Chapter 5: Evaluation: Learning More About Your Child - Página 4

Evaluation Report

The school district is required by IDEA to provide you with a copy of the evaluation report; however, they are not required to provide it before the meeting to determine your child's eligibility for special education. You should request a copy of the full evaluation report before any meeting so that you'll have time to prepare your questions and recommendations. You will need to make a request, in writing, stating your expectation to receive a report prior to any meetings.

Use this Sample Letter to make a written request for a copy of the evaluation report.

You can also request to meet with the evaluator — or case manager — at your child's school to get a complete review of the results. Again, this type of meeting is not required by IDEA, but it can go a long way toward helping you decipher complex test results.

If your child transfers while being evaluated Generally, an evaluation of your child must be completed in accordance with your state's timeline or, if your state has no timeline, within 60 days from the time you consent to an evaluation. However, if your child transfers to another school district while the evaluation is underway, the timeline can be changed if you and the new district agree to a specific time when the evaluation will be completed. When agreeing to a change in the timeline, you should feel that the new district is making sufficient progress in completing the evaluation.

The next step in the special education process, following the completion of an initial evaluation, is Eligibility Determination, which is covered in Chapter 6.

Reevaluations

For students who have been found eligible for special education and have an IEP, IDEA lays out certain requirements and conditions for reevaluations to establish that the child continues to need special education support and services. In all circumstances, the school must obtain informed consent from the parent to conduct a reevaluation. As with the initial evaluation, if the parent chooses to refuse to provide consent for reevaluation or does not respond to the request to provide consent for the reevaluation of a child attending public school, the school district may pursue the evaluation by using the dispute resolution procedures described in Chapter 11: Dispute Resolution Options.

While reevaluations are required at least once every three years to determine the continuing need for special education, IDEA 2004 clarifies that the child's parents and the school district can override this requirement if they both agree that a reevaluation is not necessary to establish continued eligibility for special education.

Reevaluations cannot be conducted more frequently than once a year, unless both the parent and the school district agree that it is necessary.

A reevaluation must be conducted if requested by the child's parent.

Reevaluations are also required in order to determine if special education and related services are no longer needed. A reevaluation is not required when a student graduates with a regular diploma or reaches the maximum age for receiving special education services as set by the state (turning 22 years of age in most states). In these cases, the school district must provide a summary of the student's academic and functional performance and provide recommendations for helping the student meet his or her goals after high school. The "summary of performance" is discussed in Chapter 8: Transition.

Table of Contents

• An Overview of IDEA Parent Guide
• Chapter 1: Pre-Referral Services
• Chapter 2: Response-to-Intervention
• Chapter 3: Referral/Request for Evaluation
• Chapter 4: Procedural Safeguards — Understanding and Exercising Your Legal Rights
• Chapter 5: Evaluation: Learning More About Your Child
• Chapter 6: Eligibility Determination: Determining Your Child's Need for Special Education
• Chapter 7: Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) — Developing Your Child's Education Plan
• Chapter 8: Transition — Planning Your Child's Future Success
• Chapter 9: Students in Private School: Understanding Your Child's Special Education Options
• Chapter 10: Student Discipline — Addressing Serious Behavior Issues and Concerns
• Chapter 11: Dispute Resolution Options — Understanding Your Options for Settling Disputes

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Note: The IDEA Parent Guide was created to provide a basic understanding of the key requirements of the federal law under IDEA. The information presented here is not legal advice and should not be used as a legal resource.

Candace Cortiella is Director of The Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit focused on improving the lives of people with disabilities through public policy and other initiatives. The mother of a young adult with learning disabilities, she lives in the Washington, D.C., area.