.

Parent(s) and the student’s teacher.

When Do They Happen

Federal law requires schools to hold annual IEP meetings. But parents or schools can request an IEP meeting at any time.

Typically, parent-teacher conferences are held twice a year.

What’s Discussed

It depends on the purpose of the IEP meeting.

Many parent-teacher conferences follow a set agenda. The teacher provides basic information about test scores and shares work samples.