Who is writing that INDIVIDUAL IEP

Who is Writing That Individual IEP?

Children receiving special education services are entitled to an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).  These plans are individual to the student are supposedly written by the student’s teacher.  However, that “ain’t necessarily so”.  In 2024-25, 57% of special education teachers acknowledged they used AI to write IEP’s.

It is not clear if the use of AI to write an IEP is legal under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).  The statute requires that IEP’s be unique and individual to the child.   Additionally, there are issues with the Family Educational  Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), particularly if freely available tools like ChatGPT are used.  The Center for Democracy & Technology raises concerns about accuracy, bias and other issues with information generated through AI.

Advocates acknowledge the tools save time which is always crucial for teachers.  But on the negative side, the use easily leads to the denial of individual needs of the student.  Most experts believe the use of AI in writing IEP’s is much greater than teachers are admitting to in surveys.

There are two values at the very center of IDEA.  The first is requirement that every child with a disability receives a free and appropriate education. The second fundamental value is that the education be individual to that child’s special needs. That appropriate education is defined by the IEP and is a contract for service to the child.  If the “I” in IEP is lost to technology, where does that leave the fundamental value of an individualized program.   The anniversary of the first Ford Motor Company assembly line recently occurred.  Is AI taking us to assembly line “individualized” instruction?  Who is writing that IEP, a teacher who knows the child or a machine that knows the programmer?