Evaluation
The evaluation process gathers the information used to determine if your child needs special education, and the types of programs and services needed. A school may evaluate your child through reading, writing, and math assessments. Other evaluations may include tests by a hearing specialist for a child with a hearing problem, or an evaluation from a doctor for a child with a health concern. The evaluations must also include input from a therapist if certain related services, such as physical or occupational therapy, may be needed.
A student may be referred for the first evaluation in several ways. You may ask your school to evaluate your child for special education at any time by sending a letter to your child's school principal (see sample letter). The school should respond to your written request in a timely manner and provide you with a notice of their decision. You may also receive a Permission to Evaluate form and a copy of the Procedural Safeguards Notice, which describes certain rights and protections provided under the special education laws. Opportunities for Resolving Disagreements provides additional information about procedural safeguards.
The school may also contact you to ask for written permission to evaluate your child. Without your written consent the evaluation will not proceed. If you do not give permission and the school continues to find that an evaluation is necessary, they may ask for a due process hearing to get approval from an impartial hearing officer to evaluate your child Opportunities for Resolving Disagreements provides additional information about due process hearings.
All evaluations to determine your child's need for special education are provided by your child's school district at no charge. The district will make the results of the evaluations available to you for your review.
An evaluation team typically consists of the student's parents, the student's teachers, and the school psychologist, language pathologist, and/or remedial reading teacher. Generally, the evaluation team members will also participate in developing the student's individualized education program (IEP). The team reviews all materials and writes a report, called an Evaluation Report (see sample Evaluation Report). The Evaluation Report, sometimes just called an ER, determines if your child has one or more disabilities and if he or she needs special education. It may recommend specific programs and services based on your child needs. The ER may also state that your child is not eligible and does not need special education services.
If your child is being evaluated for a learning disability, parents, as members of the evaluation team, are given an opportunity to sign the report and indicate whether or not you agree with it. If you do not, you may submit a statement of your own conclusions. This is called a dissenting opinion, and will become part of the final ER. You will receive a copy of the final ER.
You may also get evaluation reports from professionals outside the school system and send them to your child's school. The district will consider the results of these outside evaluations in determining if your child has a disability and needs special education. If you request the school to pay for an Independent Educational Evaluation, your request must be in writing (see sample request letter). If the school district refuses, they must initiate a special education due process hearing.
A reevaluation to confirm your child's need to continue special education occurs at least every three years, unless your child is disabled due to mental retardation, in which case reevaluations occur at least every two years. When the school needs additional information to complete a reevaluation, then the school must seek your permission to obtain it. If the school district has made what it believes are reasonable attempts to secure your permission but failed to do so, it may proceed with the reevaluation. Each school district decides what reasonable attempts are. They may include: