What Is The Assessment Process Like For Special Education?
Updated: December 11, 2025. Reviewer: Dr. Rose Sebastian, Ed.D.
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Evaluation: Step 2 of Getting an IEP
Once a student has been referred for special education assessment, the next step is evaluation. That is, if both the school and the parent agree that the student should be evaluated. School districts have the right to say no to evaluation if they feel it is not warranted- they have to prove this and parents can contest- but they can say no. And parents have the right, at absolutely any point, to say nope, I don’t want this for my child.
But once both sides agree, the fun begins. An assessment plan goes home saying what evaluations will be done. The plan should include information on each proposed assessment. The assessments must look at all areas of concern, whether that is processing information, hearing, behaviors, or something else. Once the parent signs the plan, giving their permission to evaluate, the school gets 60 days to do all of those assessments and hold an evaluation summary meeting. At that meeting, the team discusses whether or not the student qualifies for special education.
Understanding the Special Education Assessment Process
Can a parent say no to evaluation?
Parents have the right to say no to evaluations. They also have the right to say yes to evaluations and then say no to special education services. They also have the right to dispute the school if the school says no to assessment or qualifying and the parent wants that.
At the same time, districts have the right to dispute the refusal if they feel they have an obligation to assess and serve the student– but they do not have to.
What IDEA says about parents’ right to informed consent in 34 C.F.R. § 300.300(a)(3):
(i) The public agency proposing to conduct an initial evaluation to determine if a child qualifies as a child with a disability under §300.8 must, after providing notice consistent with §§300.503 and 300.504, obtain informed consent, consistent with §300.9, from the parent of the child before conducting the evaluation.
What IDEA says about districts’ rights to dispute a parent’s refusal of assessment:
(i) If the parent of a child enrolled in public school or seeking to be enrolled in public school does not provide consent for initial evaluation under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, or the parent fails to respond to a request to provide consent, the public agency may, but is not required to, pursue the initial evaluation of the child by utilizing the procedural safeguards in subpart E of this part (including the mediation procedures under §300.506 or the due process procedures under §§300.507 through 300.516), if appropriate, except to the extent inconsistent with State law relating to such parental consent.
(ii) The public agency does not violate its obligation under §300.111 and §§300.301 through 300.311 if it declines to pursue the evaluation.
Can a district or school say no to evaluation?
Districts have the right to say no to assessing a student if they feel it is not warranted. Parents can then use the mediation and due process provisions of IDEA to dispute the refusal– but districts have the right to say no to assessment if they feel it is not warranted.
The district has to state in writing why it is refusing to do the assessment, what they are refusing to do, and what their evidence is behind their refusal.
What IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.503(a):
(a) Notice. Written notice that meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section must be given to the parents of a child with a disability a reasonable time before the public agency—
(1) Proposes to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child or the provision of FAPE to the child; or
(2) Refuses to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child or the provision of FAPE to the child.
(b)Content of notice. The notice required under paragraph (a) of this section must include—
(1) A description of the action proposed or refused by the agency;
(2) An explanation of why the agency proposes or refuses to take the action;
(3) A description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report the agency used as a basis for the proposed or refused action;
What is a permission to evaluate form? What goes on the evaluation plan?
IDEA requires that parents be told exactly what evaluations are going to be done so that they can provide informed consent. Evaluation plans (aka PTEs) will look different across different districts. Each though should state exactly what tests are being done, who is doing them, and why those tests are being done.
What IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.304(a):
(1) Notice
The local educational agency shall provide notice to the parents of a child with a disability, in accordance with subsections (b)(3), (b)(4), and (c) of section 1415 of this title, that describes any evaluation procedures such agency proposes to conduct.
What assessments are supposed to get done?
All students, as part of an initial evaluation, will have a hearing and vision screening. That is because it makes no sense to look at anything like behaviors or processing challenges if you haven’t first verified that the student can actually see or hear what they are being asked to do or remember.
All students will also have an academic assessment. The purpose of the academic assessment is to get a sense of how the student is doing in reading, writing, and math relative to their same age peers. This is a crucial component for qualifying in special education. There are some students who test well academically but can’t perform that well in class who still get IEPs– but those are few and far between. IEP teams are looking to see if the disability impacts the student’s academic performance. If it does not, the student will not qualify for special education regardless of whether or not they have a disability.
There are a few common academic assessments including the Kaufman Test for Educational Achievement (KTEA), the Woodcock-Johnson, and the Weschler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT). They differ slightly in how they are set up but all look at the same basic things– how does the student do in reading, writing, and mathematics relative to same age peers? For students who are lower functioning, other, more observation based, academic tests might be substituted in for one of these.
Other than the hearing, vision, and academic testing, evaluations vary by the suspected areas of need for the student.
Do assessments vary based on suspected disability?
The assessments to figure out the disability vary a lot based on the concerns about the student. The law is specific. Students need to be assessed in ALL areas of suspected disability and no one assessment should be used to decide if a student qualifies. What that means is that each child should have an individualized set of assessments given.
For example, if a student is suspected of having an other health impairment for ADHD and has behaviors at school, there might be a review of medical records (is there a medical diagnosis?), classroom observations to look at behaviors, rating scales done by parents, the school, and the student to understand behaviors and the extent of the challenges, and, at an initial, a cognitive assessment to verify that the ADHD type behaviors are not actually masking difficulties with processing or short term memory. The exact nuances of what will be done will vary based on the needs of the child and the input of the IEP team.
A student suspected of having a learning disability and no behaviors would not have the behavior rating scales– but would have in depth cognitive assessments.
A student with communication concerns might also have a speech and language assessment done– while some might have motor or sensory assessments done too.
The point is that the assessments are supposed to be individualized based on the suspected needs of the child and holistic– not just one tool that determines if a student qualifies or not.
What IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.304(b):
- In conducting the evaluation, the local educational agency shall—
- (A) use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information,
- …..
- (B) not use any single measure or assessment as the sole criterion for determining whether a child is a child with a disability or determining an appropriate educational program for the child;
- …..
(3) Additional requirements
How long does the assessment process take?
Once a permission to evaluate form has been signed and returned to the school, the school has exactly 60 calendar days to do the assessments and hold the evaluation summary meeting. Note that this timeline only starts when the district actually gets the signed evaluation plan. Some kids leave things in their backpacks for weeks and that time does not count against the 60 days.
Here is what IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.301(c):
- Such initial evaluation shall consist of procedures—
- (I) to determine whether a child is a child with a disability (as defined in 1401 of this title) within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation, or, if the State establishes a timeframe within which the evaluation must be conducted, within such timeframe; and
- (II) to determine the educational needs of such child.
How is special education assessment different for infants and toddlers?
The provisions in IDEA Part C are similar to, but slightly different, from those in IDEA Part B. A 0 to 2 year old child is not going to sit and take a formal reading test or answer questions about what they remember. IDEA reflects this. The requirement instead is for a “multidisciplinary assessment of the unique strengths and needs” of the child. Timeframes are also more complex at the younger ages and so there is no 60 day clock in Part C and instead it says “within a reasonable time”. However, there is a requirement of more frequent meetings. Part B, the 3 to 22 year old part, says at least once a year. Part C is once every six months for a review and once a year for the individualized family service plan to be evaluated.
What IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 303.321(a):
(a) Assessment and program development
A statewide system described in section 1433 of this title shall provide, at a minimum, for each infant or toddler with a disability, and the infant’s or toddler’s family, to receive—
(1) a multidisciplinary assessment of the unique strengths and needs of the infant or toddler and the identification of services appropriate to meet such needs;
(2) a family-directed assessment of the resources, priorities, and concerns of the family and the identification of the supports and services necessary to enhance the family’s capacity to meet the developmental needs of the infant or toddler; and
(3) a written individualized family service plan developed by a multidisciplinary team, including the parents, as required by subsection (e), including a description of the appropriate transition services for the infant or toddler.
(b) Periodic review
The individualized family service plan shall be evaluated once a year and the family shall be provided a review of the plan at 6-month intervals (or more often where appropriate based on infant or toddler and family needs).
(c) Promptness after assessment
The individualized family service plan shall be developed within a reasonable time after the assessment required by subsection (a)(1) is completed. With the parents’ consent, early intervention services may commence prior to the completion of the assessment.
