Not sure where to start with an IEP? Start here.
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are complicated. Writing them shouldn't feel like starting from scratch.
IEPath Navigator helps special educators understand the purpose behind each part of an IEP, work through the information they already have, and strengthen what they write—with AI supporting their professional thinking, not replacing it.
- Learn the purpose
- Think it through
- Strengthen your draft
Cohort 1 is small on purpose, so every Founding Educator gets a direct line to the founder.
Never enter student names or identifying details — use initials or [Student]. We don't sell your data or share it with advertisers. Privacy & Security.
You remain the professional decision-maker. IEPath Navigator supports your thinking; it does not replace your judgment or the IEP team.
Sample Draft
A.R. — Grade 4 · Reading Comprehension
Goal Quality Score
92/100
IEP Goal Score™ is a free educational feedback tool based on IDEA's standards for measurable annual goals. It is not a compliance certification, legal advice, or a guarantee of IDEA compliance. Final review and approval rests with the educator and IEP team.
PLAAFP
Decodes single-syllable words at 95% accuracy; multisyllabic words drop to 60%. Answers literal questions at 70%, inferential at 35%.
Draft Goal
Given a grade-level informational passage, A.R. will identify the main idea and cite two supporting details with 80% accuracy on 4 of 5 consecutive probes.
Family-Friendly Translation
Your child is learning to find the big idea in what they read and point to clues in the text that prove it — a core 4th-grade skill.
New to IEP writing? Start with the basics.
If you're new to special education—or new to writing IEPs—you may encounter a lot of unfamiliar language. That's okay. You don't have to know it all before you begin.
IEP — Individualized Education Program
The written plan that describes a student's educational needs, goals, supports, and services.
PLAAFP — Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
The section that describes what the student can do now, where they are having difficulty, and how their disability affects their education. The PLAAFP provides the foundation for measurable annual goals.
Annual Goal
A measurable statement of what the student is expected to learn or accomplish during the IEP period.
Accommodations
Changes to how a student accesses or demonstrates learning without changing what the student is expected to learn.
These are just the starting points.
IEP writing involves much more than knowing the terminology. Our Training & Learning resources walk you through the purpose of each part, how the pieces connect, and how to think through the information you already have.
Explore Training & LearningNot sure where to begin?
Let's talk about the PLAAFP.
The PLAAFP is more than a paragraph you have to write. It's the foundation for understanding a student's current strengths, needs, and educational impact.
If you're new to IEP writing—or simply need a refresher—start here.
Where are you right now?
Start where the IEP starts: your present levels
Paste or upload one draft PLAAFP and see how it holds up on baseline data, strengths, area of need, educational impact, family-friendly language, and goal readiness. Suggestions are yours to accept, change, or ignore.
Next: check a goal built from that PLAAFP
Once your present levels are solid, the IEP Goal Score™ reviews one annual goal for observable behavior, measurable criteria, conditions, timeframe, and progress monitoring — free, no account.
Try the IEP Goal ScoreWhat IEPath Navigator helps you spot
The things that usually surface in the meeting — surfaced while you still have time to fix them.
Missing baseline data
Flags goals written without a current performance level to measure growth against.
Vague or non-measurable language
Words like "improve" or "will work on" that no one can score consistently.
Unclear measurement criteria
Goals missing accuracy, trials, conditions, or a progress-monitoring method.
PLAAFP gaps
Present levels that skip data, impact of disability, or the link to the proposed goal.
Goal-writing weaknesses
Skills that don't align to the identified need, or criteria that don't match the baseline.
Gaps before the meeting
Review drafts ahead of the IEP meeting so the team isn't rewriting goals on the spot.
How IEPath Navigator Works
Four steps, from de-identified notes to a draft you edit and own.
Enter de-identified student information
Add the basics without names or identifying details — grade level, area of need, and current performance data.
See what's unclear, missing, or hard to measure
Get a plain-language review of the draft, plus suggestions you can accept, change, or ignore.
Edit every suggestion using your professional judgment
The AI drafts; you decide. Nothing is final until you say it is, and every word stays yours to change.
Export a draft for your IEP process
Copy goal language, download a PDF, or share the family-friendly summary with your team.
You review every suggestion. The AI assists the educator — it never replaces your professional judgment or the IEP team.
See IEPath Navigator in Action
Follow a fictional student through the four-step workflow. Example content for demonstration only.
M.K. is a 4th-grade student who reads grade-level passages with 92% accuracy but answers inferential comprehension questions correctly on only 4 out of 10 trials (40%) across three recent curriculum-based measures. He demonstrates strong vocabulary and actively participates in group discussions, but struggles to locate text evidence when asked "why" or "how" questions. Difficulty with inferential comprehension impacts his ability to access grade-level science and social studies content independently.
Strengths Identified
- Clear baseline data with percentages and trial counts
- Specific skill deficit named (inferential comprehension)
Suggestions
- Add reading level / Lexile range for the passages used
- Strengthen the link between baseline and proposed annual goal criteria
Given a 4th-grade-level narrative or informational text (condition), M.K. will answer inferential comprehension questions and cite at least one piece of supporting text evidence (skill) with 80% accuracy across 4 out of 5 consecutive weekly probes (measurable criteria).
Skill
Inferential comprehension w/ text evidence
Condition
Grade-level passages
Criteria
80%, 4 of 5 consecutive probes
Monitoring
Weekly CBM reading probes
Technical IEP language
Student will demonstrate inferential comprehension of grade-level text with 80% accuracy on 4 of 5 consecutive weekly CBM probes.
Family-friendly version
M.K. is learning to answer "why" and "how" questions about what he reads, and to point to the words in the story that show his answer. We'll check his progress once a week. You'll see this at home when he starts explaining the reasons behind characters' choices or facts in a book — not just what happened.
Want to try this workflow on your own drafts?
Join the BetaCohort 1 is small on purpose, so every Founding Educator gets a direct line to the founder.
Free during the Founding Educator Beta. Your feedback shapes what gets built next.
Stuck on a goal? Let's fix it together.
Send me the goal you're struggling with most (de-identified), and I'll walk through it with you on a free 15-minute call. — Jenny Thompson, M.Ed.
Book 15 minutesBuilt for IEPs. Not Just Text Generation.
IEPath Navigator is purpose-built for special education workflows — not a blank chat window.
Generic AI Tools
- Requires users to create detailed prompts
- Does not provide a guided IEP workflow
- May not highlight documentation considerations
- Generates text but does not organize educator workflow
- Requires educators to know what questions to ask
IEPath Navigator
Purpose-built- Guided IEP development workflow
- PLAAFP review support
- Goal development assistance
- Standards alignment support
- Family-friendly communication support
- Built from special education experience
The AI handles the blank page. You bring the student knowledge, the data, and the final call.
Built by a Special Educator
IEPath Navigator was created by Jenny Thompson, M.Ed., a special education teacher with nearly 30 years of experience across multiple states and disability categories. It was built to help with the parts of IEP writing educators name most often: turning data into a usable PLAAFP, writing goals someone can actually measure, and finding the gaps before the meeting.
It is still in beta, and it is being shaped with educator feedback. Founding Educators tell us what's missing, what's confusing, and what to build next.
Start with one goal.
Run one of your own goals through the free Goal Score and judge the feedback yourself. If it's useful, join the Founding Educator Beta and help shape what comes next.
Free during the Founding Educator Beta. No cost, no obligation — just name and email to start.