Best Special Education Software
Special education software provides tools for school teachers and administrators to manage the Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) of qualified special needs students.
Special education software is designed to handle all aspects of IEPs, which are meant to address each student’s unique educational needs and learning objectives with specific goals agreed upon by both educators and parents.
Special education software products are used throughout the education industry to help facilitate IEP compliance checks, evaluations, and other reporting features per state requirements. Many products also include features to streamline the production of IEPs and evaluation documents. Some special education tools track data related to disabilities, case management, and other relevant services for high visibility and quick progress reporting.
Special education software frequently integrates with student information system (SIS) software, while some features may be shared with study tools.
To qualify for inclusion in the Special Education category, a product must:
Best Special Education Software At A Glance
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- Overview
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- User Satisfaction
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Our goal is the same as yours: get the right information in front of the right people at the right time. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that. Welcome to a better SIS and ERP experience.
- Teacher
- Special Education Teacher
- Education Management
- Primary/Secondary Education
- 54% Mid-Market
- 34% Enterprise
3,308 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Improve your support for students with unique and different needs with PowerSchool Unified Classroom™ Special Programs. The system simplifies the management and access to critical special programs’ da
- Education Management
- Primary/Secondary Education
- 44% Mid-Market
- 33% Enterprise
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
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Helperbird is your all in one extension that gives you the features to make the web more accessible and productive. Providing you text to speech, OCR, dyslexia support, dictation, immersive reader, ov
- 76% Small-Business
- 21% Mid-Market
863 Twitter followers
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EVOLVE is an efficient, feature-rich and user-friendly special education solution available.Its cutting-edge web technologies provides an intuitive environment for collaboration, knowledge transfer, n
- 53% Small-Business
- 33% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Confidently Meet the Needs of the Whole Child. Build a continuum of services with Frontline’s Special Education & Interventions software. IEP & Special Education Management - Meet each miles
- Special Education Teacher
- Education Management
- Primary/Secondary Education
- 50% Mid-Market
- 45% Enterprise
1,977 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
PCG Education is a leading provider of comprehensive, Web-based student case management solutions for special education.
- Education Management
- Primary/Secondary Education
- 63% Mid-Market
- 21% Enterprise
827 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
SEIS provides centralized online management of IEPs and Special Education records.
- Education Management
- 64% Mid-Market
- 29% Enterprise
2,369 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Unique Learning System® is a cloud-based online solution developed specifically to help unique learners master their state’s extended standards. Differentiated interactive age-appropriate academic and
- Education Management
- Primary/Secondary Education
- 50% Enterprise
- 40% Mid-Market
4,532 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
YellowFolder provides a cloud-based, digital file cabinet where your school system can safely store, retrieve and manage all of their Administrative, Employee, Special Education, and Student Records.
- Education Management
- 43% Mid-Market
- 38% Small-Business
153 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Embrace® is a comprehensive software program designed to streamline the IEP/ARD, 504, Medicaid Billing, Teacher Evaluation, RTI/MTSS process and reduce staff frustration. Embrace® offers a comprehens
- Education Management
- 74% Mid-Market
- 19% Small-Business
180 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Accelify's enterprise special education software and best-in-class consulting services help school districts strengthen special education operations and compliance and maximize Medicaid reimbursement.
- Education Management
- 70% Enterprise
- 20% Mid-Market
1,977 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
It’s never been so easy for education agencies to procure and streamline data, manage documents, & communicate with families of special education and gifted students. The web-based platform allows
- Education Management
- 83% Mid-Market
- 17% Small-Business
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- User Satisfaction
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Synergy Education Platform provides all the data and process management functionality you expect from a world-class SIS, while extending beyond traditional SIS boundaries to deliver greater value.
- Teacher
- Education Management
- Primary/Secondary Education
- 53% Enterprise
- 33% Mid-Market
45 Twitter followers
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- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Frontline helps you ensure equitable access for students with disabilities by bringing true consistency and fidelity to both the 504 and Special Education processes.
- 67% Mid-Market
- 33% Enterprise
1,977 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
SEAS Achieve 2.0 supports all school district education plan types including IEP, Academic and Behavior, RTI, Section 504, English Language Learner, and Gifted.
- 80% Mid-Market
- 20% Enterprise
101 Twitter followers
Learn More About Special Education Software
What are Special Education Software?
Special education software provides vital support for special education services providers. Solutions in this category contain a multitude of tools that allow special education professionals to create plans, maintain accurate records for billing purposes, track student progress, and stay compliant with the federal and state regulations that guide the special education sector. Special education software contains a wide variety of features facilitating the easy creation of IEPs and 504 plans; in addition, these solutions integrate with student information systems (SIS) to provide a single source for all student data within an educational institution.
Why Use Special Education Software?
Special education software provides multiple benefits to special education professionals. The software makes it easier to create IEPs, track individual student progress, establish clear communication channels between teachers and parents, and more. The proper communication of student goals and progress to parents is especially important in cases where special education services are needed.
Create IEPs – Special education software creates IEPs for special education professionals to plan out an individual student’s education track. IEPs are mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that guarantees all children access to an appropriately structured, free, public education. Although the myth that only students with severe intellectual and physical disabilities have access to special education persists, the reality is that students with attention difficulties and mild learning disabilities also have a right to special education services. The IEP is the base of operations for all activities related to the education of the child in question. A well-defined and tracked IEP means a smooth transfer of information and defined clarity on what the goals of the student and teacher are in each situation.
504 Plan Creation – 504 plans are similar to IEPs but differ significantly in the laws that govern them as well as their end result. A 504 plan is typically less intensive than an IEP, but still addresses difficulties experienced by students who qualify for additional attention. In both cases, IDEA mandates that students be placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE). To meet this standard, accommodations within the general classroom environment are made for these students. (A common example would be a student with ADHD being given extra time to complete a test or assignment.) Special education software contains features designed to let education professionals create and track 504 plans.
Improve Parent-Teacher Communication – Parent-teacher communication is key to ensuring the success of a special education program. Special education software contains a multitude of features designed to facilitate open and honest communication between parents and their children’s teachers. Alignment between the home and school environments can prove a boon to creating and implementing an effective learning strategy. Teachers and parents can communicate as to what the individual student’s issues may be and how to best combat those issues. Teachers can take into account parents’ opinions and information regarding effective learning strategies.
Ensure Compliance – IDEA outlines what rights students requiring special education have. The rights afforded to students qualifying for an IEP are outlined under IDEA, while the right to a 504 plan is derived from civil rights law. Schools looking to stay compliant with both of these statutes may use special education software to do so. Solutions in this category provide specific reporting functionality designed with the legal requirements for special education programs in mind.
Who Uses Special Education Software?
The primary users of special education software are teachers, school administrators, and parents. Each group utilizes solutions in this category in different ways. Parents use special education software to keep up to date on their student’s progress, as well as view school-generated goals and objectives. Teachers use the software to craft and distribute IEPs and 504 plans. School administrators leverage the data and reports generated by special education programs and use them to prove compliance with state and federal regulations, as well as to send billing information to Medicaid to cover the special education services delivered.
Special Education Software Features
Special education software may contain, but is not limited to, the following features:
Goals and objectives library – This is a content library containing prebuilt goals and objectives that can be selected by teachers and administrators in the midst of creating an IEP or 504 plan. This library of content streamlines the creation process for both types of documents and ensures some standardization across different teachers and departments.
IEP creation – Teachers and administrators can use the web forms and templates this feature offers to create and collaborate on IEPs for those students who need special education services.
504 process creation – 504 process creation – Though not as intensive as an IEP, a 504 plan is also governed by law and demands careful attention. Special education software provides users with tools to easily create and distribute these plans to those in need of access.
Regulatory compliance – Special education services are highly regulated, and special education software is designed to ensure compliance via industry specific reporting tools.
Medicaid billing – This feature tracks special education services in order to maintain correct Medicaid-specific billing information.
SIS integration – Special education students are part of the general school population, and solutions in this category help enable that through the integration with student information systems. By integrating with SIS software, special education software ensures that the SIS remains a single source of truth for all student data.
Reporting – This feature ties in to compliance maintenance, as proper reporting is vital to maintaining compliance with federally mandated special education standards.
Progress tracking – Special education allows teachers to track student progress against the 504 plan or IEP that they have created for an individual student.
Response to Intervention (RTI) – RTI refers to using key student performance indicators to track whether a student may require special education services. Special education software often contains this feature, and the in-depth data can help identify students who are having issues sooner than usual.
