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IEP or 504 Plan

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If your child receives special education services then they have an IEP. While the federal legislation called Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA or IDEA, 2004) spells out the rules and regulations for students who are placed in special education settings, and have an IEP; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, specifically Section 504, describes rules to protect students from discrimination because of their differences. When a student gets to college, it is Section 504 that ensures that they won’t be excluded from college because they cannot meet the SAT requirement because of their learning disability. It also ensures that an individual will not be discriminated because of chronic illness when they apply for a job. However, Section 504 also has an impact on education in grades k-12 too.

A 504 plan is a legal document that describes an instructional plan for children with disabilities when they are in the general classroom. The 504 plan focuses on the “reasonable” accommodations and modifications that will support the child’s learning. In practice, students with IEPS (like SLD or ASD) also need accommodations and modifications. However they do not also have 504 plans, as their IEPS contain the accommodations and modifications that are needed. IDEA requires specific criteria for each disability, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act doe s not. Therefore, the Rehab Act is more global, indicating only that the child/adult has to have an impairment of one of the systems of the body (skeleton, neurological, sensory, respiratory, etc). So a 504 plan may be developed for a student identified with AD/HD, ADD, Asthma, Diabetes, Cystic Fibrosis, Bipolar Disorder, or many other chronic illnesses. The 504 plan provides strategies and direction for the general classroom teacher. The strategies are not very different from those used in IEPS, it is just that they are provided in the general class environment.

IEPs Versus 504 Plans

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Many children have repeated a grade in school, get poor grades, can not pass tests, and struggle to remember information despite being intelligent and making an effort to learn.  These children can often qualify for extra help or accommodations in school.  The type of extra help come from having a 504 accommodation plan and/or an individualized education plan (IEP).  Both plans can allow for extra time on in class tests and the FCAT, non-graded spelling tests, frequent breaks while working, use of a word processor, spell checker, and many more. 

In order to qualify for either plan, parents must provide the school with testing documentation that shows the child has an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity which includes reading, writing, learning, and listening.  A licensed psychologist in private practice can help parents and public schools have a psychologist on staff as well.  You may be thinking, “Is one type of plan better than the other?”

The 504 accommodation plan is not considered special education.  Schools do not receive any additional money to implement 504 plans.  Schools do receive extra money if a child is in special education and has and individualized education plan (IEP).  If a child qualifies for special education, they receive extra help from a special education teacher.  Students with a 504 plan typically do not receive help from a special education teacher and parents must provide tutoring at their own expense.  School personnel do not frequently tell parents that once a child is in special education, they rarely get out.  I can help you decide which plan is best for your child.