How To Get an IEP

Concerns About School

Do you have concerns about your child’s progress in school? Does your child have a medical, developmental or mental health diagnosis that you feel interferes with your child’s learning? Then it’s time to get an initial IEP evaluation!

What is an IEP

An IEP is an Individualized Educational Plan that ensures that a child who has certain disabling conditions receives specialized instruction and related services. These conditions include:

  • Specific learning disabilities
  • Dyslexia
  • Dysgraphia
  • Auditory Processing Disorder
  • Other health impairments
  • ADHD
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Emotional disturbance
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Depressive Disorders
  • Speech or language impairment
  • Stuttering
  • Language impairment
  • Visual impairments
  • Blindness
  • Partial sight
  • Deafness
  • Hearing impairment
  • Hearing loss that does not qualify as deafness
  • Deaf-blindness (both deaf and blind)
  • Orthopedic impairments
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Physical deformities
  • Intellectual disability
  • Developmental delay
  • Down Syndrome
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Multiple disabilities (any combination of the above)

You don’t need to know if your child has one of these conditions, that’s what the evaluation through the school is for.

Step 1:

Write a letter requesting an evaluation. I have included one below that you are more than welcome to use. Remember to fill in all the bold words with your child’s specific information.

Step 2:

CC the principal, teacher or others involved with your child’s education on the letter and give them copies

Step 3:

Next, submit your letter to the School District’s Special Education Director—even if you have already discussed it in person or on the phone with a school official. You will want to retain PROOF of the letter’s delivery. The easiest way is to email the letter and retain a copy, try to send a hard copy in addition to the email to increase the chances that it will be added to your child’s paper file at school. If email isn’t accessible for you, consider sending the letter “return/receipt requested” from the post office. You can also hand deliver and ask that your letter be date stamped and a copy of this given to you before you leave. Or fax your letter and print your “successful transmission” fax report and follow up by phone to ensure the letter was received. 

Now Wait

Now that you have submitted your letter you have started an important timeline under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) law. Some states have shorter timeframes, please check your state’s laws!Here is what happens next:

  • From the time the school district receives your letter, the school district has 15 days to present you with an Assessment Plan for your consent 
  • Once you receive an Assessment Plan, you have 15 to give your “informed consent” by signing the plan 
  • From the time you consent to the Assessment Plan, the district has 60 days to assess your child and hold the first Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. 
  • In an initial IEP meeting, you and administrative, educational, and assessor team members will discuss the assessment results and make a determination whether the child qualifies for special education services. If your child qualifies, the IEP planning process will begin 

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Date

Name of Special Education Director or contact person listed on IEP
Name of School District
District Address
District City, State, Zip Code

RE: Request for a Special Education Evaluation

Your Child’s Name
Child’s Date of Birth
Child’s School Name
Child’s Grade in School

I am writing to request an assessment for my child Child’s Name to determine if he/she is eligible for special education services. I am requesting assessments in the areas of: fill in the type of evaluations you want done (speech, occupational therapy, educational, behavioral, neuropsychological)for the following reasons: fill in specific reasons (“he/she has been diagnosed by her pediatrician with Autism”, “he/she is not clear when speaking and no one else can understand”; “his/her handwriting is very poor for her age”; “he/she tells me that he can’t keep up in the math class.” or “Mrs. Smith, Mary’s language arts teacher, tells me my daughter is falling behind in her classwork and has trouble paying attention in class.”)

I understand that the evaluation will be performed in the manner required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and the related federal regulations, beginning with the parental consent section. I am eager to complete the Permission to Evaluate form so that the evaluation process can begin.

I would like copies of the assessment report(s) at least two days prior to the IEP meeting so that I may review them in order to be better prepared for the meeting.

Following the assessment and team review of the results, should my child be found to have a disability but not qualify for special education services under IDEA, I also request that accommodations be made for him/her under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For this reason, I also request that the Section 504 Coordinator for your school district be present at the initial IEP meeting to discuss recommendations for accommodations.

I look forward to meeting with the team so that we can discuss the results and plan for my child’s education.

Thank you,
Parent Signature

cc: list anyone you want to have a copy