| Federal law requires that students with disabilities be reevaluated at least every three years in order to determine continued eligibility. Testing and/or assessments may not be needed each time the student is reevaluated. | |
| What is "reevaluation"? | |
| How is the nature and scope of the evaluation determined? | |
| What type of information is reviewed? | |
| How is a reevaluation conducted? | |
| What is "assessment"? | |
| What if the team determines that additional data are not needed? | |
| What if the parent disagrees with the determination of eligibility? | |
| What if the parent does not agree with the determination of program or placement? | |
| What if the team believes that more information about the student is needed? | |
| What happens after the assessments are completed? | |
| When must a student be reevaluated? | |
| What are some indicators that reevaluation may be warranted? | |
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| What is "reevaluation"? | |
| Reevaluation is a multi-step process of reviewing information, deciding whether or not more information is needed and, if necessary, conducting assessment(s) to gather that information. Reevaluation allows the IEP team to make educational decisions about a student's continued eligibility for special education services and the appropriate program and placement. | |
| How is the nature and scope of the evaluation determined? | |
In determining the nature and scope of the reevaluation, the IEP team must answer each of the following questions:
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PARENT TIP!! Consider whether or not you believe your child needs to be evaluated by an independent specialist. Be sure that your questions are incorporated
into the reevaluation plan. |
| What type of information is reviewed? | |
| Information reviewed as part of reevaluation includes evaluations and reports provided by parents, current classroom-based assessments and observations, observations by teachers and related services providers and testing. | |
| How is a reevaluation conducted? | Back to Top |
| Reevaluation is conducted at a meeting during which the IEP team (including parents) reviews existing data about the student. After the review of data, the team decides whether additional data are needed. | |
| What is "assessment"? | |
| Assessment refers to the gathering of new information about the student's behavior and educational performance. | |
| What if the team determines that additional data are not needed? | |
| If the IEP team determines that more information about the student is not needed, there will be no more assessments performed at this time. At that point, the district must provide written notice to the parent that assessments are not needed and inform the parent of the right to request assessment(s). | |
| What if the parent disagrees with the determination of eligibility? | |
| If the IEP team makes a determination of eligibility with which the parents disagree, the parents must write a letter to the school district indicating that they wish to have assessments conducted on their child. If this happens, the district must proceed with the assessments without delay. | |
| What if the parent does not agree with the determination of program or placement? | Back to Top |
| If the parent agrees with the determination of eligibility, but disagrees with the proposed program, the parent may request an assessment. The district must consider and respond to this request, but they are
not automatically required to conduct an assessment, as they are when a parent disagrees with the determination of eligibility.
A parent may hire an independent
education expert to evaluate their child and present the findings to the
district - which the district may or may not accept. Alternatively (or
simultaneously) the parents may enter due
process or mediation to settle
the dispute. |
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| What if the team believes that more information about the student is needed? | |
| If the IEP team agrees that more information about the student is needed, they will determine the types of assessments (standardized tests, behavioral checklists, classroom observations, etc.) that are needed, and which members of the team or other specialists will conduct the assessments. Before conducting any formal assessment, the team must obtain written consent from the parents. If parents do not respond, however, the district may proceed with assessments without parent consent, so long as they can demonstrate that efforts were made to obtain consent. Parents who do not want their child assessed must say so in writing. It is advisable to send your letter "certified mail" to ensure receipt. |
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| What happens after the assessments are completed? |
Evaluation reports must be received by the parents 10 days prior to the eligibility meeting. |
| After the assessments are completed, the IEP team must meet and a copy of the assessment reports must be received by the parents ten days prior to the meeting. If, based on the results of the assessments, the student continues to be eligible for special education, the IEP team will review and, if necessary, revise the student's current IEP. | |
| When must a student be reevaluated for eligibility? | |
Reevaluation must be conducted every three years or more often if needed. In addition, a student must be reevaluated:
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| What are some indicators that reevaluation may be warranted? | Back to Top |
For additional information on evaluations, see the Evaluations chapter of this guide. |
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