Readability of Individualized Education Programs

Abstract

An individualized education program is a legal document that details information regarding the special education program of a student with a disability. For parents to determine whether they agree with the individualized education program that is proposed by the school, they must first be able to read and comprehend the document. This study aimed to examine the readability of 28 individualized education programs. Results indicated that 8 of the 9 individualized education program sections were written at a high school to college reading level. Other variables that increased text difficulty, such as small print size and large number of typographical errors, were also found. These findings suggested that parents might have difficulty reading and understanding their children's individualized education programs. The author discusses the implications for research to practice.

Keywords:

• disability
• individualized education program
• parents
• readability
• special education