Chapter 3: Referral/Request for Evaluation - Page 2

Requests by the Parent

If your child is experiencing academic problems at school, you may suspect your child has a disability such as a specific learning disability and needs additional help available only through special education programs and services.

Research has provided the basis for a reliable list of "warning signs" which may strongly suggest the presence of a learning disability. The signs will differ depending on the age of the child.

Use the Checklist of Signs and Symptoms to determine if your child is showing significant signs on an ongoing basis.

If you haven't already started keeping careful records about your child's educational experiences, now is the time. Information about your child's school experience, evaluation results, meetings with teachers, counselors, specialists, administrators and any decisions made regarding your child's education will be critical to your child's case and to making the decisions that will most benefit your child. It can be helpful to keep records in chronological order.

Review the Types of Records a Parent Should Keep to help you set up your records.

You can begin the process of special education evaluation at any time. However, it may be wise to do some homework before formally requesting an evaluation of your child.

Consider these pre-referral activities:

Talk to the Teacher

If you haven't already met with your child's teacher to discuss your concerns, consider this as a first step.

Learn about Special Education Services

Talk to your school's principal about the special education services available at your child's school. Inquire about the training and qualifications of special education teachers and the instructional approaches they use to work with students identified with learning disabilities so you know about the qualifications of the personnel in your school. Finally, ask about the evaluation and eligibility process in your school district and get any printed information available for parents.

Contact Your PTI

Get in touch with the Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) in your state. Each state has at least one PTI, supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Your PTI can help you understand the particular "ins and outs" of special education in your state. Ask for any printed information that will help you understand the process.

Once you decide to make a formal request for evaluation, it is up to you to contact your school district and explain your concerns. Always make your request in writing, and clearly present the reasons for your concern.

In your written request, describe and be prepared to provide specific examples of the problems your child is having. Items such as work samples, handwriting samples, assessment records, etc. should be used to provide background and evidence of your concerns.

It may be helpful to organize your thoughts and concerns using the Worksheet for Organizing Your Concerns about School-Related Problems.

Use the Sample Letter Requesting Evaluation to create your letter to your child's school requesting an evaluation for special education.

When the school district gets your request, the district will need to decide whether or not to evaluate your child. They need to determine if your child shows evidence of a suspected disability and whether or not there is sufficient evidence to call for an evaluation.

You should receive a written confirmation of your request from the school district, along with a copy of your Procedural Safeguards, a document which describes your legal rights and protections under IDEA. The information required in the Procedural Safeguards notice is presented in Chapter 4: Procedural Safeguards.

Important note:

In many cases, schools and school districts will have "pre-referral intervention" processes they will want to use — or possibly are required to use — prior to formal special education evaluation. Some of these options were discussed in Chapter 1: Pre-referral Services and Chapter 2: Response-to-Intervention.

If the school determines that your child should be evaluated for potential special education eligibility, the district must request your informed consent, or permission, to proceed with the evaluation.

If the school decides that there is not enough evidence of a "suspected disability" and, therefore, denies your request for an evaluation, the school must provide you with a written notice of its decision. Known as Prior Written Notice, this notice must include:

• A description of the action proposed or refused by the district
• An explanation of why the district proposes or refuses to take the action and a description of all student information used as a basis for the decision
• A statement that the parents have protection under the Procedural Safeguards (as described in Chapter 4: Procedural Safeguards)
• Sources for parents to contact or to obtain assistance in understanding the various provisions of their rights under IDEA
• A description of other options considered and the reason why those options were rejected
• A description of the factors that impacted the district’s proposal or refusal