Evaluation and eligibility

How to run a classroom observation for a special education evaluation: pick the setting and method, collect peer comparison data and write it up with numbers.

Evaluating English learners for special education: language history, true peer comparisons, testing in both languages and ruling out language as the cause.

When to refer for special education after RTI: check core instruction, fidelity, level and slope, then refer promptly. Worked example with real weekly numbers.

A parent's step-by-step way to read a psychoeducational report: what standard scores and percentiles mean, how to spot the pattern, and what to ask the team.

Pre-referral intervention examples by concern area, plus how to set the dose, track weekly data and document the results so a referral decision rests on facts.

How school psychologists can present evaluation results to parents: send the report early, lead with the child, translate scores and plan for hard news.

How to write psychoeducational report recommendations an IEP team can act on: tie each to a finding, sort it into an IEP section, make it specific.

How to run a review of existing evaluation data (REED): gather records, answer the four required questions by area and decide what new testing is needed.

How to use RTI and progress monitoring data in an SLD evaluation: check instruction, compute level and growth, compare peers, with a worked grade 2 example.

An assessment plan lists each area the school will test and who will test it. See the legal basis, an example and how it differs from the evaluation report.

How evaluation teams tell a language difference from a disability in English learners: the deciding question, a comparison table and three case scenarios.

Primary vs secondary disability on an IEP: what each label means, who picks it, why it matters for reporting more than services, and three case examples.

The three SLD identification methods compared: IQ-achievement discrepancy, response to intervention and patterns of strengths and weaknesses, with scenarios.

SST vs IEP meeting in plain words: a side-by-side table, one question that tells them apart and three short school scenarios showing which meeting fits.

A triennial reevaluation can rely on a review of existing data instead of new tests. How the two paths differ, who decides, and what to document under IDEA.

A printable eligibility meeting checklist for case managers: what to do before, during and after the meeting, with a reason for each item and fixes for gaps.

A printable reevaluation checklist for case managers, grouped before, during and after the meeting, with a reason for each item and fixes for gaps.

A fill-in school psychologist report template with ten sections, a completed fictional example and notes on what reviewers and parents check in each part.

A fill-in sample letter to request a special education evaluation, a completed example, and notes on what each part of the letter should say and why.

A fill-in SLD eligibility report template built on the federal documentation rule, with a completed fictional example and notes on what reviewers check.

A fill-in teacher input form for a special education evaluation, a completed fourth grade example and notes on what the evaluation team needs from each part.

Can a school make you wait for RTI before it evaluates your child? What federal guidance says, an annotated school letter and the exact questions to ask.

How Child Find works for preschoolers and private school students: which district evaluates, what services look like, and the questions to ask the team.

What a special education evaluation consent form means, what it does not agree to, an annotated sample form and the questions to ask before you sign it.

Your child was found not eligible for an IEP. Read the notice, ask about a 504 plan, request an independent evaluation if you disagree and plan the next check.

IEP eligibility has two parts: a disability that fits an IDEA category and a need for special teaching because of it. See how teams decide, with an example.

Examples of Other Health Impairment under IDEA, from ADHD and epilepsy to diabetes and Crohn's disease, with a sample summary and questions to ask the team.

The 13 disability categories in IDEA explained in plain words, with an example for each, a sample eligibility page and questions parents can ask the team.

The kinds of tests in a school psychoeducational evaluation, what each one measures, how long it takes and the questions to ask before testing starts.

If the school refused a special education evaluation, here is what the written notice must say, an annotated example, questions to ask and your options next.

IDEA criteria for emotional disturbance: the five characteristics, the long period and marked degree tests, the social maladjustment clause and a case study.

How a student exits special education: the reevaluation rule, the graduation and age-out exceptions, parent revocation, and a case study with real dates.

The three-part IDEA test for intellectual disability at school: intellectual functioning, adaptive behavior and onset, with state differences and a case study.

What a school speech-language evaluation tests, the tools SLPs use for each area, one student's evaluation with dates and scores, and where state rules differ.

How the 60-day evaluation timeline works: when the clock starts, how days are counted, the federal exceptions, summer breaks and where state timelines differ.

How SLPs and teams decide speech or language impairment eligibility in articulation, fluency, voice and language, with a case study and state differences.

A standard score to percentile chart built from the normal curve, with scaled, T and z scores side by side and one student's report worked through.

What a student study team meeting is, who attends, a 45-minute agenda and one fictional student's SST from first meeting to follow-up.

What a school psychologist does in special education: testing, eligibility, IEP input, behavior support and counseling, with one student's year as an example.