Opinion of the Court appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances should come as no surprise. A focus on the particular child is at the core of the IDEA. The instruction offered must be “specially designed” to meet a child’s “unique needs” through an “[i]ndividualized education program.” §§1401(29), (14) (emphasis added). An IEP is not a form document. It is constructed only after careful consideration of the child’s present levels of achievement, disability, and potential for growth. §§1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(I)–(IV),(d)(3)(A)(i)–(iv). As we observed in Rowley, the IDEA “requires participating States to educate a wide spectrum of handicapped children,” and “the benefits obtainable by children at one end of the spectrum will differ dramatically from those obtainable by children at the other end, within finite variations in between.” 458 U. S., at 202. Rowley sheds light on what appropriate progress will look like in many cases. There, the Court recognized that the IDEA requires that children with disabilities receive education in the regular classroom “whenever possible.” Ibid. (citing §1412(a)(5)). When this preference is met, “the system itself monitors the educational progress of the child.” Id., at 202–203. “Regular examinations are administered, grades are awarded, and yearly advancement to higher grade levels is permitted for those children who attain an adequate knowledge of the course material.” Id., at 203. Progress through this system is what our society generally means by an “education.” And access to an “education” is what the IDEA promises. Ibid. Accordingly, for a child fully integrated in the regular classroom, an IEP typically should, as Rowley put it, be “reasonably calculated to enable the child to achieve passing marks and advance from grade to grade.” Id., at 203–204. This guidance is grounded in the statutory definition of a FAPE. One of the components of a FAPE is “special education,” defined as “specially designed instruction . . .to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.” 13
Opinion of the Court appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances should come as no surprise. A focus on the particular child is at the core of the IDEA. The instruction offered must be “specially designed” to meet a child’s “unique needs” through an “[i]ndividualized education program.” §§1401(29), (14) (emphasis added). An IEP is not a form document. It is constructed only after careful consideration of the child’s present levels of achievement, disability, and potential for growth. §§1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(I)–(IV),(d)(3)(A)(i)–(iv). As we observed in Rowley, the IDEA “requires participating States to educate a wide spectrum of handicapped children,” and “the benefits obtainable by children at one end of the spectrum will differ dramatically from those obtainable by children at the other end, within finite variations in between.” 458 U. S., at 202. Rowley sheds light on what appropriate progress will look like in many cases. There, the Court recognized that the IDEA requires that children with disabilities receive education in the regular classroom “whenever possible.” Ibid. (citing §1412(a)(5)). When this preference is met, “the system itself monitors the educational progress of the child.” Id., at 202–203. “Regular examinations are administered, grades are awarded, and yearly advancement to higher grade levels is permitted for those children who attain an adequate knowledge of the course material.” Id., at 203. Progress through this system is what our society generally means by an “education.” And access to an “education” is what the IDEA promises. Ibid. Accordingly, for a child fully integrated in the regular classroom, an IEP typically should, as Rowley put it, be “reasonably calculated to enable the child to achieve passing marks and advance from grade to grade.” Id., at 203–204. This guidance is grounded in the statutory definition of a FAPE. One of the components of a FAPE is “special education,” defined as “specially designed instruction . . .to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.” 13
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