Your Child's ARD Is in 2 Weeks—What Information Do You Need from the School?

Your ARD meeting is two weeks away, and you want to walk in knowing exactly how your child is doing. Here’s the problem: schools aren’t required to hand you data before the meeting. But you can request it—and you absolutely should.

This guide tells you exactly what to ask for, how far back to look, and what each piece of information reveals about your child’s progress.

What Schools Must Provide (and When)

Schools must give you a prior written notice at least 10 calendar days before an ARD meeting in Texas (federal law requires 5 days, but Texas adds 5 more). Under federal law, schools must inform you of your rights as a parent and your child’s progress before any significant educational decision. That notice includes some information, but it’s not comprehensive. The good news: you don’t have to wait for their notice to ask.

You can request additional documents right now. Send an email to the special education coordinator or your child’s teacher asking for these items by a specific date. Frame it as preparing for the meeting, not as confrontational. Keep a copy of your request.

The Data Checklist: What to Request

1. Grades and Report Cards (Last 2–3 Grading Periods)

Why it matters: Grades tell you how your child is performing in general education classes. Compare them to the IEP goals. If your child is getting Bs in reading on the report card but the IEP goal says “improve reading fluency by 15 words per minute,” there’s a disconnect you need to address.

What to ask for:

• Current report card
• Last two previous report cards
• Any missing assignment or grade recovery forms

Red flag: If grades are high but progress monitoring (see below) is flat, someone might be grading differently than what the data shows.

2. Progress Monitoring Data (Quarterly or Monthly)

Why it matters: This is the real picture of whether your child is meeting IEP goals. Grades can be inflated; progress monitoring data is harder to spin.

What to ask for:

• Progress monitoring reports for each IEP goal
• How far back: The full current IEP year (since last year’s ARD)
• Graphs or charts, if available
• The specific benchmarks or targets for each goal

Good progress looks like: Steady movement toward the goal. A child working on reading fluency should show increasing words-per-minute over months. Texas Project First’s ARD planning guide walks through what meaningful progress looks like and how to read progress reports.

Bad progress looks like: Flat lines, no data, or vague descriptions like “making progress” with no numbers.

3. Benchmark or Universal Screening Results

Why it matters: These show how your child compares to peers and reveal gaps the school might not be addressing.

What to ask for:

• Latest benchmark assessments (like DIBELS, easyCBM, or the school’s reading/math screener)
• Results from fall, winter, and spring if available
• Percentile ranks or comparison data

What to look for: Is your child in the bottom 25%? That often signals a need for more intensive support or a change in the IEP.

4. Attendance Records

Why it matters: Absences or tardiness can affect progress. If your child missed 10 days, that context matters when reviewing data.

What to ask for:

• Attendance for the current IEP year
• Any pattern of absences (medical appointments, transportation issues, etc.)

5. Discipline Records (if applicable)

Why it matters: If your child has a behavior IEP goal, discipline records show patterns the school might not mention.

What to ask for:

• Any referrals, suspensions, or behavioral incidents since the last ARD
• Dates and brief descriptions
• Whether behavior incidents are related to the disability

Know your rights: Schools can’t skip a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and behavior plan just because they’ve disciplined your child. If there’s a pattern of incidents, request a real behavior plan if one doesn’t exist.

6. Classroom Observations or Teacher Comments

Why it matters: Teachers sometimes see things that don’t make it into formal data. Asking for their written observations gives you context.

What to ask for:

• Written teacher input on your child’s strengths and needs
• How your child interacts with peers
• Any concerns about classroom participation or social skills

7. Related Services Reports (if applicable)

Why it matters: Speech therapy, occupational therapy (OT), counseling—these are related services with their own data.

What to ask for:

• Progress reports from each service provider
• How often services are being delivered (sometimes less frequently than the IEP says)
• Specific skills being targeted

How to Make the Request

Send it in writing. Email the special education coordinator or teacher with the subject line: “Information Request for [Child’s Name]‘s ARD on [Date].”

Here’s a template:

“Hi [Name], I’d like to request the following documents before our ARD on [date] to help me prepare:

• Current report card and last two report cards
• Progress monitoring data for all IEP goals since [last ARD date]
• Latest benchmark assessment results
• Attendance records for the current school year
• [Any other specific items]

I’d appreciate having these by [date one week before the ARD]. Thank you.”

Set a deadline one week before the ARD. That gives you time to review without panicking.

Keep copies of your request email. If the school claims they sent something later, you’ll have proof of when you asked.

What If the School Doesn’t Provide It?

Schools sometimes ignore requests or say “the data isn’t ready.” Here’s what you do:

1. Follow up with a second email asking the same question.
2. Bring it up at the ARD. You can say, “I requested [item], and I didn’t receive it. Let’s talk about why that data wasn’t available.”
3. Request a postponement if critical information is missing. You don’t have to make decisions without data.
4. Document everything. Write down what you asked for, when, and what you received.

If the school is consistently withholding data, that’s a compliance issue—and it might signal they’re avoiding uncomfortable conversations.

Red Flags to Catch Before the Meeting

Once you have the data, look for these patterns. Partners Resource Network’s IDEA overview covers what schools owe you under federal law, which helps you spot compliance gaps:

• Flat progress lines. Your child hasn’t moved on a goal in months.
• Missing data. Progress reports are blank or vague (“good progress” with no details).
• Attendance and grades mismatch. Great attendance and high grades, but goals show no progress? Something’s off.
• Related services not delivered. The IEP says 2x/week speech therapy, but the provider only saw your child 1x/week.
• Goals don’t match classroom needs. Your child struggles with reading in the regular classroom, but the IEP goal is about math facts.

If you spot these, make a list. Bring it to the ARD.

What Comes Next

Once you have the data, review it with fresh eyes. Jot down questions:

• Why is this goal flat?
• What will change if we keep the same approach?
• Is my child in the right placement for this skill?

You don’t need to have all the answers—the ARD team is supposed to help you figure it out. But walking in with data and questions puts you in the driver’s seat.

If you’re not sure whether the data adds up, our guide on signs your child’s IEP needs a closer look can help you spot patterns before the meeting.

Key Takeaways

• Request specific data at least one week before the ARD
• Get grades, progress monitoring, benchmarks, attendance, and teacher input
• Keep everything in writing
• Review the data before the meeting and note any red flags
• You can request a postponement if critical information is missing

The goal isn’t to be difficult—it’s to be informed. Schools handle dozens of ARDs each year. Parents do one or two. Bringing data shifts the conversation from “trust us” to “here’s what the data shows.” That’s your advantage.

For a deeper walkthrough of the ARD process itself — who’s in the room, what happens, and how to use your data once you’re there — read our complete guide to ARD meetings in Texas.