It may be nothing more than a slow start to reading, teenage-math anxiety or homework headaches due to "messy backpack-itis."

For some kids, a learning slump is just a phase. On the other hand, it might be a learning delay that isn't going to get better without extra help.

What can you do if it's just a phase? And when is it time to explore testing to see whether your student qualifies for an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which is a required part of every school district's special-education program?

Where should you go to get answers? Start with:

• Classroom teacher: Set up a meeting. Ask for help in creating a specific plan for your child. Include a list of goals and a schedule for upcoming assignments and tests. Ask about resources available to all students: Is there a writing specialist or math center? Maybe something as simple as moving a child's desk next to a quiet, supportive student can make a difference. Meanwhile, expect to offer extra help to your child in the evenings or on weekends.

• Middle-/high-school backup plan: Ask the teacher to set up a meeting with the department head for the curriculum area in which your child needs help. Department heads might have other solutions or could assess whether a student might be better served in another classroom.

• Another backup plan: Discuss your concerns with the school counselor, who can often point you in the right direction.

• Extra-help sessions: Some elementary schools receive grants for after-school tutoring. Middle schools often offer extra help to students before or after school on set schedules. At some high schools, there are brief nonmandatory "tutorial" periods at midday where teachers are available for extra help on assignments.

• Backup plan: Tutoring outside school. See "A tutor's coaching can boost skills" for resources.

• Summer school: Teachers often recommend summer school for struggling students who need to stay on track for success the following fall.

In Seattle's high schools, summer school is offered to 11th- and 12th-grade kids who have failed classes and need to pick up credits to graduate — though it's not required, says Seattle School District summer-school principal Christopher Owen. "Ninth- and 10th-graders don't qualify due to cutbacks."

In elementary grades, free summer school is "highly recommended" for students who don't meet standards; a letter is sent home to their parents, and they're guaranteed a seat — along with breakfast and lunch. Some "borderline" students can be included, so interested parents should ask, recommends Owen.

Some other districts' summer schools are not limited to at-risk students and offer both enrichment and remedial courses.

What if none of this works? What does an Individual Education Plan (IEP) involve?

Parents may ask for, or the school can recommend, a more formal evaluation, which could result in an Individual Education Plan — a personalized learning road map that covers all the services specifically required by each child. A student may need an IEP only for math or reading, or for all academics. Despite a widespread misconception, there's no hard rule that a child must be two years behind grade level to qualify.

Shoreline Schools Assistant Superintendent Sue Walker notes that schools aim for plans that keep children "in the least-restricted environment: This may include accommodations in the classroom, pullout help in a resource room in elementary grades, or study-skills classes for middle- and high-school students."

Some parents note that schools can be overwhelmed and if you suspect an IEP might help your child you may have to persist.

Once a child has been referred for an evaluation, a school district has 60 school days to complete it.

A child's IEP team can include the parents, special- or regular-ed teachers, school and private counselors, and doctors and other outside experts.

"Typically, we have an IEP review at least once a year, with new goals for the student," says Walker. "We also re-evaluate because it's not once-on-an-IEP-always-on-an-IEP."

"If you have a child with an IEP, your (advocacy) job is even harder because you have more people involved — the teachers, the specialists, the para-educators ... ," says Barb Hunter, elementary speech therapist, Edmonds School District.

"But parents need to know that if they think their kid has a problem, they can go to the teacher. Sometimes it's only the kids with behavior problems that throw up the red flags. I worry about middle-of-the-road kids whose needs might not show up to teachers."

If I believe my child needs an IEP or more special-education services but testing doesn't show it, should we consider testing?

Private testing is an option but even with insurance, it often costs more than $1,000. That's why it's best to start with your pediatrician, who can refer you to other specialists.