Menu Close

(1.4) How long will it take for the district to complete my child’s assessment?

(1.4) How long will it take for the district to complete my child’s assessment?

Under state law, your school district must give you an assessment plan within 15 days of their receipt of your written referral for special education services. If a referral for assessment is made 10 days or less prior to the end of the regular year, the assessment plan must be developed within 10 days after school commences the following school year. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56321(a).]

You have at least 15 days to respond to or approve the assessment plan. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56321(4).] Once the district has received the signed assessment plan, it has 60 days (excluding days of school vacation in excess of five and days that school is not in session) to complete the assessment and develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP), assuming it finds the child to be eligible. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56344(a).] Once a child is found eligible, no determination of ineligibility for special education services can be made without an evaluation. [20 U.S.C. Sec. 1414(c)(5); 34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.305(e)(1).]

If a child is referred to special education 30 or less days before the end of a school year, the district must hold a meeting to develop an IEP within 30 days after the beginning of the next school year. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56344(a).]