The Special Education Evaluation Process

A high school LEA recognizes that a 16-year-old-student has consistently scored at a level 1 on her reading assessments. The student's reading teacher referred the student to the special education program. What is the LEA's next step?

• Use the reading assessment data to place the student in the special education program.
• Obtain written permission from parents to conduct a comprehensive evaluation because the reading scores alone are not sufficient for placement.
• Conduct a vision screening to ensure that the student does not have vision problems.
• Obtain the students math scores and compare to the reading scores to determine if placement in the special education program is appropriate.

A parent of a 2-year-old walks into a Child Find office and ask that her child be evaluated because he is not yet speaking. What steps should the Child Find staff take?

• Obtain written consent from the parent(s) to evaluate the child and conduct the evaluation.
• Tell  the parent to return with documentation regarding the child's speech impairment.
• Ask the parent to wait until the child is school-age to return for an evaluation.
• Ask the parent to contact the child's  preschool to evaluate the child.

A 12-year-old student has been evaluated and and found eligible for special education services. What are the next steps for the school professionals?

• Wait the mandatory 30 days and then begin crafting an IEP to present  to parents.
• Write an individualized education plan (IEP) and ask for parent consent to implement  the IEP.
• Wait the mandatory 30 days to schedule an IEP meeting.
• Meet with parents to develop and individualized education plan (IEP) within 30 days.

The parents and a team of school professionals have written an IEP for a student, but the parents do not agree with some aspects of the IEP. What should be the next steps for the school team?

• Implement the IEP anyway - the parents helped to write it.
• Discuss the IEP with the parents and try to work out an agreement.
• Offer mediation services for the parent.
• Tell the parents they must file a state complaint before the school can change a collaborative IEP.

After the IEP has been written and the parent has given consent for implementation, what are the school team's next steps?

• Place  the IEP on a publicly available website or database for any school professional to access when necessary.
• Provide a copy of the IEP to parents and the student only.
• Provide copies of the IEP to parents, each of the child's teachers and service providers.
• Provide a list of accommodations to general education teachers.