Evaluation and Eligibility

Idaho SESTA Quick Guide: Evaluation

Idaho SESTA Evaluation Checklist

Whenever a student is being referred for an initial evaluation or a current special education student is due for a 3-year re-evaluation, the student's case manager holds primary responsibility for leading the consideration and review processes. Other team members will be involved as required and as needed, but the case manager is the central contact for coordinating all processes.

Parent consent is not required to complete a file review as part of an initial evaluation or re-evaluation. "File review" does not need to be added as an "other" assessment category on the Consent for Assessment. Information gathered as part of a review of existing information should be included in the Background Information section of the eligibility report.

Initial Eligibility and the 60-Day Timeline

Under IDEA, the school team has 60 days from the day the parent signs Consent for Assessment (note that it's the date the parent SIGNS, not the receipt date by the school) to complete the assessments and hold a team meeting to make an eligibility determination. When the signed consent form is returned, the case manager is responsible for entering the parent consent date (date they signed) into EDPlan from the Consent for Assessment tile. The EDPlan system has the Network Schools' calendar entered and the system will calculate the eligibility due date. The only time periods where the 60-day timeline stops counting occur when school is out of session for 5+ school days. At the Network Schools, this only occurs over the December-January holiday break, and over summer break. All other week-long school breaks are for just 4 school days and therefore those 10 days off work for teachers don't constitute 5+ school days. See the SESTA Quick Guide on this topic linked below.

The 60-day timeline passes quickly, particularly since at the Network Schools students aren't at school on Fridays. It is extremely important that the case manager enter the date consent was signed as soon as it's received and notify ALL involved team members that consent has been given, so that the team can begin administering assessments to the student, completing observations, sending home rating scales/other forms, and getting teacher feedback through rating scales and other methods. Beginning assessment actvities promptly is key to ensuring that the comprehensive evaluation can be completed and shared with the team for an eligibility determination on time. It is the case manager's responsibility to coordinate evaluation activities among all involved team members including the school psychologist, SLP, OT, and any others.

The 60-day timeline is a federal requirement under IDEA. Completing an initial evaluation in a timely manner ensures that a student receives the protection and potential services they are entitled to under IDEA. In addition, a district's failure to complete evaluations within this required timeframe can result in remedial or corrective action by the SDE.

Idaho SESTA 60-Day Timeline Quick Guide

Re-Evaluations

A re-evaluation is required at least every 3 years. The case manager is responsible for leading the team in completing the Re-Evaluation Consideration form in EDPlan at least 30 days prior to the eligibility due date, and preferably at least 60 days prior. The Re-Evaluation Consideration form will guide the team in reviewing and considering existing information and deciding whether new assessments are needed in order to determine the student's continued eligibility for special education.

If new assessment are needed, Consent for Assessment must be completed and efforts made to obtain parent consent. If the parent fails to respond to repeated requests for consent for a re-evaluation, the team can proceed with the assessments after providing separate Written Notice to the parent.

If no new assessments are needed, no Consent for Assessment is needed. The team will complete the eligibility report by reviewing existing information and holding a meeting to determine eligibility based on the 3 prongs.

Consent is not required to review existing information (also known as a file review). This information should be included in the Background Information section of the eligibility report.

If a current special education student has achieved their IEP goals, the IEP should be amended with new goals--the student should not be exited from special education. A student may only be exited from special education if services are discontinued due to graduation, aging out, withdrawal of consent by parent/adult student, OR if the student is re-evaluated and found no longer eligible based on a team decision considering the 3 prongs of eligibility below. A student is "assessed in" to special education and must be "assessed out" unless another circumstance listed above applies. According to the Idaho Special Education Manual, " The district shall evaluate a student with a disability before the team determines that the student is no longer eligible for special education" (p. 42).

Idaho Training Clearinghouse module on re-evaluation and consideration

Writing the Report

Once testing has been completed, it is the team’s responsibility to write the eligibility report.  Each team member is responsible for the specific section related to their testing.  To be eligible for special education services, the team must agree that the student meets all three prongs of eligibility as outlined below.

Idaho SESTA Three Prong Test Quick Guide

Idaho SESTA Three Prong Examples Quick Guide

Prong 1

A student must have a qualifying disability. The disability can be based on an outside diagnosis or a school team determination. There are 15 qualifying disability categories recognized in the Idaho Special Education Manual, chapter 4:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder 

2. Intellectual Disability 

3. Deaf-Blindness 

4. Deaf or Hard of Hearing

5. Developmental Delay (Idaho SESTA Developmental Delay Criteria Quick Guide)

6. Emotional Behavioral Disorder 

7. Other Health Impairment 

8. Hearing Impairment

9. Specific Learning Disability 

10. Multiple Disabilities (n.b., The eligibility criteria for this category are very specific and they do not encompass all students who have two or more diagnoses.)

11. Orthopedic Impairment

12. Speech or Language Impairment: Language

13. Speech or language Impairment: Speech

    • • Articulation/Phonology Disorder

      • Fluency Disorder

      • Voice Disorder

14. Traumatic Brain Injury

15. Visual Impairment Including Blindness

Idaho SESTA Eligibility Categories Quick Guide

Prong 2

The adverse impact to a student’s educational performance is determined by the Evaluation Team. The student’s progress is impeded by his/her disability and educational performance is significantly and consistently below the level of similar age peers, preventing the student from benefiting from general education.

Educational performance refers to:

• Academic Achievement

• Developmental Skills

• Functional Skills

Example of an Adverse Effect Statement:

“Karen is unable to independently read and comprehend grade level material. Her weak decoding skills and poor memory skills decrease her understanding of grade level material that she is required to read.”

A student's academic achievement can be average or above average (grades, classwork, testing) and the student may still qualify for special education if there is an adverse effect of a qualifying disability on their education, e.g., a behavioral effect.

Prong 3

The student needs specially designed instruction. When identifying the need for specially designed instruction, teams must consider the unique needs of the student’s disability and identify the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction needed to meet the student’s individual needs.

Specially designed instruction allows a student to access the general curriculum so that he/she can meet Idaho Content Standards or Idaho Core Standards.

Example of Need for Specially Designed Instruction Statement:

“Stephanie requires individualized or small group instruction using direct instruction with frequent feedback in order to develop her math skills. She requires pre-teaching and re-teaching with additional practice to facilitate learning to help her understand, remember, and generalize information.”

Each team member must complete their portions of the eligibility report including their contributions to each part of the 3-prong summary (disability, adverse effect, need for specially designed instruction). Each team member may have information to contribute to all three prongs. 

Before meeting as an evaluation team with the parent, it is best practice to meet as an MDT team to review the data and information. This pre-meeting allows for the team to ensure they have completed all the sections they agreed to complete prior to meeting with the parent.

Eligibility meetings must be held within 60 days of Receipt of the Consent for Assessment. All Evaluation Team members listed on the Eligibility MUST sign regardless of attendance.  Their signature indicates they are in agreement with the report (Eligible/Not Eligible). There should be no excusals in an eligibility meeting. Eligibility must be determined at the meeting with team input. As the assessment and education professionals, it is the school team's responsibility to propose and substantiate an appropriate eligibility category for the student. Where a student has more than one disability diagnosis, or meets determination criteria for more than one category, the team should proceed with the category where there is a preponderance of evidence. It is not up to parents to "pick" from multiple options.

If the meeting is for an initial eligibility determination, parent signatures are required on the Eligibility Report cover page.  When parents miss an initial eligibility meeting (after multiple attempts to contact within the 60 day timeline), still hold the meeting with staff and obtain signatures for all who physically attended and write “virtual” or “phone” for those who participated in an alternate way. Contact parents to come in to review and provide feedback and sign required forms, or to have the information sent home to them for review (parent preference).

For any other type of re-evaluation or  additional assessment scheduled meeting which occurs and which parents do not attend, staff can hold the meeting and obtain signatures for all who physically attended and write “virtual” or “phone” for those who participated alternatively. Parents need to be sent a copy for signatures, but services for student must continue.  These occasions should be extremely rare and best effort must be made to have parents attend the meeting! We have multiple ways for parents to participate- in person, telephonically, and virtually.

Once eligibility has been established at the meeting, scan and upload the signature page as an attachment to the finalized eligibility report in EDPlan and submit the original signed page for filing.

Eligibility reports must be finalized within 5 days of the meeting.

Initial IEP

When a student is found eligible for special education, the intial IEP must be developed within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination (no allowances for school breaks of 5 or more days, including summer). An initial IEP must be proposed for parent review EVEN IF the parent has indicated that they don't intend to provide consent for initial placement in special education. The Network Schools are obligated to provide an offer of FAPE for the parent to review, not to take a parent's stated preference that their child not be in special education at face value. Again, an initial IEP must be developed and shared with the parent along with soliciting their input. If the parent refuses to provide consent for initial placement, that is documented by their indicating so and signing on the final page of the IEP document. The case manager should then complete Written Notice advising of the district's refusal to change the student's educational placement or to provide special education services due to parent denial of consent for initial placement.