In this article
The legal basics
What is an IEP and what must it contain?
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the written plan for a student with a disability who receives special education. Under Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 300.320, it must state the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, measurable annual goals, how and when progress will be reported, the services and supports the student will receive, and how much time the student spends away from nondisabled peers (34 CFR 300.320, read October 2026).
Text description of the diagram
- An IEP states present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
- An IEP sets measurable annual goals and states how progress will be reported.
Why it is asked: you will write and use these every week, so schools check you know the parts. For the story questions, the behavioral interviews guide shows how to structure an answer.
What does FAPE mean?
FAPE stands for free appropriate public education. The federal definition says special education and related services are provided at public expense, under public supervision and without charge, meet state standards, include an appropriate school-level education, and are provided in line with the student's IEP (34 CFR 300.17, read October 2026). In an answer, connect it to your daily work: the IEP is how a school delivers it.
Why it is asked: it tests whether you know the legal duty behind your job.
What is the least restrictive environment?
The least restrictive environment (LRE) is the requirement that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities are educated with students who are not disabled. Separate classes or schooling happen only when the nature or severity of the disability means education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily (34 CFR 300.114, read October 2026).
Why it is asked: it shows how you think about inclusion without ignoring individual need.
What are transition services and when do they start?
Transition services are the services and courses of study that help a student move from school to training, education, employment and independent living. Under 34 CFR 300.320 they must be in the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16, or earlier if the team decides, and be updated each year, built on measurable postsecondary goals (34 CFR 300.320, read October 2026).
Why it is asked: secondary roles are judged on whether you plan beyond the school year.
What is a manifestation determination review?
A manifestation determination is a meeting that decides whether a student's conduct was caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the disability, or was the direct result of the school failing to implement the IEP. It must happen within 10 school days of a decision to change placement for a code-of-conduct violation (34 CFR 300.530, read October 2026).
Why it is asked: it checks you understand discipline rules for students with IEPs.
What happens if the answer to a manifestation review is yes?
If the team finds the conduct was a manifestation, the IEP team must conduct a functional behavioral assessment and put a behavior plan in place, or review and change an existing plan, and the student generally returns to the placement they left unless the parent and school agree otherwise. Exceptions apply for weapons, illegal drugs and serious injury, where an interim setting of up to 45 school days is allowed (34 CFR 300.530, read October 2026).
Why it is asked: it separates teachers who know the process from those who only know the term.
Planning and teaching
How do you write a measurable annual goal?
Write what the student will do, under what conditions, how well and by when, so that anyone can tell whether it was met. The regulation requires measurable annual goals, academic and functional, that address needs caused by the disability, and a description of how progress will be measured (34 CFR 300.320, read October 2026). Avoid "will improve reading"; write a behaviour you can count.
Why it is asked: vague goals make the progress the regulation requires impossible to measure.
How do you use data to change your teaching?
Collect a small amount of data often, look for a trend over several points, and change one thing at a time. A high-leverage practice is one of 22 teaching practices published for teachers of students with disabilities by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) Center, and using student assessment data to analyze instructional practices and make adjustments is one of them (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026).
Why it is asked: it shows you teach responsively instead of following a script.
What is explicit instruction?
Explicit instruction is teaching in which the teacher states the goal, models the skill, guides practice with feedback and then checks for independent success. It is listed as high-leverage practice 16 by the CEC and CEEDAR Center (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). Give a concrete example, such as modelling how to break a word into parts before students try.
Why it is asked: schools often ask for it by name.
How do you scaffold a task for a student who is stuck?
Break the task into steps, provide a model or checklist, and remove supports gradually as the student succeeds. Scaffolded supports are high-leverage practice 15 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). Say how you decide to fade a support: when the student succeeds on several tries without it.
Why it is asked: it tests whether you plan how support ends.
What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification?
An accommodation changes how a student learns or shows learning, such as extra time or a read-aloud, while a modification changes what the student is expected to learn. The IEP regulation lists both supplementary aids and services and program modifications among the supports a team may provide (34 CFR 300.320, read October 2026). Check your state's wording.
Why it is asked: confusing them can change a student's graduation path.
How do you use assistive technology?
Match the tool to a specific barrier: text-to-speech for decoding, speech-to-text for writing, a communication device for speech. Introduce it with a purpose, teach the student to use it independently and review whether it helps. The CEC lists assistive and instructional technology as high-leverage practice 19 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026).
Why it is asked: schools want to see tools chosen for a reason, not by novelty.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
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How do you respond to challenging behaviour?
Treat it as communication: find what happens before and after the behaviour, then teach a replacement skill. A functional behavioral assessment is a process that identifies why a behaviour occurs, and conducting one and developing an individualized behavior support plan is high-leverage practice 10 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). Describe one example with the data you kept.
Why it is asked: it is a question schools ask often.
How do you teach social skills?
Teach them as explicitly as reading: name the skill, show it, practise it in role play, prompt it in real settings and give feedback. Teaching social skills is high-leverage practice 9 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). Say how you would help a student carry the skill from your room into the hallway and the playground.
Why it is asked: generalising skills is where many students struggle.
Working with others
How do you work with families?
Treat parents as partners who know the student best: ask for their goals first, share progress in plain language and agree how you will stay in touch. The CEC lists collaborating with families to support student learning and secure needed services as high-leverage practice 3 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). Give an example of a difficult conversation handled well.
Why it is asked: families are part of every IEP team.
How do you run an effective IEP meeting?
Share a draft before the meeting, begin with the student's strengths, explain terms in plain words, invite each person's view and end with written next steps. Leading effective meetings with professionals and families is high-leverage practice 2 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). Say how you would handle a parent who disagrees: listen, record concerns and involve the team.
Why it is asked: the meeting is where trust is won or lost.
How do you work with general education teachers and aides?
Agree roles before the lesson, share the student's supports in a one-page summary and meet briefly on a schedule. Collaborating with professionals to increase student success is high-leverage practice 1 (CEC High-Leverage Practices, updated August 2026). In co-teaching, say who leads which part and how you give feedback to each other.
Why it is asked: you will depend on colleagues who did not train in special education.
How do the rules differ outside the United States?
Special education rules differ by country. In England, schools follow the special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice, statutory guidance on the SEND system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, last updated 12 September 2024 (Department for Education, 2024). Tell the interviewer which system you trained in and say you would learn local rules first.
Why it is asked: it checks honesty about the limits of your knowledge.
About you
Why do you want to teach students with special needs?
Give a specific reason from experience, not a general wish to help. Say what you noticed about one student or setting, what you learned and what you do differently now. End with what the work asks of you, such as patience paired with data. The same structure as tell me about yourself works: a short story with a point.
Why it is asked: schools want motivation that survives a hard term.
Tell me about a time a lesson did not work.
Describe the lesson, what the data or the student showed, the one change you made and the result. Pick a small, real failure and name your own part in it. The behavioral interviews guide explains the situation, action and result structure for this question.
Why it is asked: it tests reflection and willingness to adjust.
Follow-up questions
What are the most common special education teacher interview questions?
Questions on IEPs, inclusion, behaviour, collaboration with families and colleagues, and a teaching scenario are common in these interviews, along with "why this field". Panels often include a school leader, a teacher and sometimes a parent; interview loops describes common round structures.
How do I prepare for a special education teacher interview?
Prepare four short stories: a student you supported, a behaviour plan, a family conversation and a lesson you changed. Practise saying each in about two minutes, and learn the rules of the state or country you are applying in. Rehearse aloud; recorded or timed answers show where you ramble.
What should I ask the school at the end of a special education interview?
Ask about caseload, planning time, how aides and co-teachers are assigned and how the team handles disagreements with families. Questions tied to real work show preparation; the questions to ask the interviewer page explains how to build them, and salary negotiation covers pay later.
- Know the parts of an IEP and the meaning of FAPE and least restrictive environment.
- Describe teaching with named practices and the data you kept.
- Treat behaviour as communication and say what you teach in its place.
- Show partnership with families and colleagues through a concrete example.
- Say which country's or state's rules you know, and learn local ones first.
Sources
- 34 CFR 300.320 Definition of individualized education program — Cornell Legal Information Institute, U.S. regulations (date = read date), 25 Oct 2026
- 34 CFR 300.17 Free appropriate public education — Cornell Legal Information Institute, U.S. regulations (date = read date), 25 Oct 2026
- 34 CFR 300.114 LRE requirements — Cornell Legal Information Institute, U.S. regulations (date = read date), 25 Oct 2026
- 34 CFR 300.530 Authority of school personnel (discipline) — Cornell Legal Information Institute, U.S. regulations (date = read date), 25 Oct 2026
- High-Leverage Practices for students with disabilities — Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center, 13 Aug 2026
- SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years — Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care (England), 12 Sep 2024
