Full IEP Writing with Claude Pro

Open claude.ai in your browser. Click "Sign up" in the upper right. Create an account with your email (use a personal email, not your school district email — this keeps student information in your personal account, not district-managed systems). Upgrade to Claude Pro by clicking your account icon → "Upgrade to Pro" → enter payment information.

What you should see: After upgrading, you'll see a "Pro" badge next to your name and access to Claude's more powerful model with longer document handling.

Troubleshooting: If your school email blocks Claude.ai, use your personal email. Never enter real student names or IDs into any AI tool.

Before your first IEP session: Claude cannot know your students' real names, school name, or any identifying information. Instead, use:

• "Student A" instead of a name
• "3rd grade student" instead of grade at your school
• "my district" instead of district name
• "a student with dyslexia" instead of specific records

This isn't a limitation — it actually speeds up your workflow, since you'll review and personalize everything anyway.

In the Claude chat window, type this to start a new IEP session:

I'm a special education teacher writing an IEP. I need help drafting the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) section. Here's the student data:

Grade: [grade]
Disability category: [disability]
Reading: [reading level, fluency score, comprehension notes]
Math: [math level, what they can/can't do]
Writing: [writing sample description]
Behavior/Social-Emotional: [any relevant notes]
Strengths: [student strengths]

Please draft a PLAAFP that describes current performance in each area and explains how the disability impacts educational performance. Use formal IEP language.

What you should see: A structured 3-5 paragraph PLAAFP narrative covering each domain, written in the professional language that IEP software expects. Claude Pro handles this well because the full PLAAFP requires holding a lot of context together at once.

Troubleshooting: If the draft is too long for your IEP software, follow up with "Shorten this to one paragraph per domain."

Continue in the same conversation (Claude remembers what you just wrote). Type:

Now draft 2-3 annual goals for this student based on the PLAAFP above. Focus on [reading fluency / math / behavior]. Each goal should be in the format: Given [condition], [student] will [behavior] with [criterion] as measured by [measurement method] by [date]. Make the goals SMART.

What you should see: 2-3 goals per domain, each in the standard SMART format. Claude will maintain consistency with the PLAAFP data you provided.

In the same chat, continue:

Based on this student profile, suggest a list of accommodations and modifications appropriate for a [elementary/middle/high school] student with this disability profile. Organize them by category: testing accommodations, classroom accommodations, instructional modifications, and assistive technology.

What you should see: A categorized list of 10-20 specific accommodations — not generic, but tuned to the disability profile you described.

Select all the IEP content Claude generated. Copy it. Open your IEP management system (Frontline, PowerSchool, etc.). Paste each section into the appropriate field. Then:

• Replace "Student A" with the real student's name
• Add specific dates
• Adjust any criterion or timeline to match your judgment about the student
• Verify all facts match your actual assessment data

This is the essential step — AI provides the structure and language; you verify the substance.