Forget the pen and paper at your next IEP meeting. A new iPhone app is designed to organize the process, providing legal tips and a place for notes all in the palm of your hand.

The app for iPhone or iPod Touch organizes the individualized education plan, or IEP, meeting into categories such as “current performance” and “annual goals.” When a category is selected, there is a brief description of the legal requirements and an opportunity for the user to insert a goal or notes.

The free app, known as IEP Checklist, was developed by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center, a Virginia center that’s part of a national network of special education parent information and training centers funded by the Department of Education.

“This application can empower families and equalize the relationship between families and professionals,” said Paula Goldberg, executive director of the PACER Center, a Minnesota training center. “I can also visualize young people working on their own IEPs, being able to reference the federal regulations that say that their transition goals are supposed to be based on their strengths, needs, preferences and interests.”

The IEP Checklist app can be downloaded at the iTunes store.

Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.