Summary of Special Education
Timelines
|
Action |
Timeline |
Time Counted From |
Exceptions to the Timeline/Other Comments |
|
Initial
evaluation |
40
school days |
Date
of informed parent consent to test |
The
support team may be the IEP team. Both
should include general and special education teachers as well as related
service providers. Tests selected should accurately assess aptitude and
achievement levels. Placement
decisions can’t be based on any single test. |
|
IEP
initiation meeting |
10
days |
Date
of invitation letter (if going from school to guardian) or from the date of
the guardians’ letter (if they are initiating the meeting) |
Parents
may waive 10 days or request a later meeting date. Parents
may be given a little as 24 hours notice for a misconduct-driven IEP meeting
[34 CFR 300.530(e)]. |
|
Age
span of SpEd services eligibility |
3rd
birthday through the school year the student turns 22 |
student’s
birth date and system’s school year |
Federal
rule says 3 to 21 years of age for SpEd services |
|
Transition
planning for 2 year olds starting public school at 3 |
90
days before 3rd birthday |
Backward
from birthday |
IEP
has to be written prior to placement date |
|
IEP
Implementation |
Immediately
if all IEP
team members agreed to placement |
IEP meeting |
Document
any failure to implement the IEP once the meeting has occurred. In the case of disagreement, the
placement/eligibility may be frozen for 14 days to allow the parents time to
request a due process hearing. |
|
Review
of student’s special education program, appropriateness of placement, and
revisions |
At
least annually or upon parents’ written request |
Last
IEP Meeting |
|
|
Use
of foster parent at IEP meeting |
must
have had an ongoing relationship with the child for 1-year prior to the IEP
meeting |
whatever
constitutes the start of the “ongoing relationship” |
Biological/natural
parents have to have terminated their right to address the child’s
educational needs. The
foster parent can’t have a conflict of interest (such as being a school
system employee or relative of the biological parent). These
provisions do not include adoptive or surrogate parents. |
|
Other-than-annual
IEP meeting |
10
school days |
From
the written request for the meeting |
Can
be called by any IEP team member if student lack of progress or other reasons
warrant |
|
Prior
written notice of change in placement |
10
school days before proposed action |
Date
written notice is given to guardians |
10
school days does not apply if the placement is remaining the same |
|
Homebound
placement |
30
school days |
start
of homebound services |
Medical
necessity or other extensions have to be reviewed every 30 school days |
|
Reassessment |
3
years |
Date
of current assessment/reassessment |
May
be more frequent if the situation warrants |
|
Statement
of transition service needs (4-year plan) |
First
IEP prior to 14th birthday or 9th grade entry, annually
thereafter |
Date
of last IEP meeting |
IEP
team may begin this process earlier if they prefer |
|
Statement
of transition services, interagency responsibilities, and linkages. |
First
IEP meeting after 16th birthday, annually thereafter |
Date
of last IEP meeting |
IEP
team may begin this process earlier if they prefer |
|
Removal
of SpEd student for school rules violation |
Up
to 10 school days |
|
Removal
may not constitute a change in placement nor may it exceed 10 days during the
same school year without SpEd services being provided. The
IEP team will need to either create or revise the student’s Behavioral
Intervention/Support Plan. |
|
Removal
to an interim alternative education setting |
Up
to 45 school days |
Date
of placement in IAES |
Number
of days should match nonSpEd students’ punishment for the same offense. |