Reevaluation

The Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities, NCDPI, 2010 requires that a reevaluation is conducted at least every three years, but not more that once a year unless the parent and Local Education Agency agree otherwise. Children identified as Developmentally Delayed (DD) must be reevaluated three years after their initial identification and prior to turning eight or beginning the third grade, (whichever comes first) to consider a school age eligibility. If appropriate, please see the “Reevaluation for Mild Disabilities” section below. DD reevaluations involving cessation follow the “Reevaluation for Mild Disabilities” procedures.

Reevaluation General Procedures

When a student is or could be identified with a moderate to severe disability (Autism, Deafness, Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay, Hearing Impairment, IntellectualDisability- Moderate, IntellectualDisability -Severe, Orthopedic Impairment, Multiple Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injured, Visually Impaired) or Speech orLanguage Impairment, or is likely to no longer qualify for identification in the above categories, a reevaluation should be conducted using the following processes for evaluation which can include standards based assessments and other forms of evaluations. Reevaluation General Procedures are used for all disability categories in Preschool and High School.

A reevaluation begins with a review of existing data including information and evaluations provided by the parent, classroom and state assessments, and observations made by the teachers and related service personnel.If the IEP team decides thatadditional data is needed, after the review of existing information, to determine that the student continues to have a disability or to determine future educational and related services planning, then a Reevaluation Design is proposed, as a part of an IEP meeting and recorded in the Evaluation Design section of the IEP. Parental consent is required to conduct additional assessments proposed in the Reevaluation Design. Parental consent is not required if no additional data is needed for the reevaluation.

To conduct a reevaluation, an invitation to an IEP meeting should be sent to the parent and other required participants of the IEP team.The invitation should specify Reevaluation design as the purpose of the meeting. At the meeting, the team determines the purpose of the reevaluation. Common purposes for reevaluation are:

  • Redetermine need for specially designed instruction
  • Consider cessation of services
  • Future planning for education and transition
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness and appropriateness current of IEP services including related services

If no additional information is required after reviewing the existing information, then all the data considered when determining no other information was necessary should be listed in the Goalview Present Levels folderunder the Evaluation Results section. The IEP should then be updated as necessary and a statementthat the team considered conducting additional assessments, but enough current data was available to proceed with the reevaluation without additional assessments. A statement to this effect should be recorded in the Procedural Safeguards folder under Options Considered and Rejected. Parent consent for the reevaluation is documented in the Goalview Procedural Safeguards folder, on the signature line.

If additional information is needed to determine the stated reevaluation purpose, all the data that is needed to reach resolution should be recorded in the Goalview Evaluation Design folder, in the appropriate sections. The Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities, NCDPI, 2010 lists evaluations required for determining specific disability categories and should be referenced when needed to determine appropriate assessments, when redetermining the need for specially designed instruction (eligibility).Use the following document to learn more information about specific requirements.

Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities—Amended June 2010

Autism Spectrum Disorder (p. 64)

Deaf-blindness (p. 64)

Deafness (p. 65)

Developmental Delay (p. 65)

Hearing Impairment (p. 67)

Multiple Disabilities (p. 68)

Orthopedic Impairment (p. 69)

Speech or Language Impairment (p. 73)

Traumatic Brain Injury (p. 73)

Visual Impairment (p. 74)

See “Reevaluations for Mild Disabilities” section below for the following disability categories:

Emotional Disability (p. 66)

Intellectual Disability (p. 67)

Other Health Impairment (p. 69)

Specific Leaning Disability (p. 69)

The Evaluation Design date and Target Review date for completion of the reevaluation should be identified in the appropriate sections of the Evaluation Design. Parent consent should be obtained at the time of the proposal, if possible. If the parent does not consent to the reevaluation, the team may considerusing, but is not required to use, the consent override procedure, which involves using dispute resolution methods such as mediation or due process hearing.If the parent is not available or neglects to consent for the reevaluation, the team may proceed with the reevaluation if there is sufficient documentation that the LEA has made a reasonable effort to obtain consent.

When all evaluations have been completed, the results should be recorded in the either in the Goalview Present Level section specific to the assessment or in the Evaluation Results section. Invite the parents and other required meeting participants to an IEP meeting. Proceed with the IEP meeting using the data for resolution of the original purpose of the reevaluation. Revise the IEP as necessary, including the Options Considered and Rejected in the Goalview Procedural Safeguards folder. A Cessation of Services proposal may also be an outcome of this process, if the assessment information does not support eligibility for IEP services.

Consult the Reevaluation Flowchartfor a visual representation of the reevaluation process.

Reevaluation for Mild Disabilities

When a student is or could be identified with a mild disability (Specific Learning Disability, Other Health Impaired, Intellectual Disability-Mild, Serious Emotional Disability) or no longer qualifies for identification with a mild disability, then the Reevaluationfor Mild Disabilities must be used in grades K – 8.The Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities, NCDPI, 2010requires that a reevaluation is conducted at least every three years, but not more that once a year unless the parent and Local Education Agency agree otherwise. Children identified as developmentally delayed must be reevaluated three years after their initial identification and prior to turning eight or beginning the third grade, (whichever comes first) to consider a school age disability category. DD reevaluations involving cessation follow “Reevaluation for Mild Disabilities” procedures.

(Please note that it may be necessary to design a reevaluation that may include components from the mild as well as moderate identification categories.)

To conduct a reevaluation for a student with a mild disability, an invitation to an IEP meeting should be sent to the parent and other required participants of the IEP team. The invitation should specify Reevaluation design as the purpose of the meeting. At the meeting, the team determines the purpose of the reevaluation. Common purposes for reevaluation are:

  • Redetermine need for specially designed instruction
  • Consider cessation of services
  • Future planning for education and transition
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness and appropriateness of current IEP services including related services

A reevaluation begins with a review of existing data including information and evaluations provided by the parent, classroom and state assessments, and by observations made by the teachers and related service personnel. If,after the review of existing information, the IEP team decides that additional data is needed to determine that the student continues to qualify for the current disability or to determine future educational and related services planning, a formal reevaluation design is proposed. Parental consent is required to conduct additional assessments. Parental consent is not required if no additional assessment data is needed to determine the purpose of the reevaluation.

If the purpose of the reevaluation isfor the evaluation of the effectiveness and appropriateness of current IEP services, including related services or future planning for education and transition, it is possible that no further information is required.

If no additional information is required, after reviewing the existing information, then all the data considered when determining no other information was necessary should be listed in Goalview Present Levels folder under the Evaluation Results section. The IEP should then be updated as necessary and a statement should be recorded in the Procedural Safeguards folder under Options Considered and Rejected that the team considered additional evaluations but enough current data was available to proceed with determination of the reevaluation purpose without additional assessments. Parent consent is not required for a review of existing data.

If additional data is required, the IEP team should design a reevaluation in the Goalview Reevaluation Design folder (See Sample A). Tier 3 processes of the RtIprocedure should be specified in the Goalview Reevaluation Design folder.In setting goals and aimlines for the intervention/instructional strategies that are part of a reevaluation for a student currently eligible for IEP services, the entitlement criteria for reevaluations is Proficiency. The RtI procedure is used when:

  • The purpose of the reevaluation is to re-determine need for specially designed instruction,
  • The student has an been identified as Speech/Language Impaired and is being consider for a mild disability (see additional guidance at the end of this section),
  • The student was initially identified as Developmentally Delayed and is likely to be identified as mildly disabled or
  • The purpose of the reevaluation is for other purposes for which additional assessment is needed

If the student currently receives high intensityservices, begin by using Tier 3 c RtIprocesses (Analysis of Assessment Plan IIIc&f). Establish a baseline and aimline and progress monitor for at least 4 weeks with a minimum of 5 data points in 2 weeks using on-grade level probes in the skill areas affected by the child’s disability. Documentation may include below grade level skills if appropriate, but must include at least two grade level probes in the area of instruction.

If the student currently receives low intensity services, begin by using all Tier 3 c RtI processes and documents including Tier 3 e (Revisions of Hypotheses/Interventions Tier III e). Use baseline and decision making standards and changes in hypotheses. Baseline data and progress monitoring should be continued until there are at least three changes in intervention. Documentation may include below grade level skills, but must include at least two grade level probes in the area of instruction.

Differentiation of high intensity and low intensity services should be based on the degree to which the curriculum must be modified for the student, staff-to-student ratio during instruction, the amount of time the student receives specially designed instruction, and the amount of removal from the general education setting to receive instruction. If the team is in doubt regarding the level of intensity of services for a particular student, use the low intensity reevaluation processes.

The Evaluation Design date and Target Review date for completion of the reevaluation should be identified in the appropriate sections of the Evaluation Design. Parent consent should be obtained at the time of the proposal, if possible. If the parent does not consent to the reevaluation, the team may consider using, but is not required to use, the consent override procedure, which involves using dispute resolution methods such as mediation or due process hearing. If the parent is not available or neglects to consent for the reevaluation, the team may proceed with the reevaluation if there is sufficient documentation that a reasonable effort to obtain consent has been made. Parent consent for the reevaluation is documented in the Goalview Procedural Safeguards, on the signature line.

When the data from the reevaluation supports entitlement of the student, an Entitlement report is written and an RtI Review is scheduled. All data should be presented at the review meeting. When the RtI review has been completed and the data supports moving forward, an IEP meeting is conducted to complete the reevaluation process. Invite the parent and other IEP members to an IEP meeting, record results of the reevaluation in the Evaluations section of the Goalview Present Levels folder (See Sample B), include all information that was considered during the reevaluation process, consider disability determination, record Exit Criteria Goal(s) in the entitlement skill areas, update other sections of the IEP as needed, then options considered and rejected should be recorded in Procedural Safeguards.

Exit Criteria as Reevaluation

If the student has been previously Entitled using RtI and has met the previously determined Exit Criteria Goal(s) in the IEP, services should be backed down gradually to insure that continuation of the student’s level of educational performance. The backing down of services should be documented in the Goalview Service Delivery folder or in the Goalview Evaluation Design folder (See Sample C). If the student continues to meet exit criteria after services have been backed down so that the supports no longer resemble specially designed instruction, an exit report should be written that includes all relevant data and presented to the RtI Review Team. The parents should be invited to an exit IEP meeting after the Review Team meeting and a service cessation proposal should be developed. In such instances the data may warrant that the student will be served in the future in either an RtI Tier 2 intervention plan or an Individual Accommodation (504) Plan.

Cessation of IEP for Mild Disabilities

If progress monitoring data indicates on-grade level probes are at or above Proficiency, the IEP team should meet and propose a reevaluation to consider cessation of services. Parent consent should be obtained at the time of the proposal. If the parent does not consent to the reevaluation, the Local Education Agency (LEA) may consider using, but is not required to use, the consent override, which involves using dispute resolution methods such as mediation or due process hearing. If the parent is not available or neglects to consent to the reevaluation, the LEA may proceed with the reevaluation if there is sufficient documentation that a reasonable effort has been made to obtain consent.

The proposal should include gradual backing down of services. If the student’s level of performance on the progress monitoring measures remains constant or improves after services have been backed down to where the supports no longer resemble specially designed instruction, the team should propose cessation of services. A cessation of services report should be presented to RtI Review Team. When the RtI review has been completed and the data supports moving forward, an IEP Invitation to Conference should be sent to the parent and other required IEP team members. Record the assessment results in the Evaluations section of the Goalview Present Level, consider disability determination, then options considered and rejected should be recorded in Procedural Safeguards section.

If the student does not maintain the level of performance after services are backed down. The parent and required IEP team members should be invited to an IEP meeting. The services should be increased to an amount that supports improvement and special education eligibility continued. The IEP team should write new Exit Criteria, progress monitor weekly at a minimum, evaluation results should be documented in the Evaluations section of the Goalview Present Levels folder and options considered and rejected are recorded in Procedural Safeguards folder.

For a visual representation of this process, review the Mild Disability Flow Chart.

Speech-Language Reevaluation – additional guidance

For students who are identified as Speech-Language Impaired and also have a possible need for services for academic or behavioral difficulties as defined by the four mild disability categories (LD, OHI, ID-MI, or SED), the parameters are as follows:

  • If the team anticipates possible discontinuation of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) services, a reevaluation design must be developed aligned with possible identification categories to determine if the student remains eligible for services.
  • If the team does not anticipate discontinuation of SLP services:
  • The team should determine whether the interventions needed are representative of Tier 1, 2, or 3.
  • If the interventions are more representative of Tier 1 or 2, the process would begin at that point.
  • If the interventions are more representative of Tier 3, then a reevaluation plan must be developed aligned with possible identification categoriesto determine if student remains eligible for services.

OR

  • The team may be able to document a direct connection between the speech and/or language disability and academic or behavioral needs on the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance in the IEP. Examples might include connections between phonemic awareness language deficits and weak phonemic awareness/phonetic literacy skills or expressive language deficits and written expression skills. In these special cause cases, academic goals and services may be added to the IEP.

For students who are identified as Speech/Language Impaired and also have a possible need for services for academic or behavioral difficulties as defined by the low incidence, moderate to severe disability (AU, DB, DD, HI, IDMO, IDSE, OI, TBI, VI), the parameters are as follows:

  • If the team anticipates discontinuation of SLP services, a reevaluation design must be developed aligned with possible identification categories to determine if student remains eligible for services.

A reevaluation for a student identified as speech-language impaired who may be eligibility for a mild disability may take into consideration procedures associated with low and high intensity services.

Sample C

Sample B

Sample A