what is an evaluation report in special education

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Evaluating School-Aged Children for Disability

• Short version (4 pages) of this information: Your Child’s Evaluation
• Sobre evalución en breve (4 páginas): La Evaluación de Su Niño

Evaluation is an essential beginning step in the special education process for a child with a disability. Before a child can receive special education and related services for the first time, a full and individual initial evaluation of the child must be conducted to see if the child has a disability and is eligible for special education. Informed parent consent must be obtained before this evaluation may be conducted.

The evaluation process is guided by requirements in Part B of our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA ). This page will help you learn more about what these requirements are.

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Purposes of Evaluation

The initial evaluation of a child is required by IDEA before any special education and related services can be provided to that child. The purposes of conducting this evaluation are straightforward:

• To see if the child is a “child with a disability,” as defined by IDEA
• To gather information that will help determine the child’s educational needs
• To guide decision making about appropriate educational programming for the child.

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IDEA’s Definition of a “Child with a Disability”

IDEA lists different disability categories under which a child may be found eligible for special education and related services. These categories are:

• Deaf-blindness
• Developmental delay
• Emotional disturbance
• Hearing impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Multiple disabilities
• Orthopedic impairment
• Other health impairment
• Specific learning disability
• Speech or language impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Visual impairment, including blindness.

To find out more about these disabilities and how IDEA defines them, you’ll find Categories of Disability under IDEA right to the point.

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Having a disability, though, does not necessarily make a child eligible for special education. Consider this language from the IDEA regulations:

This provision includes the very important phrase “…and who, by reason thereof…” This means that, because of the disability , the child needs special education and related services. Many children have disabilities that do not bring with them the need for extra educational assistance or individualized educational programming. If a child has a disability but is not eligible under IDEA, he or she may be eligible for the protections afforded by other laws—such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. It’s not uncommon for a child to have a 504 plan at school to address disability-related educational needs. Such a child will receive needed assistance but not under IDEA.  

Identifying Children for Evaluation

Before a child’s eligibility under IDEA can be determined, however, a full and individual evaluation of the child must be conducted. There are at least two ways in which a child may be identified to receive an evaluation under IDEA:

(1) Parents may request that their child be evaluated . Parents are often the first to notice that their child’s learning, behavior, or development may be a cause for concern. If they’re worried about their child’s progress in school and think he or she might need extra help from special education services, they may call, email, or writeto their child’s teacher, the school’s principal, or the Director of Special Education in the school district. If the school agrees that an evaluation is needed, it must evaluate the child at no cost to parents .

(2) The school system may ask to evaluate the child . Based on a teacher’s recommendation, observations, or results from tests given to all children in a particular grade, a school may recommend that a child receive further screening or assessment to determine if he or she has a disability and needs special education and related services. The school system must ask parents for permission to evaluate the child, and parents must give their informed written permission before the evaluation may be conducted.

Giving Parents Notice

It is important to know that IDEA requires the school system to notify parents in writing that it would like to evaluate their child (or that it is refusing to evaluate the child). This is called giving prior written notice . It is not enough for the agency to tell parents that it would like to evaluate their child or that it refuses to evaluate their child. The school must also:

• explain why it wants to conduct the evaluation (or why it refuses);
• describe each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report used as a basis for proposing the evaluation (or refusing to conduct the evaluation);
• where parents can go to obtain help in understanding IDEA’s provisions;
• what other options the school considered and why those were rejected; and
• a description of any other factors that are relevant to the school’s proposal (or refusal) to evaluate the child.

The purpose behind this thorough explanation is to make sure that parents are fully informed, understand what is being proposed (or refused), understand what evaluation of their child will involve (or why the school system is refusing to conduct an evaluation of the child), and understand their right to refuse consent for evaluation, or to otherwise exercise their rights under IDEA’s procedural safeguards  if the school refuses to evaluate.

  All written communication from the school must be in a form the general public can understand. It must be provided in parents’ native language if they do not read English, or in the mode of communication they normally use (such as Braille or large print) unless it is clearly not feasible to do so. If parents’ native language or other mode of communication is not a written language, the school must take steps to ensure:

• that the notice is translated orally (or by other means) to parents in their native language or other mode of communication,
• that parents understand the content of the notice, and
• that there is written evidence that the above two requirements have been met.

Parental Consent

Before the school may proceed with the evaluation, parents must give their informed written consent. This consent is for the evaluation only. It does not mean that the school has the parents’ permission to provide special education services to the child. That requires a separate consent.

  If parents refuse consent for an initial evaluation (or simply don’t respond to the school’s request), the school must carefully document all its attempts to obtain parent consent. It may also continue to pursue conducting the evaluation by using the law’s due process procedures or its Mediation procedures, unless doing so would be inconsistent with state law relating to parental consent.

However, if the child is home-schooled or has been placed in a private school by parents (meaning, the parents are paying for the cost of the private school), the school may not override parents’ lack of consent for initial evaluation of the child. As the Department of Education (2006) notes:

…once parents opt out of the public school system, States and school districts do not have the same interest in requiring parents to agree to the evaluation of their children. In such cases, it would be overly intrusive for the school district to insist on an evaluation over a parent’s objection. (71 Fed. Reg. at 46635)

Timeframe for Initial Evaluation

Let’s move on from the prerequisites for initial evaluation (parent notification and parent consent) to the actual process of initial evaluation and what the law requires. Let us assume that parents’ informed consent has been given, and it’s time to evaluate the child. Must this evaluation be conducted within a certain period of time after parents give their consent?

Yes. In its reauthorization of IDEA in 2004, Congress added a specific timeframe: The initial evaluation must be conducted within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation–or if the state establishes its own timeframe for conducting an initial evaluation, within that timeframe. (In other words: Any timeframe established by the state takes precedence over the 60-day timeline required by IDEA.)

The Scope of Evaluation

A child’s initial evaluation must be full and individual , focused on that child and only that child. This is a longstanding provision of IDEA. An evaluation of a child under IDEA means much more than the child sitting in a room with the rest of his or her class taking an exam for that class, that school, that district, or that state. How the child performs on such exams will contribute useful information to an IDEA-related evaluation, but large-scale tests or group-administered instruments are not enough to diagnose a disability or determine what, if any, special education or related services the child might need, let alone plan an appropriate educational program for the child.

  The evaluation must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent. When conducting an initial evaluation, it’s important to examine all areas of a child’s functioning to determine not only if the child is a child with a disability, but also determine the child’s educational needs. This full and individual evaluation includes evaluating the child’s:

• vision and hearing,
• social and emotional status,
• general intelligence,
• academic performance,
• communicative status, and
• motor abilities

As IDEA states, the school system must ensure that—

…the evaluation is sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the child’s special education and related services needs, whether or not commonly linked to the disability category in which the child has been classified.

Review Existing Data

Evaluation (and particularly reevaluation) typically begins with a review of existing evaluation data on the child, which may come from the child’s classroom work, his or her performance on State or district assessments, information provided by the parents, and so on.

The purpose of this review is to decide if the existing data is sufficient to establish the child’s eligibility and determine educational needs, or if additional information is needed. If the group determines there is sufficient information available to make the necessary determinations, the public agency must notify parents:

• of that determination and the reason for it; and
• that parents have the right to request assessment to determine the child’s eligibility and educational needs.

Unless the parents request an assessment, the public agency is not required to conduct one.

If it is decided that additional data is needed, the group then identifies what is needed to determine:

• whether your son or daughter has a particular category of disability (e.g., “other health impairment,” “specific learning disability”);
• your child’s present levels of performance (that is, how he or she is currently doing in school) and his or her academic and developmental needs;
• whether your child needs special education and related services; and
• if so, whether any additions or modifications are needed in the special education and related services to enable your child to meet the goals set out in the IEP to be developed and to participate, as appropriate, in the general curriculum.

  An example may help crystallize the comprehensive scope of evaluations: Consider a first-grader with suspected hearing and vision impairments who’s been referred for an initial evaluation. In order to fully gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information and identify all of the child’s special education and related services needs, evaluation of this child will obviously need to focus on hearing and vision, as well as , cognitive, speech/language, motor, and social/behavioral skills, to determine:

• the degree of impairment in vision and hearing and the impact of these impairments on the child;
• if there are additional impairments in other areas of functioning (including those not commonly linked to hearing and/or vision) that impact the child’s aptitude, performance, and achievement; and
• what the child’s educational needs are that must be addressed.

With this example, any of the following individuals might be part of this child’s evaluation team: audiologist, psychologist, speech-language pathologist, social worker, occupational or physical therapist, vision specialist, regular classroom teacher, educational diagnosticians, or others.

Variety, Variety!

The evaluation must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies. This has been one of the cornerstones of IDEA’s evaluation requirements from its earliest days. Under IDEA, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to base any eligibility decision upon the results of only one procedure. Tests alone will not give a comprehensive picture of how a child performs or what he or she knows or does not know. Only by collecting data through a variety of approaches (e.g., observations, interviews, tests, curriculum-based assessment, and so on) and from a variety of sources (parents, teachers, specialists, child) can an adequate picture be obtained of the child’s strengths and weaknesses.

IDEA also requires schools to use technically sound instruments and processes in evaluation. Technically sound instruments generally refers to assessments that have been shown through research to be valid and reliable (71 Fed. Reg. at 46642). Technically sound processes requires that assessments and other evaluation materials be:

• administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel;
• administered in accordance with any instructions provided by the producer of the assessments; and
• used for the purposes for which the assessments or measures are valid and reliable.

  In conjunction with using a variety of  sound tools and processes, assessments must include those that are tailored to assess specific areas of educational need (for example, reading or math) and not merely those that are designed to provide a single general intelligence quotient, or IQ.

Taken together, all of this information can be used to determine whether the child has a disability under IDEA, the specific nature of the child’s special needs, whether the child needs special education and related services and, if so, to design an appropriate program.

Consider Language, Communication Mode, and Culture

Another important component in evaluation is to ensure that assessment tools are not discriminatory on a racial or cultural basis . Evaluation must also be conducted in the child’s typical, accustomed mode of communication (unless it is clearly not feasible to do so) and in a form that will yield accurate information about what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally. For many, English is not the native language; others use sign to communicate, or assistive or alternative augmentative communication devices. To assess such a child using a means of communication or response not highly familiar to the child raises the probability that the evaluation results will yield minimal, if any, information about what the child knows and can do.

Specifically, consideration of language, culture, and communication mode means the following:

• If your child has limited English proficiency, materials and procedures used to assess your child must be selected and administered to ensure that they measure the extent to which your child has a disability and needs special education, rather than measuring your child’s English language skills.

This provision in the law is meant to protect children of different racial, cultural, or language backgrounds from misdiagnosis. For example, children’s cultural backgrounds may affect their behavior or test responses in ways that teachers or other personnel do not understand. Similarly, if a child speaks a language other than English or has limited English proficiency, he or she may not understand directions or words on tests and may be unable to answer correctly. As a result, a child may mistakenly appear to be a slow learner or to have a hearing or communication problem.

• If an assessment is not conducted under standard conditions–meaning that some condition of the test has been changed (such as the qualifications of the person giving the test or the method of giving the test)–a description of the extent to which it varied from standard conditions must be included in the evaluation report.
• If your child has impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the law requires that tests are selected and administered so as best to ensure that test results accurately reflect his or her aptitude or achievement level (or whatever other factors the test claims to measure), and not merely reflect your child’s impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (unless the test being used is intended to measure those skills).

What About Evaluation for Specific Learning Disabilities?

IDEA’s regulations specify additional procedures required to be used for determining the existence of a specific learning disability . Sections 300.307 through 300.311 spell out what these procedures are. You can learn more by reading Module 11 of our Building the Legacy training curriculum on IDEA 2004.

  It’s important to note, though, that IDEA 2004 made dramatic changes in how children who are suspected of having a learning disability are to be evaluated.

• States must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement.
• States must permit the use of a process based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based intervention; and
• States may permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability.
• The team that makes the eligibility determination must include a regular education teacher and at least one person qualified to conduct individual diagnostic examinations of children, such as a school psychologist, speech-languate pathologist, or remedial reading teacher.

Determining Eligibility

Parents were not always included in the group that determined their child’s eligibility and, in fact, were often excluded. Since the IDEA Amendments of 1997, parents are to be part of the group that determines their child’s eligibility and are also to be provided a copy of the evaluation report, as well as documentation of the determination of the child’s eligibility.

Some school systems will hold a meeting where they consider only the eligibility of the child for special education and related services. At this meeting, your child’s assessment results should be explained. The specialists who assessed your child will explain what they did, why they used the tests they did, your child’s results on those tests or other evaluation procedures, and what your child’s scores mean when compared to other children of the same age and grade.

  It is important to know that the group may not determine that a child is eligible if the determinant factor for making that judgment is the child’s lack of instruction in reading or math or the child’s limited English proficiency. The child must otherwise meet the law’s definition of a “child with a disability”–meaning that he or she has one of the disabilities listed in the law and, because of that disability, needs special education and related services.

If the evaluation results indicate that your child meets the definition of one or more of the disabilities listed under IDEA and needs special education and related services, the results will form the basis for developing your child’s IEP. The IEP is discussed in detail in CPIR’s pages beginning at All About the IEP .

What Happens if You Don’t Agree with the Evaluation Results?

If you, as parents of a child with a disability, disagree with the results of your child’s evaluation as obtained by the public agency, you have the right to obtain what is known as an Independent Educational Evaluation , or IEE . An IEE means an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the public agency responsible for the education of your child. If you ask for an IEE, the public agency must provide you with, among other things, information about where an IEE may be obtained.

Who pays for the independent evaluation? The answer is that some IEEs are at public expense and others are paid for by the parents. For example, if you are the parent of a child with a disability and you disagree with the public agency’s evaluation, you may request an IEE at public expense. “At public expense” means that the public agency either pays for the full cost of the evaluation or ensures that the evaluation is otherwise provided at no cost to you as parents. The public agency may grant your request and pay for the IEE, or it may initiate a hearing to show that its own evaluation was appropriate. The public agency may ask why you object to the public evaluation. However, the agency may not require you to explain, and it may not unreasonably delay either providing the IEE at public expense or initiating a due process hearing to defend the public evaluation.

  If the public agency initiates a hearing and the final decision of the hearing officer is that the agency’s evaluation was appropriate, then you still have the right to an IEE but not at public expense. As part of a due process hearing, a hearing officer may also request an IEE; if so, that IEE must be at public expense. Whenever an IEE is publicly funded, that IEE must meet the same criteria that the public agency uses when it initiates an evaluation. The public agency must tell you what these criteria are–such as location of the evaluation and the qualifications of the examiner–and they must be the same criteria the public agency uses when it initiates an evaluation, to the extent they are consistent with your right to an IEE. However, the public agency may not impose other conditions or timelines related to your obtaining an IEE at public expense.

Of course, you have the right to have your child independently evaluated at any time at your own expense. (Note: When the same tests are repeated within a short time period, the validity of the results can be seriously weakened.) The results of this evaluation must be considered by the public agency, if it meets agency criteria, in any decision made with respect to providing your child with FAPE. The results may also be presented as evidence at a hearing regarding your child.

What Happens Down the Road?

After the initial evaluation, evaluations must be conducted at least every three years (generally called a triennial evaluation) after your child has been placed in special education. Reevaluations can also occur more frequently if conditions warrant, or if you or your child’s teacher request a reevaluation. Informed parental consent is also necessary for reevaluations.

As with initial evaluations, reevaluations begin with the review of existing evaluation data, including evaluations and information provided by you, the child’s parents. Your consent is not required for the review of existing data on your child. As with initial evaluation, this review is to identify what additional data, if any, are needed to determine whether your child continues to be a “child with a disability” and continues to need special education and related services. If the group determines that additional data are needed, then the public agency must administer tests and other evaluation materials as needed to produce the data. Prior to collecting this additional information, the agency must obtain your informed written consent.

Or, if the group determines that no additional data are needed to determine whether your child continues to be a “child with a disability,” the public agency must notify you:

• of this determination and the reasons for it; and
• of your right, as parents, to request an assessment to determine whether, for the purposes of services under IDEA, your child continues to be a “child with a disability.”

A final note with respect to reevaluations : Before determining that your child is no longer a “ child with a disability ” and, thus, no longer eligible for special education services under IDEA, the public agency must evaluate your child in accordance with all of the provisions described above. This evaluation, however, is not required before terminating your child’s eligibility due to graduation with a regular high school diploma or due to exceeding the age eligibility for FAPE under State law.

Want More Details?

You may find the following sections of our website particularly helpful for understanding the requirements and responsibilities intrinsic to the special education process.

• Evaluating Children (you’re already here)
• All About the IEP
• Placement Issues
• Supports, Modifications, and Accommodations
• Resolving Disputes
• Transition to Adulthood

The Special Education Evaluation Process

If your child has a disability or struggles in school, they may need extra support. Learn about the special education evaluation process.

If you think your child may have a disability, or if they’re struggling in school , you may want to start the education evaluation process.

You can ask the school for an evaluation to see if your child qualifies for Special Education. The evaluation is a series of tests to see if a child has a disability that affects their learning in school.

This evaluation may have a different name in your state. Some call it a Core Evaluation. In Louisiana it’s called a Pupil Appraisal or 1508 Evaluation. If your child is in a private school, they can still get this evaluation, but you may need to go to your local public school to get it done.

Usually your child’s teacher or other school staff will make a referral for the evaluation. But you can also do it yourself. 

Here’s what you can do:

• Contact your child’s teacher or the Director of Special Education in your school district. Tell them you would like your child to have a Special Education evaluation .
• Put your request in writing (email is ok) and make sure it has a date. Even if you talk with your child’s teacher and agree to have this done, make sure to follow it up with an email or letter and share it with the principal and the school district’s Special Education Department. 
• Sign the consent form for the evaluation when they send it to you.
• Ask questions! If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask them to clarify it for you.

See these  tips and a sample letter for requesting an evaluation (from the Center for Parent Training and Resources) .

Is your child not yet in school? You can still ask for an evaluation! If you suspect your child has a disability, start the process before they turn 3.  Learn more about transitioning into school services at age 3.

You can still ask for an evaluation even if the school is trying different interventions to see if they help your child learn. (The interventions usually happen through a  process called RTI .)

Your legal rights:

• The  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)  requires public schools to do this evaluation if there is a concern that the child may have a disability. This means if you–the parent or guardian–are concerned, they cannot refuse. And they have to pay for it.
• The school has to do the evaluation and explain the results in your family’s preferred language. You have the right to have a professional interpreter at the meeting (don’t forget to let them know ahead of time if you need one).

The school’s required timeline:

• When the school gets the request, they have 5 school days to give you a consent form to sign and a copy of the Procedural Safeguard s, which explains the process and your rights in detail. (See the Procedural Safeguards for  Louisiana  and  Massachusetts .)
• When the school gets your signed consent, they have 30 school days to do the evaluation, and 45 school days to give you the results.

What happens in the Special Education evaluation process?

Professionals will do a series of assessments that look at all areas that you or the teacher are concerned about. The results should give a detailed account of your child’s strengths, challenges and needs, along with recommendations for support and services.

The evaluation usually includes:

• Information from parents
• Observations of your child in school or daycare and maybe at home
• An interview with your child about their experience in school (if they are able)
• Formal and informal assessments (tests). There are many special tests that give a better picture of how your child learns, and what is hard for them. These will vary based on your child’s needs.

For example, they may test your child’s communication style, motor skills, social and emotional well-being, hearing, vision, memory, behaviors and abilities in different school subjects.

The evaluation should answer these questions:

• Does your child have a disability? What type?
• Does the disability keep your child from making normal progress in school?
• What kind of specially designed instruction or other services does your child need in order to follow the general curriculum?

Who does the assessments?  

Qualified professionals will do each part of the evaluation. They may be learning specialists, reading specialists, school psychologists, occupational or speech therapists, or others.

Make sure to ask specifically for the kind of professional who can evaluate your concerns. (Read on if you’re not sure who that is).

How to prepare for the Special Education evaluation

Here are some tips to prepare for your child’s evaluation. Doing a few things ahead of time can help to make sure the school gets an accurate and complete picture of your child and what supports they might need.

Gather paperwork that describes your child’s issues. This may include: 

• Medical records with diagnosis or test results
• Notes from a preschool teacher or caregiver
• Assessments and reports from  Early Intervention  or other therapy

Put all paperwork in your own binder and make copies for the evaluation team.

Write down all your concerns and be ready to talk about them.  

Part of the evaluation may be an interview with you. We know it can be hard to list everything that worries you about your child! But don’t hold back. You want your child to get services and support for each concern you have.

Make sure the school evaluates your child for everything you are concerned about 

The school should use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to get the whole picture of your child and their needs. And the school is required to check all areas where you or they suspect a disability. 

Discuss this before you schedule the evaluation to make sure the right people are there to assess each of your areas of concern. This will help them to include all the services your child needs in the IEP. 

For example:

• If your child has trouble with early reading skills , make sure a reading specialist is involved.
• If you have concerns about your child’s behavior, ask for a Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA). This can tell if your child could use a behavioral plan, which uses positive strategies to help them.
• If you’re concerned about your child’s social interactions or how well they can regulate their emotions, ask them to evaluate social-emotional skills.
• They can also check your child’s physical abilities: using their hands to hold things like crayons or pencils, or walking and climbing.

The eligibility meeting: find out if your child qualifies

Once the evaluation is complete, the school team will schedule an eligibility meeting. Here, the team will discuss the results of the evaluation and decide if your child qualifies for Special Education. If your child qualifies, they may skip this meeting and schedule the first IEP meeting. ( IEP = Individualized Education Program ) If this happens, make sure to ask for a draft of the IEP and review it before the meeting.  Read more about the IEP meeting here .

REMEMBER: As a parent, you are an important member of the IEP team!

What are the possible outcomes?

• Your child qualifies for an  IEP (Individualized Education Program ). This means they will get Special Education services, based on their needs according to the evaluation results. If your child qualifies, the team will develop goals and identify supports for your child to meet those goals.
• Your child qualifies for a 504 Plan.  A 504 Plan is a different type of service . This gives your child  accommodations , or adjustments in the classroom to help them learn. 504 plans do not include specialized instruction or therapies like speech, occupational, or physical therapy. 
• Your child does not qualify for Special Education or a 504 plan.

Speak up if you don’t agree with the decision! You know your child best, and you have a right to say what you think.

If your child doesn’t qualify and you disagree:

• Ask questions at the eligibility meeting. Make sure you understand why they made this decision. Ask what other services your child could still get.  Read about less formal interventions here .
• Talk to your child’s teacher and others at the school and see what they think.
• Talk to your child if possible and see what they think. Do they feel they can succeed in their classroom without extra help?

The Special Education evaluation process is not always easy, but it’s a clear step toward getting your child the right kind of support at school. If your child has a disability that affects their learning, the evaluation should identify the problem and help you create an effective  IEP (Individualized Education Program) . 

Learn more:

• What is the IEP?
• What to do if you disagree with the school
• Finding support and connecting with other parents
• Know your rights: What is IDEA?

Check out our page: Special Education Hub

Where you will find links to more articles on this topic.

Interested in our other resources for families?

Check out our landing page for families to see more of the topics we cover and learn more about Exceptional Lives.

Arc Guide to Special Education Evaluation

An evaluation for special education determines if a student is eligible for special education and related services. An initial (first) evaluation is the first special education evaluation.

Usually, every three years after the initial evaluation, the student is reevaluated to determine if he/she continues to be eligible for special education and related services. (There are situations when the student may be re-evaluated before the end of three-year time period if a re-evaluation is determined to be necessary.) This guide will describe the evaluation process that begins after the district has agreed to complete an initial evaluation or a reevaluation.

Some areas of possible concern are that could be considered for an evaluation are:

• General health, vision and hearing
• Intellectual ability
• Social skills
• School ability/academic skills
• Communication
• Everyday living skills
• Motor skills – use of arms and legs
• Use and need for any technology (pencil grips, listening devices, switches, electronic devices, etc.)
• Functional behavior – if there are any significant behaviors: what could be the cause, what is the desired behavior, where is the behavior occurring?
• Concerns related to a specific disability
• Transition skills – this type of assessment usually begins at grade 9, the focus on everyday living skills important for life as an adult

An evaluation planning meeting may be held to discuss the evaluation. The school may call the parent to discuss the evaluation or the school may send a permission to assess to the parent. (More information on this form is listed later in this guide.)

Evaluation Planning Meeting – This is a meeting to discuss and plan for the special education evaluation. The first part of the meeting focuses on what is happening at school: what concerns are parents, the student and school staff have; what are the areas of concern; what is working and not working; and why is a special education evaluation being done. The second part of the meeting focuses on what specific evaluations will be done and who will be doing them.

• The student (often beginning at grade 9)
• A district representative (who is often the school principal)
• School staff with expertise in the areas of the concerns

In most situations, the evaluation includes:

• Information from parents and school staff
• Standardized tests – same test given in the same way to many people and graded in the same way
• Observation of the student in school settings
• Review of classroom tests and information

Evaluation – additional information:

• More than one type of test for each area of concern is usually done
• Tests are done in all areas of concern
• Every effort should be made to administer in the student’s language, unless that is not possible
• Tests are given by trained staff and given according to instructions
• It is possible that the team may decide that no additional testing is needed to decide that the student is a child with a disability
• Evaluations done by medical staff and other professionals other than school staff may be provided to school staff
• A file review means reviewing what is in the student’s school file. This could include previous evaluations, testing results, progress reports, etc.

Evaluation Plan

• The specific areas to be assessed
• The type of assessment that will be done
• Who will be doing the assessment
• The notice is called a Prior Written Notice (PWN)
• Parents should review the evaluation plan, fully understand what the school will be doing, and ask any questions before signing the PWN
• The PWN includes a signature page for the parent to sign they agree with the evaluation plan, disagree with the plan or have questions about the plan
• For the first (initial) evaluation, the parent must sign the notice before the special education evaluation can begin
• For reevaluations, the school can start the evaluation if the parent does not return the form within 14 calendar days

The school has 30 school days to complete the evaluation. The 30 school day time line begins:

• After the school has received the signed PWN back from the parent
• 14 calendar days after the school sent the PWN

Evaluation Meeting (Ask the school to provide you with a copy of the evaluation report so you can read it before the evaluation meeting. The school is not required to provide it to you before the meeting.) After the evaluation is completed, an evaluation review meeting is held. At the meeting, the evaluation team will provide information on the results of the evaluations. Additionally,

• The evaluation team which includes the parent will discuss the child’s strengths and needs
• The team determines if the child is eligible for special education and related services
• The parent will receive a copy of the evaluation report
• If the child is eligible for special education and related services, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed. The IEP meeting may be part of the evaluation review meeting or a separate meeting will be held.
• Minnesota Rule 3525.2710 Evaluations and Reevaluations
• Arc Guide to Functional Behavior Assessment
• Arc Guide to the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Arc Guide to Special Education Evaluation Tools
• Arc Guide to Special Education Evaluation Terms

Download PDF For further information or advocacy services, contact The Arc Minnesota at 952-920-0855 or toll-free at 833.450.1494 or visit www.arcminnesota.org . (Please note: This document is not legal advice, and should not be construed as such. Thus, no information herein should replace the sound advice of an attorney.)

All rights reserved (c) 2019 The Arc Minnesota

Special Education Action

Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal.

IT’S THE LAW: COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATIONS

Whether your child is receiving an initial evaluation for eligibility or being reevaluated at a later date, the evaluation must be a comprehensive evaluation.

What is Comprehensive ?

In the case of initial evaluations, §300.301(a) of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is your go-to regulation:

"Each public agency must conduct a full and individual initial evaluation, in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.306, before the initial provision of special education and related services to a child with a disability under this part."

What is a comprehensive evaluation? Look to 300.301(c)(2) :

"The initial evaluation—Must consist of procedures— (i)  To determine if the child is a child with a disability under §300.8; and (ii) To determine the educational needs of the child."

Needs Can't Be Addressed If They Aren't Identified

In order to develop an education plan that addresses the needs of a child, the needs have to be identified in full. More on this at §300.304(1)(ii) :

"In conducting the evaluation, the public agency must— (1)  Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent, that may assist in determining— (ii) The content of the child’s IEP, including information related to enabling the child to be involved in and progress in the general education curriculum (or for a preschool child, to participate in appropriate activities)."

For example:

In 2016, during a meeting at an elementary school presented its evaluation, I stated that the evaluation was not comprehensive. The school principal stood up and stated, "We only test for eligibility".

If a school only tests for eligibility, it could stop its evaluation as soon as it identified one issue. For example, under this thinking, the minute the school's testing provided enough data to show the student is a student with a specific learning disability related to reading, the school could stop testing—and completely miss data indicating the student might have other areas of need, such as auditory processing, visual processing, Dyscalculia, and so on.

Too often, there is more than one thing at play.

What is Comorbidity?

In her article " Autism and Comorbid Mental Health Issues ", Vanessa Tucker stated there is no "neatly wrapped box into which we can place all children and youth." In the context of her article, this statement spoke to categories of eligibility, but it fits when talking about evaluations, too. The struggles children face typically come in pairs, groups, and so on, hence, they exist together. The are comorbid.

The American Psychiatric Association's definition of SLD provides an example of comorbidity within this area of eligibility:

"An estimated five to 15% of school-age children struggle with a learning disability. An estimated 80% of those with learning disorders have an impairment in reading in particular (commonly referred to as dyslexia). Dyslexia is highly prevalent affecting 20% of the population. Dyslexia affects male and females equally. There is a high comorbidity of specific learning disorder with other neurodevelopmental disorders (such as ADHD) as well as anxiety. "

In the example shared previously, of the principal stating the school only tests for eligibility, I asked for more testing.

Within three weeks of the initial evaluation, a reevaluation was done and additional areas of needs were identified.

As the year progressed, and more areas of concern emerged, I again stated the initial evaluation wasn't comprehensive (nor was the reevaluation three weeks later).

The school did another evaluation and additional areas of need were identified.

All of this came after the school district denied the child an evaluation three times between first and sixth grades, and repeatedly cited good grades among the reasons not to evaluate.

Good Grades Can't Be Used To Deny Evaluations

Neither grades nor severe discrepancies can be used to deny evaluations.

If grades are brought up, head to 300.101(c)(1) , which states:

" (c)  Children advancing from grade to grade. (1) Each State must ensure that FAPE is available to any individual child with a disability who needs special education and related services, even though the child has not failed or been retained in a course or grade, and is advancing from grade to grade."

If discrepancies are brought up, head to §300.307(a)(1): :

"A State must adopt, consistent with §300.309, criteria for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in §300.8(c)(10). In addition, the criteria adopted by the State— (1) Must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in §300.8(c)(10)."

However, discrepancies are evidence that there is an issue, which means if a discrepancy comes up during an evaluation, it needs to be probed. For more information, Understood.org has an excellent article on the discrepancy model .

In addition, in the case of specific learning disabilities, the school psychologist is required, under §300.304(b)(2) to:

"Not use any single measure or assessment as the sole criterion for determining whether a child is a child with a disability and for determining an appropriate educational program for the child."

If there is an issue, one assessment or evaluation isn't enough to determine the appropriate education program.

The following is from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). It appears in an 8.3.17 Notice of Complaint it issued in response to a complaint I filed. It hits upon both the state and the federal:

"Evaluation/Reevaluation/Eligibility- Procedures: The 2006 implementing regulations, at 34 C.F.R. § 300.304 and 34 C.F.R 300.310, and the Virginia Regulations, at 8 VAC 20-81-70.B.14 states that this requirement are met: Each child is assessed by a qualified professional in all areas relating to the suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, motor abilities, and adaptive behavior. This may include educational, medical, sociocultural, psychological, or developmental assessments. a. The hearing of each child suspected of having a disability shall be screened during the eligibility process prior to initial determination of eligibility for special education and related services. b. A complete audiological assessment, including tests that will assess inner and middle ear functioning, shall be performed on each child who is hearing impaired or deaf or who fails two hearing screening tests."

Understanding Psycho-Educational Evaluations

Psycho-educational evaluations are an important type of special education assessment. Sometimes, these evaluations can be hard to understand. Below is information to help you read these assessments, including: (1) Components of a Psycho-Educational Evaluation, (2) Types of Tests Commonly Used, and (3) Common Terms Defined.

Disclaimer:  This publication is legal information only and is not legal advice about your individual situation. It is current as of the date posted. We try to update our materials regularly. However, laws are regularly changing. If you want to make sure the law has not changed, contact DRC or another legal office.

Components of a Psycho-Educational Evaluation

A psycho-educational evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of a student’s cognitive, academic, and socio-emotional functioning. These evaluations are used to determine if a student is eligible for special education. Additionally, psycho-educational evaluations inform the delivery and type of related services your student will receive. Psycho-educational evaluations are usually standardized. This means that the student’s scores are compared to typical students of the same age and gender. However, keep in mind that a school district may use additional or different tests to best determine your student’s needs.

While individual evaluations may be different, most psycho-educational evaluations will have seven sections:

Background information and developmental history.

To better evaluate your student, an examiner will need to have a complete picture of their development leading up to the evaluation. Information asked might include your student’s birth history, developmental history, medical history, academic history, social/emotional history, family history, and areas of concern. This information is helpful in developing a diagnostic strategy and planning appropriate interventions for your student.

Assessment of cognitive functioning.

Examiners will administer a group of tests to determine how your student learns. These assessments often include verbal or visual tests to examine verbal and nonverbal reasoning, certain types of memory, and the speed at which your student processes and responds to information.

In addition to collecting scores, this area of testing will also give the examiner the opportunity to see how your student approaches problem solving.

Assessment of processing.

Examiners will also look at other processing areas that will help them determine your student’s strengths and weaknesses. This might include speech and language processing, auditory processing and other forms of memory, attention, organization and visual-motor processing. Note that the definition of a Specific Learning Disability includes a processing disorder. The school district must assess a student’s processing in order to appropriately identify a Specific Learning Disability.

Assessment of academic functioning.

Academic assessments, sometimes called achievement assessments, help examiners understand your student’s academic strengths and weaknesses. Examiners will assign tasks related to reading, writing, spelling and mathematics to evaluate general academic skill. Academic fluency and efficiency are also often measured.

Examiners might also add other academic assessments if they see your student is having trouble in a specific area. For example, if they see your student has trouble with reading single words, the examiner may test phonological processing and reading efficiency to find out why your student is having trouble.

Social/emotional functioning.

Examining your student’s social and emotional functioning is also important to determining their strengths and needs. This can be done in different ways depending on your student’s age and the examiner’s approach.

For younger children, examiners will often use parent questionnaires to assess the student’s social/emotional and behavioral functioning. They may also ask teachers to complete a questionnaire about your student’s learning and behavior. Examiners may also have your student complete a questionnaire on their feelings as they grow older. Your student may also be given a test to measure how they cope with, and view, social relationships.

Recommendation on Eligibility.

The evaluation should include a recommendation on your child’s eligibility for special education. For an initial evaluation, the examiner should make a recommendation about whether your child qualifies for special education based on the assessments they administered. For a triennial evaluation, the examiner should make a recommendation about whether your child continues to qualify for special education.

There are 13 different categories of eligibility for special education. Because the psychoeducation evaluation is just one type of special education assessment, it may not cover all 13 areas of eligibility. While a special education assessment does not formally diagnose a child as having a medical condition, it can help to determine whether a child has a disability that qualifies them for special education.

Remember, the recommendation is not a final determination. The IEP team must meet and decide as a team whether or not the student qualifies for special education under any of the categories.

Recommendations for IEP.

If the evaluation recommends the student is eligible for special education, they should also make recommendations about the student’s IEP. For example, they may make recommendations on appropriate goals, services, supports, accommodations, and modifications. You might consider asking the evaluator their opinion on your child’s goals, services, supports, accommodations, and modifications during the IEP meeting.

Types of Tests Use

Achievement Test: A test of academic subjects such as Reading, Math, and Writing. Examples include the Woodcock-Johnson II Test of Achievement, the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition (KTEA II), and the Wide Range Achievement Test 4 (WRAT-4).

Adaptive Behavior Rating Scale: Examines a child’s ability to perform certain tasks, such as eating, dressing, completing schoolwork, etc., and is completed by both the parent and the child’s teacher. Examples of this are the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS) or Vineland-II.

Behavior Rating Scale: An instrument completed by parents and teachers which is used to pinpoint behavioral, academic, and social problems. They are also used by mental health professionals to diagnose specific psychiatric conditions. Examples include the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), Connors Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales (CRBS), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

Intellectual or Cognitive Tests: A test designed to measure intellectual ability and/or potential. Examples of commonly used tests are the Weschler Individual Achievement Test (WISC IV), the Stanford Binet 5, and the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT).

Common Terms

Baseline: Describes a student’s current performance of a skill or strategy in measurable terms before intervention or treatment. The baseline serves as a starting point for an IEP. Examples may include words per minute or level of prompts necessary to sustain a behavior.

Diagnostic Test: A test used to identify or diagnose a child’s problem areas.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ): A score from a test designed to measure intelligence. Tables are used to compare children’s performance to the performance of same age peers.

Lexile: A reading measure that provides information about an individual's reading ability or the difficulty of a text. It can assist in matching a reader with the appropriate difficulty level or text for decoding and comprehension. The Lexile reader measure can also be used to monitor growth in reading ability over time.

Mean: The mean is the average score on a test, generally the mean is 100.

Norm-referenced Tests: Tests that are given to a large sample of children so that it is possible to know how children compare with others of the same age or same grade.

Percentile Rank: A way to compare test scores by first getting an average, or the mean, and then looking at how the scores vary around that average.

Valid: A test or intervention is valid if it is used or interpreted in the manner prescribed and measures what it claims to measure. Most widely used tests have research to support their validity.

Quantile: A method for evaluating test scores. Nationwide test scores for an assessment are organized along a bell curve with the mean score placed at the peak of the curve. National scores are then separated into four groups, typically numbered Q1-Q4. Q4 will typically be the group to the far left and contains the lowest scores, while Q1 will be placed at the other end of the spectrum and will contain the highest scores.

Standard Deviation (SD): A measure of how far from an average score a student’s score is. In most psychological and educational tests, the standard deviation is 15. Average scores should be very close to the mean of 100. For example, a score of 85 is one standard deviation below the mean or average while a 70 is two standard deviations below the mean.

T-Score: Used by behavior scales to report results, a T-score has a mean or average of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.

Stanine: Some tests report scores in stanines, or in a nine-unit format. On a stanine test, a 5 is an average score, a 9 is the highest and a 1 is the lowest.

We are aware of technical issues relating to our School Search and potentially other areas on our website and are working on a resolution. If you are not able to view the information you are seeking on our site, please check back again later today. Thank you for your patience!

Understanding Special Education: The Evaluation Process

• May 15, 2020

You, as a parent or guardian, are the expert on your child. If you are concerned that your child has a disability or is not making progress, it is important to understand how to start the process to obtain additional support for your child in the classroom. The special education evaluation process can be the first step in finding out what supports your child needs. 

The Evaluation Process

1. Request an evaluation. To begin the evaluation process, you should submit a written request for evaluation to a school official, such as the school principal or counselor, with the date included. The school must either send you: (1) a Permission to Evaluate-Consent Form (PTE), which explains the reasons for the evaluation, any records or reports the school will use, and the specific types of tests that the school district will do; or (2) written notice, which explains why the school will not evaluate your child. Alternatively, the school can request the evaluation, but you still must sign the PTE to begin the evaluation.

2. Participate in the evaluation. Within 60 calendar days (not including summer months) of receiving the PTE, the school must complete all assessments of your child and provide you with an Evaluation Report. The assessment process may involve testing, interviews, observations, and a review of the student’s academic recornd work. You can also provide information from outside medical or other professionals who know your child. Your child will be eligible for special education if he or she: (1) meets the definition of one of the disability categories; and (2) needs specialized instruction and related services because of the disability.

3. Create the IEP. If your child is eligible to receive special education, you must meet with the IEP team to establish and write the annual plan. The school must set up the meeting within 30 calendar days after issuing the Evaluation Report. The IEP should include educational services to address all of your child’s unique needs. Parents and guardians are an important part of the IEP team and must be invited to all IEP meetings. You should attend the meetings or request to reschedule them so that you can help plan for your child.

4. Review the NOREP. After the meeting, the school will provide you with the Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) exping the placement and educational services offered to your child in the IEP. The NOREP should be consistent with the plan that was discussed at the meeting. Typically, the NOREP explains services that will be provided at your child’s current school. However, if your child requires a specialized program that is not provided at the current school, the NOREP could explain that your child will be transferred to a different school. You must indicate on the NOREP whether you agree with the proposed plan and return it to the school within 10 calendar days.

·        If you disagree, you may request a meeting with school officials, mediation, or a due process hearing.

“color: rgb(62, 62, 60); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Symbol;”>·        If you do not want your child to change to the educational program listed in the NOREP, you should request mediation or a due process hearing to freeze the placement. This is called pendency. You can learn more about pendency, as well as requesting mediation or a due process hearing, by visiting the Office of Dispute Resolution at odr-pa.org or contacting the Office of Dispute Resolution’s ConsultLine at 800-879-2301.

5. Implement the IEP. If you do not request mediation or a due process hearing, the school must begin providing the services written in the IEP as soon as possible but no later than 10 school days after the school issues the NOREP.

6. Review the plan at least annually. The school must meet to review the IEP at least once a year, but it should provide you with reports of progress throughout the school year. You can request an IEP meeting at any time to discuss any concerns. In addition, the school must reevaluate your child at least once eve every two years for children with intellectual disabilities) or as needed based on your child’s progress.

Transitioning from an Early Intervention Program to Kindergarten

For eligible preschool children ages 3 to 5 years old living in Philadelphia and areas of Delaware County, Elwyn SEEDS provides Preschool Early Intervention (EI) testing and coordinates support services. When children with EI services are of school age, Elwyn SEEDS coordinates the Transition to Kindergarten process, which begins a year prior to starting Kindergarten. Eligible children can have an established IEP that will provide support first while seeking reevaluation with the District or charter school. Learn more about transitioning from an Early Intervention program  here .

Disclaimer: This information, reviewed by the Education Law Center, provides a general idea of Pennsylvania and federal special education laws and should not be considered legal advice.

More Information

For more information about special education or for assistance in the evaluation process, contact:

·     “http://philasd.org/specializedservices” target=”_blank”> Office of Specialized Services , 215-400-4170

·   “http://odr-pa.org/” target=”_blank”> The Office of Dispute Resolution , ConsultLine, 800-879-2301

·   “http://elc-pa.org/” target=”_blank”> Education Law Center , 215-238-6970

·   “http://www.elwyn.org/services/children-3-21/seeds-preschool-early-intervention-services/” target=”_blank”> Elwyn SEEDS , 215-222-8054

What types of services special education services are available in public schools?  Read this article .

Looking for more information on finding a great school?   See all articles here.

 More information

Looking for more information on finding a great school?  See all articles here .

Sign up for our GreatPhillySchools  mailing list  to stay in the loop and receive updates about application deadlines, learning resources for students, schools with open seats, events and more.

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Analysis shows full special education funding could avert some school referendums

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

If funding streams for special education covered the full costs of those services in Wisconsin schools, school districts could already have over 60% of the funding that they sought from voters in referendums this spring, an analysis by the office of state Sen. Chris Larson found.

The state reimburses schools for only about a third of their special education costs, leaving districts to pull from their general aid to cover the rest.

Larson, a Democrat from Milwaukee, called on Republican lawmakers to convene a special session to use some of the state's budget surplus to raise state reimbursement of special education costs to 90%. A Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo requested by Larson showed the move could cost about $970 million annually, if costs next year are similar to this year.

Republicans previously rejected calls to raise the reimbursement rate. Gov. Tony Evers had proposed raising the rate to 60%, after calls for an increase from a broad coalition of business executives, public school leaders and private school leaders. Republicans walked it back to 33% , a slight increase from the previous rate of 30%.

That leaves districts on the hook to cover the rest of their costs. Most districts had to pull between $1,000 and $2,000 in regular education funding for each district student to cover special education services in the 2019-20 school year, according to a report by the Education Law Center, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that advocates for equitable school funding.

Staff for Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, and Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, who chair the education committees in the state Legislature, said they did not immediately have a comment on Larson's proposal.

Special education funding could save schools most of what they sought in referendums, including in Milwaukee

Public schools are required by federal law to meet the needs of students with disabilities as outlined in individualized education plans, regardless of cost. In 2022-23, Wisconsin schools had over $1 billion in unreimbursed costs for special education.

Larson's office looked specifically at the 68 school districts that used referendums this spring to ask voters for the ability to raise tax funding for schools. Together, they asked voters for about $427 million.

The total unreimbursed special education costs for those districts was about $272 million. That's about 64% of the amount they collectively sought from voters.

Larson's office also found 16 school districts where unreimbursed special education costs were the same or higher than the amount sought in a referendum.

Looking at Milwaukee Public Schools, full special education funding would provide the district an additional $143.5 million, Larson's office found — about 57% of what the district sought from voters this April in its successful referendum, which will ultimately raise the district's spending authority by about $252 million.

In a letter to constituents Tuesday, Larson argued that with the passage rate for referendums declining across the state, the issue of special education is more urgent to sustain school budgets.

"This is not sustainable," Larson wrote. "People support their public schools, but there are limits to how much they are willing to raise their own taxes."

Costs are greater for high-poverty districts

The special education reimbursement shortfalls tend to be highest for districts with higher rates of poverty, an analysis by the Education Law Center  found , as those districts have higher numbers of students with disabilities who need special education services.

The center compared Milwaukee Public Schools with the Whitefish Bay School District.

In the 2019-20 school year, 84% of MPS students qualified as low income, and 20% were identified as having disabilities. In Whitefish Bay, 2% of students were low income, and 11% had disabilities. MPS had to use about $2,000 of its general funding per student to cover special education costs, while Whitefish Bay had to pull about $1,100 per student.

Researchers have found a variety of reasons why students from lower-income families, and students of color, are more likely to need special education services. As a result of  racist housing policies  and governmental neglect, many children have been exposed to lead in their water or paint, live in food deserts and deal with other environmental stressors that affect their development. Many families also struggle to access early childhood education and other learning opportunities that wealthier families can attain.

How much does my district spend on special education?

A tool from the Education Law Center shows the amount each Wisconsin school district spent on special education in the 2019-20 school year, and how far short the state funding fell.

For districts that had a referendum this spring, Larson's office's data shows the referendum amounts and the amounts of special education costs that weren't reimbursed in the 2022-23 school year.

Contact Rory Linnane at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane . 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Special education funding could avert some school referendums

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School leaders warn of ‘full-blown’ special needs crisis in England

Survey by NAHT union finds funding shortages mean pupils are losing out on vital support

Shortages and funding cuts are causing a “full-blown crisis” in special needs education for children and young people in England , according to school leaders who say they are struggling to give pupils the support they require.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union the NAHT, accused the government of treating schools as a “sideline” compared with headline-grabbing issues such as immigration.

“This is a full-blown crisis and bad news for children, families, schools and local authorities. Ahead of the general election, it is incumbent upon all political parties to pledge the system-wide investment needed to tackle this crisis head on,” Whiteman said.

Leaders of both mainstream and special schools told the NAHT they were being forced to reduce the number of teaching assistants or hours worked because of financial pressures, cutting vital individual support for pupils with special education needs and disabilities (Send).

The NAHT’s survey of 1,000 school leaders found that 78% said they had cut back on support staff such as teaching assistants within the last three years, and 84% said they also expected to do so within the next three years.

Some leaders said they feared funding shortages meant they would be unable to keep children and staff safe, while others said they were unable to pay for speech and language therapy, mental health support or specialist training.

Ian Kendal, the executive headteacher of Our Lady of Fatima trust in Essex, said the funding was insufficient and that it was “astonishing” per pupil Send funding had not increased for more than a decade. This, he said put huge pressure on dwindling school budgets.

“There just isn’t capacity within special schools in our area, meaning we are supporting even more pupils with complex needs within our mainstream settings.

“We believe in inclusion and are currently doing our best with the limited funds, but, put simply, it is not good enough for the children with the most complex needs – they deserve so much more than we can give them.

“It should never have come to this, and we need the government to urgently put more funding into the system to ensure all children’s needs are met, especially the most vulnerable.”

Funding for pupils in special schools has been frozen at £10,000 per pupil since 2013, with its value being steeply eroded in recent years by high inflation.

The school leaders’ complaints come as the number of pupils with identified Send, including those with education, health and care plans (EHCPs), has ballooned.

Gillian Keegan, the education secretary for England, has previously acknowledged the extent of the crisis, saying earlier this year: “All too often I hear from parents with children who have special educational needs having to fight to get the right support.”

The Department for Education says the government is tackling the issue, with high needs funding for children and young people increasing above £10.5bn in 2024-25.

The government is also allocating £850m for councils to eventually create 60,000 new places in mainstream and special schools.

But Louise Gittins, the chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said: “Councils’ high needs deficits currently stand at an estimated £1.9bn, rising to £3.6bn by 2025 with no intervention. We urge the government to write off these deficits.”

Whiteman told the NAHT’s annual conference on Friday that the government’s neglect of schools had been “pernicious”.

“For the best part of 15 years now, schools have been treated as though they’re a sideline, a niche portfolio to be considered once all populist talk on immigration, polarised positions on trans rights, and removing the right to protest have been exhausted,” Whiteman said.

“If political parties think the electorate haven’t noticed, or simply don’t care, I strongly suspect they’re all going to have a nasty shock during the election campaign.”

• Special educational needs
• School funding
• Trade unions

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