Frontline IEP Review: Features, Pros & Cons, Alternatives

Frontline IEP & Special Education Management, formerly IEP Direct, is a software solution that helps special education school and district teams streamline and manage the IEP process for students with disabilities. The platform allows admins and educators to improve the quality of IEPs in line with best practices and ensure compliance with legal regulations while minimizing the administrative burden on special education professionals.

This in-depth Frontline IEP & Special Education Management review provides all the information that special education directors require to decide if this is the right fit for their district needs including a company brief, product overview, pricing structure, terms of use, and customer reviews.

Meanwhile, if your district is struggling with filling special education teacher positions, check out Fullmind IEP and Resource Room services. We offer highly qualified, state-certified K-12 SPED teachers that can design and implement instruction for the unique needs of each child, delivered via virtual resource rooms. Matchings are done within two weeks and are available nationwide.

Frontline Education Company Overview

Frontline IEP & Special Education Management is part of Frontline Special Ed & Interventions, provided by Frontline Education. Frontline Education offers comprehensive school management software solutions that help K-12 school and district leaders and admins streamline operations and run their teams more easily and efficiently. John Linton founded the company in 1998, with headquarters in Wayne, PA.

Frontline has a suite of 30+ software tools that fall into the following school management categories:

• Human capital management including absence and time, recruiting and hiring, human capital analytics, and others
• Student management including special programs management, school health management, student information system, and student analytics
• Business operations including enterprise resource planning, inventory and help desk management, and business analytics
• Analytics including human capital, students, and business operations

Frontline school administration software solutions serve various district and school leaders and admins including:

• Curriculum and instruction staff
• Human resources
• Nurse directors
• Principals
• Finance and business officers
• Special education directors
• Superintendents
• Technology directors

Currently, Frontline Education is serving more than 10,000 clients and millions of educators across the US, helping them optimize the use of time and resources to focus efforts on providing excellent educational services to students.

Frontline IEP & Special Education Management Product Features

The Frontline IEP & Special Education Management product is part of the Frontline Special Ed & Interventions software. The latter is a school administration software dedicated to the management of special education programs with the aim of helping educational leaders and staff spend less time on paperwork and reporting and more time on students.

Frontline Special Ed & Interventions software includes the following tools:

• IEP & Special Education
• Medicaid & Service Management
• Service Tracking Management
• RTI/MTSS Program Management
• English Learner Program Management
• Section 504 Program Management
• Gifted & Talented Program Management

The Frontline IEP & Special Education Management tool is an all-in-one solution that allows schools and districts to streamline and organize the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.

Our Frontline IEP review shows that the software offers the following features:

• Comprehensive IEP process management
• Digital creation of high-quality, compliant IEPs
• Built-in alignment and compliance with state IEP regulations and district IEP policies
• Monitoring student progress towards IEP annual goals
• Student progress report generation
• Customizable workflows
• Task assignment and management
• Data validation at the point of entry
• Real-time document sharing among stakeholders
• Role-based permissions for access to student records
• Online collaboration among IEP team members
• Accurate reporting to state and the district authorities
• IEP meeting tracking
• Automated notifications
• Medicaid claim and billing management
• Integration with Student Information System (SIS) apps

With its capabilities, Frontline IEP helps IEP teams:

• Facilitate the IEP process along all steps
• Enhance the quality of IEP documents and outcomes
• Reduce the manual work associated with IEP processes
• Boost compliance with relevant regulations at the federal and local level
• Strengthen cooperation among IEP committee members
• Eliminate disputes and litigation costs

Frontline IEP Integrations

The Frontline IEP product integrates with many popular SIS platforms. This facilitates the easy sharing of data and information between Frontline IEP & Special Education Management and the general education student management system implemented in each school or district, in real time. It also streamlines the transfer of IEPs between districts.

In addition, as part of the Frontline Special Ed & Interventions suite, Frontline IEP & Special Education Management integrates with the following third-party software solutions used in school management and administration:

• SchoolTool
• Progress Book
• Infinite Campus
• Chalkable, part of PowerSchool
• Follett Aspen Student Information System
• Genesis Educational Services, Inc.
• JR3
• Lumen
• Mindex Technologies
• OnCourse Systems for Education
• Pearson
• Realtime Information Technology
• iTTCC, part of Texas Computer Cooperative (TCC)
• iPass, part of Harris School Solutions
• Genesis, part of Heartland/Ese Data Systems
• Focus SIS, part of Focus School Software
• eSchoolPLUS, part of PowerSchool
• Education Solutions Development Inc.
• Administrator’s Plus, part of Rediker Software
• Computer Resource Inc.
• Computer Solutions Inc.
• TxEIS, part of Texas Computer Cooperative (TCC)
• Testhound, part of Education Advance, Inc (EAI)
• Synergy, part of Edupoint
• SmartFindExpress, part of PeopleAdmin

Frontline IEP Costs

The Frontline website does not provide pricing information about the IEP & Special Education Management product. Third-party sources do not comment on the cost either. The price generally depends on the required features, the need for customization, the size of the district/school, and the number of admin users. It is likely to be a few thousand dollars per year.

Interested special education directors and coordinators need to get in touch with the Frontline team to discuss their specific needs and get a custom quote.

Frontline IEP Terms

Based on our Frontline IEP review, Frontline and customers sign a written agreement that outlines the rights and responsibilities of all parties. Contracts have a typical duration of 12 months, which means that districts need to be certain that they want to use Frontline IEP before committing to a paid subscription as there are no early terminations and cancellations.

Interested school and district admins are advised to ask for a copy of the agreement and review it in detail before signing so that they are aware of their exact rights and responsibilities.

Frontline IEP Reviews

Online customer reviews of Frontline IEP in specific and Frontline Education in general are available on a few third-party websites. They show mixed experiences.

Frontline IEP reviews can be found on:

• FeaturedCustomers: 4.8/5 stars based on 2,937 reviews
• G2: 4.2/5 stars based on 44 reviews
• SoftwareReviews: 6.8/10 stars based on 16 reviews

Positive Frontline IEP reviews highlight the methodical processes, the easy data inputs, the powerful goal progress monitoring capability, the clear presentation of needed accommodations and modifications, the useful drop-down menus, the practical checklists, the intuitive and user-friendly interface, the effective training, and the available customer support. All in all, many customers report that the software has helped them improve the IEP process and save time.

Meanwhile, some negative reviews of Frontline IEP & Special Education Management mention restrictions on IEP document content and formatting, challenges in the use of tables, difficulties in replacing documents, limited document search capabilities, slow load times, errors in saving data, and frequent technical bugs.

Frontline IEP Geographical Coverage

Frontline IEP & Special Education Management can be used across the US, in all 50 states. Before implementing the software platform in your district and school, you should confirm whether it integrates with the SIS and other software tools that you already use for a smooth setup process and usage.

Frontline IEP Pros and Cons

When evaluating whether Frontline IEP & Special Education Management is the best possible option for the needs of your institution, it’s important to compare the software’s pros and cons.

Frontline IEP Pros

The main advantages that the implementation of Frontline IEP & Special Education Management brings include:

• Centralized IEP process
• Reduced efforts and paperwork
• State- and district-aligned regulations and workflows
• Robust reporting capacities
• Time savings
• Teachers’ focus on students rather than IEP requirements and steps
• Good fit for both small and large school districts
• Customizable options
• Integrations with third-party school management software tools

Frontline IEP Cons

Some potential disadvantages of using Frontline IEP & Special Education Management are:

• Potentially steep learning curve
• Unclear cost
• Technical issues and downtimes reported by customers

In brief, the benefits of introducing Frontline IEP outweigh the drawbacks, allowing schools and districts to apply more manageable and more compliant IEP processes to better serve their students with disabilities.

How to Get Started with Frontline IEP

To get started with Frontline IEP & Special Education Management, you can schedule a demo with a customer support representative to discuss your district needs and how the platform can help address them.

Frontline IEP Alternatives

When choosing the best IEP management software solution for their needs, school districts should consider, research, and compare a few different options to select the one that aligns most closely with their specific needs and requirements.

Following are the top three competitors of Frontline IEP in the special education management software space:

Frontline IEP vs PowerSchool Special Programs

PowerSchool Special Programs, part of the PowerSchool school administration software suite, is a popular choice among special ed directors and coordinators aiming to streamline IEP and other related processes.

Similar to Frontline Special Education & Interventions, this PowerSchool product expands beyond IEP only, offering the following features and functionalities:

• Special education case management
• 504 accommodation
• Gifted and talented program management
• English Language Learners (ELL)
• Digital signatures
• Service capture

Within the IEP process, PowerSchool Special Programs helps with:

• Workflow case management
• Pre-referral
• IEP eligibility
• IEP development
• Service documentation
• Progress monitoring
• State reporting
• Document translation
• Compliance with state requirements
• Data collection for Medicaid billing

Similar to Frontline Education, PowerSchool doesn’t reveal the pricing of the special education management software on the company website. Districts interested in this alternative need to get in touch with the customer support team to get a quote.

Meanwhile, PowerSchool Special Programs might be the best option for schools and districts that are already using the PowerSchool SIS because of the frictionless integration.

Frontline IEP vs EmbraceIEP

EmbraceIEP, part of Embrace, formerly PowerIEP, is another specialized IEP management software tool that aims to facilitate the IEP process for public schools and districts while offering high-quality education services to children with IDEA-qualifying categories of disabilities.

Unlike Frontline IEP, which is cloud-based, EmbraceIEP is a web-based IEP software that offers the following features:

• Built-in core standards and objectives
• Automatic calculation of service environment percentages
• State-specific compliance
• Data tracking aligned for state reporting
• Customization options
• Timeline monitoring
• Easy student transfers between and within districts
• Real-time translation
• Specialist-supported implementation
• Supported onboarding
• Available customer support
• Integrations with most SISs

It’s important to note that at the moment EmbraceIEP is used by over 1,000 school districts in 8 US states. The limited geographical availability makes the software an unfeasible option for districts outside this market coverage.

The pricing of EmbraceIEP is unclear, just like the cost of other IEP management software solutions.

In addition to IEP management, Embrace special education management software also covers 504 plans, MTSS, and Medicaid billing, among other services.

All in all, EmbraceIEP could be a good alternative to Frontline IEP & Special Education Management for school districts that prefer a simpler option with good customizations and guided implementation. However, they have to be located in one of the states where the software is available.

Frontline IEP vs EasyIEP

EasyIEP, part of EDPlan, is another highly recommended IEP case management software tool that is used by school districts in more than 30 states across the US. According to information provided on the EDPlan website, 20% of IEPs in the US are created with the help of EasyIEP.

Like EmbraceIEP and unlike Frontline IEP, EasyIEP is a web-based special education management software solution that specializes in IEP cases.

EasyIEP features include:

• Clear, manageable steps to make the IEP process more easily digestible
• IEP document creation
• Compliance with federal and state regulations
• Embedded compliance alerts
• Customizable user roles for controlled access to student data
• Flexible, actionable reporting

Besides EasyIEP, EDPlan offers a range of other products that help manage different types and aspects of special education including but not limited to:

• 504 plans
• Medicaid processes
• Nursing documentation processes
• General education interventions
• Family engagement in student education
• Special education teacher professional development
• Progress tracking
• Student incident tracking and reporting
• Special education document translation
• Behavioral threat assessments

The cost of EasyIEP and other EDPlan tools is not clear.

In sum, EasyIEP could work out for larger, well-structured school districts that are looking for a powerful tool to simplify, organize, and ensure compliance within the IEP process. However, it might feel unnecessarily complicated for smaller districts with simpler needs.

Bottom Line

Our review of Frontline IEP & Special Education Management shows that this special education management software has the necessary features and capacities to help districts streamline the IEP process, reduce manual work and costs, and guarantee compliance with federal and state regulations. Customer reviews are generally positive, but there are also some warnings that district leaders need to take into account when deciding if Frontline is the right IEP management solution for their needs.

Is your district looking for special education teachers? Fullmind IEP Support and Resource Room services place state-certified K-12 SPED teachers who are qualified to develop and implement instruction, accommodations, and support around each child’s unique IEP goals via virtual resource rooms. Matchings take no more than two weeks and are available nationally.