ENL and IEP Meeting Prep Checklist for New York Parents
For a meeting about English as a New Language (ENL) services, an IEP (Committee on Special Education, CSE) or a 504 plan. You are an important part of every one of these meetings. You know your child best.
As soon as you get the meeting date
- Need an interpreter? Ask for one now. It is free.
- CSE meeting: you get written notice at least 5 days before. You may ask to change the time.
- Want the school physician or an additional parent member at a CSE meeting? Ask at least 72 hours before.
- Ask to see your child's records. The school must let you see them before an IEP meeting, and never later than 45 calendar days after you ask.
- Ask for drafts or reports you want to read before the meeting.
What to bring
- Letters from the school (ELL level, evaluation results, last IEP or 504 plan).
- The latest English test score report (ENL).
- 1-2 pieces of your child's school work.
- What your child is good at and likes (any language).
- Your top 3 questions (lists on this page).
- A notebook, or ask for written notes after.
- Someone who knows your child, if you want (you may invite them).
ENL questions to ask
- What is my child's English level, and what does it mean?
- How many minutes of ENL a week? Stand-alone, integrated, or both?
- Is there a Bilingual program in our home language, here or at another school?
- What testing accommodations will my child get on NYS tests?
- Which English test will my child take this spring, and when?
- How can I help at home, in our home language?
- When will I get progress updates, and in what language?
Note for 2026-27: NYSED says the final NYSESLAT was given in spring 2026 and New York's first WIDA ACCESS administration will be in spring 2027. The WIDA Screener replaces the NYSITELL for newly enrolled students in fall 2027. How students exit ELL status with WIDA ACCESS scores has not been published yet. Ask your school how this affects your child.
IEP or 504 questions to ask
- What can my child do well now, and what are the next goals?
- How will progress on each goal be measured, and when will I get reports?
- Which services, how often, how long, and where?
- Which supports in class, and which testing accommodations on which tests?
- How much of the day will my child be with general education classmates?
- My child is also an English language learner: how will ENL or Bilingual services and the IEP work together?
- Age 15 or older: what are the transition goals for life after high school?
- Who do I contact with questions, and how?
During the meeting
- Ask what any word or short form means. Ask again if needed.
- Share what you see at home.
- Write down who said they will do what, and by when.
- You do not have to agree on the spot. You can ask for time.
After the meeting
- Get your free copy of the IEP.
- Check that what was agreed is written down.
- Put the next review and progress-report dates on your calendar.
- Disagree? Ask the school about your options (mediation, complaint or hearing). See the Procedural Safeguards Notice.
Free help
- NYSED ELL Parent Hotline: 1-800-469-8224 · nysparenthotline@nyu.edu (from NYSED's Parents' Bill of Rights for ELL/MLL families)
- Long Island Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center: https://www.liu.edu/cwpost/cci
- Goal100 plain-language guides: ENL families, special education families, sources (see the Support page on this site).
En español: Antes de la reunión, pida un intérprete gratis. Lleve las cartas de la escuela, un trabajo de su hijo o hija y sus 3 preguntas más importantes. Usted no tiene que decidir en ese momento. Pida su copia gratis del IEP.
Official sources (all checked Nov 7, 2026)
- NYSED, 8 NYCRR §200.4 (referral, evaluation, IEP, review): https://www.nysed.gov/special-education/section-2004-procedures-referral-evaluation-iep-development-placement-and-review
- NYSED, Procedural Safeguards Notice: https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/special-education/nysed-procedural-safeguards-notice-july-2017.pdf
- NYSED, Special Education in New York State, A Parent's Guide (2025): https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/special-education/special-education-parent-guide-2025.pdf
- 34 CFR §300.322 (IDEA): parent participation, interpreters, copy of the IEP: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2015-title34-vol2/pdf/CFR-2015-title34-vol2-sec300-322.pdf
- NYSED, Parents' Bill of Rights (ELL/MLL): https://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/parents/parent-bill-rights
- NYSED, English Language Learners with an IEP: https://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/english-language-learners-individualized-education-program
- NYSED, WIDA Consortium announcement: https://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/news/wida-consortium-new-york-state-education-department
- U.S. Dept. of Education, Section 504 FAQ: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/disability-discrimination/frequently-asked-questions-disability-discrimination
General information, not legal advice. For a decision about your child, talk with your school, a FACE Center or a lawyer. Goal100 Learning · operated by ZAKAZIKY LLC · Free to print and share unchanged.