A parent’s guide to school accommodations, legal protections, and what to do next
Written from an interview with Sammi Oberman, M.A.T., LBS1, Director of Programming and Student Outcomes at Redwood Literacy and a Certified Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner.
When a parent calls us and asks, “Does my child need an IEP or a 504?”, they’re rarely asking about paperwork. What they really want to know is: What is my child struggling with, and how do I make sure they get every support, every bit of individualized instruction, and every accommodation they need?
That’s a big question, and it can feel overwhelming. The good news is that the process is more understandable than it looks from the outside, and you have more rights in it than you might think. Here’s what we walk families through.
IEP vs. 504 plan: what’s the difference?
Both an IEP (Individualized Education Program) and a 504 plan are legally binding documents that protect students with disabilities in school. The biggest practical difference usually comes down to one thing: specialized instruction.
An IEP includes specialized instruction and goals
An IEP spells out specific instruction, the measurable annual goals your child is working toward, and how they’re going to reach them. Depending on your child’s needs and current level of performance, that can include:
- Academic goals in reading, writing, or math
- Related services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, or social work
- Executive functioning goals
- Accommodations and modifications in the classroom
Those last two terms get mixed up a lot. An accommodation helps your child access the general curriculum (for example, extra time on a test). A modification changes the curriculum or the assignment itself.
A 504 plan usually centers on accommodations
A 504 plan outlines the accommodations your child is entitled to. Under Section 504, a school’s obligation can also include special education and related aids and services designed to meet a student’s individual needs, but in practice many 504 plans focus mainly on accommodations. A 504 plan also isn’t bound by the IDEA requirement that an IEP set measurable annual goals.
What that looks like for a struggling reader
- On an IEP, a student reading below grade level might qualify under a specific learning disability and receive 30 minutes a day of direct reading intervention. The IEP would set measurable goals, like a target number of words read correctly per minute or new phonics skills mastered.
- On a 504 plan, that same student might get access to text-to-speech, a human reader, or extra time on assessments.
Both can be helpful. But only one of them actually teaches your child to read.
How do you get an IEP or a 504 plan?
Every IEP and 504 plan starts with a formal referral, evaluation, and eligibility process. A parent, a teacher, or any school professional who suspects a child is struggling or may have a disability can start it. Most often, it’s the classroom teacher, a school counselor, or the parent.
Here’s how it usually goes:
- Put your request in writing. Send a written request for an evaluation to the principal, the school counselor, or the director of special education if your district has one. Explain what you’re seeing and what you want to understand.
- Include any documentation you have. That could be a private neuropsychological evaluation, a dyslexia screener (like the one we offer at Redwood), or an Academic Clarity Plan showing your child is behind. The goal is to find out why the scores are low: is it an instructional gap, or an underlying disability?
- Wait for the school’s response. The school is required to reply to your written request. How long that takes depends on your state, district, and school, so look up your state’s timeline and keep a copy of everything you send.
- Give consent for the evaluation. The school can’t evaluate without your permission. The evaluation may involve a school psychologist, a speech therapist, a special education teacher, or a social worker, depending on your child’s needs. They may look at academic performance, cognitive ability, social-emotional development, communication, and health.
- Attend the eligibility meeting. You, your child’s teachers, school administrators, and other team members meet to decide whether your child qualifies for an IEP or a 504 plan.
- Review the plan. If your child qualifies, the team writes the IEP or 504 plan and meets with you to go over it. Ask as many questions as you want. No specialized services can begin without your consent. You are part of this team.
“Let’s wait and see”: the pushback that matters most
Parents hear plenty of pushback, but the one with the most serious consequences is “wait and see.”
You may hear that kids develop at different rates, and that even if your child is behind, there’s still time to catch up. First, take a breath. This isn’t a time to panic, and that advice isn’t entirely wrong. There absolutely is still time to catch up.
What gets left out is the most important part: catching up requires additional intervention. Time alone doesn’t close a reading gap. Instruction does.
Early intervention is the most effective way to prevent lifelong reading struggles. Around the end of second grade and the start of third, school shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. A child who isn’t reading at grade level by then starts falling behind in science, social studies, and other subjects, even ones where they could have real strengths.
And the longer you wait, the bigger the gap gets. A bigger gap means more intervention, more time, more money, and more stress for your family later.
So our advice is simple: Don’t panic. Respond. Right now, while the gap is still small, is the best time to fix it.
Other pushback you might hear
“You can’t diagnose dyslexia until later.” This isn’t true. Research keeps showing that we can identify dyslexia earlier and earlier. And even without a formal diagnosis, a child who is behind in reading can still benefit from extra support. You don’t need a label to start helping.
“Dyslexia isn’t a category on the IEP.” This one confuses many families. It’s technically true: on an IEP, dyslexia usually falls under the category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in reading. If you’re looking for the word “dyslexia” on your child’s IEP and don’t see it, that doesn’t mean the school is ignoring it.
“Their grades and test scores are average.” Many kids are working incredibly hard to look average. Some are twice exceptional (gifted and learning disabled). Others are simply compensating. A child with strong language skills, good comprehension, and a big memorized vocabulary can hide dyslexia by guessing words correctly, especially on tests where they can spot patterns.
As texts get harder, those strategies stop working. Pulling words from memory takes a huge amount of mental effort, and it makes it harder to read and learn unfamiliar words and vocabulary. A child doing “fine” now may hit a wall later. We want to make sure the foundational skills are actually there, not skipped over.
What if the school says your child doesn’t qualify?
Sometimes the school finds your child ineligible, or offers a 504 plan when you believe your child needs an IEP. Here’s what to do.
- Don’t sign agreement on the spot. You can sign to show you attended the meeting, but you don’t have to consent to the decision. Tell the team you want to understand it better.
- Ask the school for prior written notice. This is a formal document from the school explaining its decision to refuse eligibility and the data it used. It makes sure everything is on the record.
- Request the full evaluation report. Read it yourself, and share it with a trusted advocate or outside specialist for a second opinion.
It’s possible your child truly doesn’t qualify. In that case, the right next step may be support outside of school, or the school’s regular intervention (often called Response to Intervention, or RTI) may be enough.
- Request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). If you disagree with the school’s evaluation, you can request outside testing at the school’s expense. The school must either pay for it or start a due process hearing to prove its own evaluation was appropriate.
- Consider mediation or a state complaint. These are usually less adversarial options. In mediation, a neutral third party helps you and the school reach an agreement. A state complaint, filed with your state department of education, asks the state to look into whether the school followed the law.
- File a due process complaint as a last resort. This is a formal legal process where you argue that the school is violating federal law by denying your child a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It often requires a special education attorney or advocate.
Where Redwood fits in
Families sometimes think they have to choose between school services and private support. You don’t. Redwood can help at any point in the process.
- Before an IEP. Many families start with us while they’re still figuring out whether their child needs an IEP. Sometimes a little early intervention is enough to close the gap, and they never need to go through the IEP process at all.
- During the evaluation. The data and reports we collect often strengthen a family’s case. With your consent, you’re welcome to share them with teachers, special education staff, case managers, or anyone else helping your child.
- Alongside an IEP or 504. Many of the students we work with already have an IEP or 504 plan. A child may get reading intervention from a special education teacher but have no dyslexia specialist at their school. We fill that gap.
We work with schools all the time so that every student gets wraparound support, with everyone pulling in the same direction.
Frequently asked questions
Is dyslexia covered under an IEP?
Yes. Dyslexia usually qualifies under the category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in reading, so you may not see the word “dyslexia” on the IEP itself.
Can a child with dyslexia have a 504 plan instead of an IEP?
Yes. A 504 plan often provides accommodations like text-to-speech, a human reader, or extra time. Section 504 can also cover special education and related services, but a 504 plan doesn’t carry the IEP’s required measurable annual goals.
Who can request a school evaluation?
A parent, a teacher, or any school professional. Parents should make the request in writing.
Do I need a dyslexia diagnosis to request an evaluation?
No. You can request an evaluation any time you suspect your child is struggling. Outside documentation, like a screener or private evaluation, can support your request.
What if I disagree with the school’s evaluation?
You can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at the school’s expense. You can also pursue mediation, a state complaint, or, as a last resort, a due process complaint.
Should I wait and see if my child catches up?
Don’t panic, but don’t wait. Kids can catch up, but it takes intervention, and the earlier it starts, the smaller the gap you have to close.
Not sure where your child stands?
Our Academic Clarity Plan gives you a clear picture of your child’s reading skills, data you can bring to your school, and a plan for what comes next. Book an Academic Clarity Plan
This article is for general information and isn’t legal advice. Special education rules and timelines vary by state. For a specific dispute, talk with a special education advocate or attorney.
