I've heard from a couple of families who were told by teachers that they had to wait until the school finished certain programs with their students before they can evaluate the student's need for special education services. If there are efforts underway to intervene and help the student in the general education setting that is all well and good. However, there are a couple of issues that parents and teachers need to understand. 1. Parents always have the right to make a referral for educational evaluations when they are concerned that their student may have a disability that is hampering their learning. 2. Even if there are intervention efforts already underway by the schools, documentation from these efforts can and should be used by evaluators and case conference committees as part of the evaulation information gathered to help determine eligibility for special services.

 A good response to a teacher or other staff person who tells you you need to wait would be, "I'm very pleased that you are giving my student additional support. However, I know that parents always have the right to request formal evaluations if their student is not making enough progress. I would like to give my written consent for those evaluations so they can begin. If you do not have a referral form for me to sign I need to see the principal or the school counselor so I can get the process started."

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