Assessment and Progress Monitoring · 3 min read
The Special Education Evaluation Process
Referral and Pre-Referral
The evaluation process typically begins with a referral, which may come from parents, teachers, or other professionals who suspect a student may have a disability. Before formal referral, schools often implement pre-referral interventions to address learning or behavior concerns and determine whether difficulties persist despite quality instruction.
Pre-referral interventions may be implemented through a Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. These frameworks provide increasingly intensive interventions and monitor student response to determine whether special education evaluation is warranted.
When a referral is made, the school must provide parents with procedural safeguards and obtain informed consent before conducting an evaluation. Parents have the right to request an evaluation at any time, and schools must respond to such requests within established timelines.
Comprehensive Evaluation Requirements
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that evaluations be comprehensive and assess all areas related to the suspected disability. Evaluations must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies and not rely on any single measure. Assessments must be administered by trained professionals in the student's native language or mode of communication.
Evaluations must assess cognitive, academic, behavioral, physical, and developmental factors as appropriate. For students suspected of having a specific learning disability, the evaluation must include observation of academic performance and consideration of exclusionary factors.
The evaluation team must include the parent, at least one general education teacher, at least one special education teacher, a representative of the school district, an individual who can interpret evaluation results, and other individuals with relevant knowledge or expertise.
Eligibility Determination
Following evaluation, the team reviews all data to determine whether the student meets criteria for one or more disability categories and requires special education services. Georgia recognizes the following disability categories: autism spectrum disorder, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional and behavioral disorder, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, significant developmental delay, specific learning disability, speech-language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment.
Eligibility determination requires that the disability adversely affects educational performance and that the student requires specially designed instruction. The team must consider exclusionary factors, including lack of appropriate instruction in reading or math, limited English proficiency, and environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Reevaluation
IDEA requires reevaluation at least every three years, or more frequently if conditions warrant or if parents or teachers request reevaluation. Reevaluation determines whether the student continues to have a disability, the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, whether additions or modifications to special education services are needed, and whether the student continues to need special education.
The reevaluation process may include review of existing data, additional assessments if needed, and team consideration of all relevant information. Parents must provide consent for reevaluation, though consent is not required if the school can demonstrate it made reasonable efforts to obtain consent and the parent failed to respond.
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