How to Request an IEP Evaluation in DC: Starting the 120-Day Clock

Your child is struggling and you believe they may need special education services. The school has been suggesting you "wait and see" or trying tier interventions for months without any movement toward a formal evaluation. Here is exactly how to force the issue — what to write, who to send it to, and how to make sure the 120-day clock actually starts.

Why the Written Request Is Everything

In DC, the IEP evaluation process does not start until the school receives a written request from you. The clock does not start because of a verbal conversation, a teacher's referral note, or an email where you mention concerns in passing. It starts when an unambiguous written request for a special education evaluation reaches the school.

Schools have independent Child Find obligations under IDEA — they are supposed to identify students who may need evaluation without waiting for a parent request. In practice, DC schools implement Child Find inconsistently, particularly at charter schools with high staff turnover and limited special education capacity. If the school has been "monitoring" for more than a few months without initiating a referral, your written request is the most reliable way to start the timeline.

Once your written request is received, DC's 5-A DCMR timelines apply:

• 30 days to hold the Analysis of Existing Data (AED) meeting
• 60 days from your consent to complete the evaluation and hold the eligibility meeting
• 30 days from eligibility determination to IEP implementation

That is 120 calendar days from your written request to services beginning — assuming you consent promptly and the school hits its deadlines.

What Your Written Request Must Say

Your request does not need to be formal or legal. It needs to be unambiguous. Here is the core language:

"I am requesting a comprehensive special education evaluation for [child's full name], who is currently in [grade] at [school name], to determine whether [he/she/they] is eligible for special education services and an Individualized Education Program (IEP). I am concerned about [briefly describe concerns — academic struggles, attention, behavior, speech, etc.]. Please confirm receipt of this request and let me know the date of the scheduled Analysis of Existing Data (AED) meeting."

That is the whole request. Short, clear, direct. Do not frame it as a question or a suggestion. Do not say "I was wondering if maybe we should think about..." — that ambiguity can delay the clock.

Include your contact information and the date. Sign it.

Who to Send It To and How

Send your request to both:

1. The principal of your child's school
2. The school's special education coordinator (sometimes called the IEP coordinator or special education contact)

Send it by email so you have a timestamp and a delivery record. If you also deliver a paper copy, keep a photocopy with the date noted. Email is generally the most reliable — you have automatic documentation of the send date, and most schools have received such requests via email.

If you don't know the special education coordinator's contact information, call the main school office and ask. Both DCPS and charter school special education coordinators are required to be accessible to families. If the school refuses to provide contact information, escalate to DCPS Central Special Education (for DCPS schools) or OSSE (for charter schools).

What Happens After You Send the Request

Within 30 days: The school must hold an AED meeting. You will receive a meeting invitation. If you do not receive a meeting invitation within 2 weeks of your request, send a follow-up email noting the date of your original request and asking for the AED meeting date.

At the AED meeting: The team reviews existing data. If additional testing is needed, they issue Prior Written Notice proposing the evaluations and ask for your written consent. Review the proposed assessment areas carefully — if you believe an area (e.g., speech-language, OT, FBA) is missing, request it in writing before signing consent.

Within 60 days of your consent: All evaluations are completed and an eligibility meeting is held. You receive evaluation reports before the meeting.

Within 30 days of eligibility: If eligible, an IEP is developed and services begin.

Refusing or Declining the AED Meeting Invitation

Some parents, confused about the process, skip or decline the AED meeting thinking they need to wait for something else first. This delays the process. Attend the AED meeting and treat it as a planning discussion, not a formal decision — the team is deciding what assessments to conduct, not whether your child qualifies. That determination comes later.

If the AED team proposes to evaluate in areas you disagree with, or refuses to evaluate in an area you think is relevant, document your disagreement in writing before signing consent. You can sign consent for the proposed assessments while noting that you believe additional areas should also be assessed.

When the School Misses the 30-Day AED Deadline

If 30 calendar days pass after your written request without a scheduled AED meeting, the school is in violation of 5-A DCMR. Take these steps:

1. Send an email to the principal and special education coordinator noting the date of your original request, the date the 30-day window expired, and requesting an AED meeting within 5 business days
2. Copy OSSE's Office of Dispute Resolution if the school does not respond within 5 business days
3. File a state complaint with OSSE if the meeting is not scheduled within a reasonable additional period

OSSE investigates state complaints within 60 days and can order the school to comply with the evaluation timeline. A complaint about an evaluation timeline violation is one of the cleaner complaints to file — the facts are objective (date of request, date of AED meeting or absence thereof), and OSSE has consistent enforcement records on this issue.

Transferring Schools Mid-Process

If your child changes schools — from one DCPS school to another, from a charter to DCPS, or vice versa — after you have submitted an evaluation request but before the evaluation is complete, the receiving school inherits the timeline. The clock does not reset. Bring documentation of your original request date to enrollment at the new school, and send a new email confirming the timeline with the new school's special education coordinator.

The District of Columbia IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a DC evaluation request template letter, a timeline tracking calendar, and a step-by-step guide to the AED meeting including what to ask for and what to watch out for.

For a detailed breakdown of DC's full four-stage timeline, see our DC IEP process guide. For the evaluation process from the DCPS/charter perspective, see DCPS IEP evaluation process and timelines.

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