How does my child become eligible for special education under the IDEA?

In order for your child to become eligible for special education under the IDEA, he or she must first be evaluated by your school district. In order to complete an evaluation, the school district will issue a Permission to Evaluate form seeking your permission for the evaluation that it is proposing. The district’s evaluation must assess all areas of your child’s disability or suspected disability and will often consist of standardized testing, curriculum based assessments, a classroom observation, and input from the parents and your child’s teachers. In addition, the evaluation may, where needed, include behavior checklists or rating scales, speech and language assessments or occupational or physical therapy assessments. Once the evaluation is complete, the school district will issue an Evaluation Report (“ER”), which will contain the results of the evaluation as well as a determination of whether your child has a disability and, if so, whether he or she requires specially designed instruction. If your child meets both of these criteria, i.e., has a disability and requires specially designed instruction, he or she will be eligible for special education under the IDEA.

This Q&A was found on Special Education Lawyers in Pennsylvania - Connolly, Jacobson & John, LLP : http://www.cjjedlaw.com/modules/smartfaq/faq.php?faqid=3