A NOREP, short for Notice of Recommended Educational Placement, is the form Pennsylvania school districts and other local education agencies use to tell parents in writing what the school plans to do, or refuses to do, about a child's special education. It is Pennsylvania's version of the prior written notice required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is why the current state form is titled "NOREP/PWN." The NOREP also gives the parent a place to approve or not approve the recommendation and to choose next steps if they disagree.
What does NOREP mean in special education?
Under federal law (34 CFR 300.503), a school must give parents written notice a reasonable time before it proposes or refuses to initiate or change a child's identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Every state has to meet this rule. Pennsylvania meets it with a standard NOREP/PWN form published by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and distributed through PaTTAN, the state's training and technical assistance network.
In other states the same notice may simply be called "prior written notice" or PWN. So if you move to or from Pennsylvania, you will see a different name for a document that does the same job. The NOREP is not the IEP itself. The IEP describes the program. The NOREP is the formal notice that the school district recommends a specific placement or action, based on that IEP or on an evaluation, and explains why.
What a NOREP contains
Because a NOREP is prior written notice, it has to include the same information federal regulations require. A complete NOREP should include:
- The type of action the school proposes or refuses, such as an initial placement, a change to the IEP, a change of placement, or a refusal to change the identification or evaluation.
- A description of the proposed action, including the recommended type of support and the educational placement or setting.
- The reasons the district proposes or refuses the action.
- Other options the team considered and why those options were rejected.
- A description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report the school used as a basis for its decision.
- Other factors relevant to the decision.
- A statement about procedural safeguards, how to get a copy of the Procedural Safeguards Notice, and sources parents can contact for help understanding the law.
The notice must be written in language understandable to the general public and provided in the parent's native language or other mode of communication, unless that is clearly not feasible.
When does a school send a NOREP?
A NOREP goes out whenever the school proposes or refuses a change in one of the four areas covered by prior written notice. Common examples include:
- After an initial evaluation, when the district recommends that a child begin receiving special education services.
- After an annual IEP meeting, when the district recommends the program and placement described in the new IEP.
- When the school proposes to change the IEP, the amount of specially designed instruction, or the setting where services are delivered.
- After a reevaluation, when the eligibility category changes or the district finds the child is no longer eligible.
- When the school refuses a parent's request, for example a request to evaluate, to add a service, or to change placement.
- Before graduation or exiting special education, because leaving services is a change of placement.
- When a disciplinary removal amounts to a change of placement.
Parents should also receive a NOREP when the district refuses something they asked for. A written refusal is useful, because it shows the school's reasons and the data it relied on.
Your options when you receive a NOREP
The last page of the NOREP asks the parent to choose a response and sign. The choices on the Pennsylvania form are:
- Approve the recommendation. The district can then carry out the proposed action.
- Not approve the recommendation and request an informal meeting with school staff to talk through the disagreement.
- Not approve and request mediation through Pennsylvania's Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR). Mediation is voluntary and free, and a neutral mediator helps both sides reach an agreement.
- Not approve and request a due process hearing, where a hearing officer decides the dispute after hearing evidence from both sides.
Parents can add written comments or a short rebuttal on the form. Explaining exactly what you agree or disagree with helps the IEP team and creates a record if the disagreement continues. You do not have to sign a NOREP at the IEP meeting. You may take it home, read it carefully, and talk with an advocate before you answer.
The 10-day response window
Pennsylvania guidance generally gives parents 10 calendar days to return the NOREP. If the parent does not respond within that time, the district may go ahead with the proposed action, except where the law requires written parental consent. The most important exception is the initial provision of special education services: a school cannot begin services for the first time without the parent's consent, so silence does not count as approval in that case. Always check the dates printed on the form and keep a copy of what you return.
NOREP and stay-put
If you disagree and file for a due process hearing, the stay-put provision (34 CFR 300.518) generally keeps your child in the current educational placement while the dispute is resolved, unless you and the district agree otherwise. Discipline cases have special rules. Stay-put protects the status quo, so timing matters. If you want the current program to continue, respond before the proposed change takes effect.
Tips for parents
- Read every section. Make sure the recommended placement matches what was discussed at the IEP meeting, including the setting and the amount of support in the least restrictive environment.
- Check the reasons and data. A NOREP that says "the team agreed" without explaining why does not meet the requirement to describe the basis for the decision.
- Look at the rejected options. This section shows what alternatives the school weighed and why they were rejected.
- Partial agreement is possible. If you agree with most of the IEP but not one part, say so in writing and ask for an informal meeting or mediation on that issue.
- Ask for a NOREP when a request is refused. If the school says no to something verbally, you can ask for the refusal in writing.
- Get support. Pennsylvania parent training centers, the local education agency's special education office, and ODR can explain the process.
Frequently asked questions about NOREP
What does NOREP stand for?
NOREP stands for Notice of Recommended Educational Placement. It is Pennsylvania's form for prior written notice in special education.
What does PWN mean in an IEP, and how is it different from a NOREP?
PWN means prior written notice, the written explanation a school must give before it proposes or refuses a change in identification, evaluation, placement, or FAPE. In Pennsylvania the NOREP serves as the PWN, so they are the same document with a state-specific name and a response section for parents.
Do I have to sign a NOREP?
You are not required to approve it. You can approve it, not approve it and choose an informal meeting, mediation, or a due process hearing, or ask for time to review. If you do not respond within the time on the form, the district may implement the proposal unless your consent is legally required.
Is a NOREP required for every IEP change?
A NOREP is required whenever the school proposes or refuses to change your child's identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of FAPE. Changes made by agreement, such as an IEP amendment without a full meeting, still call for written notice when they affect one of these areas.
What happens if I request due process on the NOREP?
The request starts the formal dispute process through the Office for Dispute Resolution. While the case is pending, stay-put generally keeps your child in the current placement.
