How to Request an IEP Evaluation in Indiana

Your child is struggling. You've watched it happen for months — maybe years. Teachers send home vague notes about "challenges," the school talks about trying more interventions, and yet nothing concrete changes. At some point you start wondering: shouldn't someone actually figure out what's going on?

In Indiana, that process starts with a formal evaluation request. The moment you submit one in writing, a strict legal clock starts ticking — and the school is bound by 511 IAC Article 7 to respond. Here's exactly how to do it and what to expect.

You Have the Right to Request an Evaluation at Any Time

This is the single most important thing Indiana parents get wrong: you do not have to wait for the school to suggest an evaluation. Under Article 7 and the federal IDEA, you can request a special education evaluation in writing at any time, regardless of what tier of intervention your child is in, how long they've been in MTSS, or what teachers tell you about "needing more data."

Indiana schools are required to actively find and evaluate children with disabilities — this is called the Child Find obligation. But the school's timeline for acting on its own suspicions is often far longer than what kicks in when you make a formal written request. Your written request triggers specific, enforceable deadlines.

What Triggers the 10-Business-Day Response Clock

Once the school receives your written evaluation request, it must respond within 10 business days with a Prior Written Notice (PWN). In that notice, the school must either:

• Agree to conduct the evaluation and provide you with the consent form, or
• Refuse to evaluate and explain why in writing

If the school refuses, they must explain the reasoning, cite what data they used to reach that decision, and describe what other options they considered. You can challenge a refusal through mediation, a state complaint to the IDOE Office of Special Education, or due process.

If they agree, you'll receive a consent form. The moment you sign it and the school receives it, the 50-instructional-day clock begins for completing the full evaluation and convening the Case Conference Committee (CCC). Indiana's "instructional days" do not include weekends, holidays, or school breaks — so a November consent can legally result in a February or March CCC.

What Your Request Letter Should Include

Your evaluation request does not need to be elaborate. It does need to be in writing and clearly state that you are requesting a special education evaluation. Send it by email (so you have a timestamp) and follow up with a printed copy delivered to the school in a way you can document.

Your letter should include:

• Your child's full name, date of birth, and grade
• The name of the school
• A clear statement that you are requesting an evaluation for special education eligibility under the IDEA and 511 IAC Article 7
• Your observations about what you're seeing — specific behaviors, academic struggles, developmental concerns
• A request for confirmation of receipt and the school's timeline for responding

You don't need to diagnose your child or cite specific laws beyond Article 7. You just need the request to be unambiguous: you want a formal evaluation, in writing, now.

Sample language:

"I am formally requesting a comprehensive special education evaluation for my child, [Name], a student in [Grade] at [School Name]. I am concerned about [briefly describe what you're observing]. I am making this request in writing pursuant to the IDEA and 511 IAC Article 7. Please confirm receipt of this request and provide a Prior Written Notice with your response within 10 business days."

MTSS Cannot Be Used to Delay Your Request

Indiana schools sometimes push back on evaluation requests by saying the student needs to complete a full cycle of MTSS or RtI interventions first. This is not accurate under Indiana law.

Article 7 is explicit: a school's use of MTSS or RtI cannot be used to delay or deny a parent's right to request a formal evaluation. If you ask for an evaluation in writing and the school responds that they need more intervention data before evaluating, that response may itself be a procedural violation.

There is one legitimate intersection: if your child has been in a documented RtI process, has failed to make adequate progress, and the school subsequently refers them for evaluation, the timeline compresses to 20 instructional days instead of 50. But this shortened clock applies to school-initiated referrals following RtI failure — not to a school withholding your evaluation request while they complete interventions.

What Happens During the Evaluation

If consent is given, the school forms a Multidisciplinary Team (M-Team) that must include a school psychologist, a general education teacher, and a special education teacher. Depending on what areas of concern are identified, it may also include occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, or other specialists.

The evaluation must cover all areas related to the suspected disability. It cannot rely on a single test. Evaluators must assess academic achievement, cognitive development, communication skills, motor skills, and social/emotional history — and they must observe your child in their typical learning environment.

As a parent, you can submit your own information: outside medical records, private evaluation reports, observations. The M-Team is legally required to consider what you provide.

You also have the right to receive a copy of the completed evaluation report at least 5 school days before the CCC meeting so you can review it and prepare questions before sitting down with the school team.

After the Evaluation: The CCC Meeting

Once the evaluation is complete (within the 50-instructional-day window), the school must convene a Case Conference Committee meeting. This is Indiana's term for what federal law calls an IEP Team meeting. At the CCC, the committee reviews the evaluation findings and determines whether your child meets eligibility criteria under one of Indiana's 13 disability categories.

If eligible, the CCC proceeds to develop the IEP in the same meeting, or schedules a follow-up meeting to do so. If the committee determines your child is not eligible, you receive a written explanation and retain the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense if you disagree with the findings.

If the School Ignores Your Request

A school that fails to respond within 10 business days, or acknowledges your request but never provides a PWN, is in violation of Article 7. You have several options:

• File a formal state complaint with the IDOE Office of Special Education (complaints must be filed within one year of the violation)
• Request state mediation
• Contact IN*SOURCE, Indiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, for support in documenting the non-response

Keep copies of everything — your original request, any email confirmation of delivery, follow-up communications. Documentation is the difference between a complaint that goes somewhere and one that doesn't.

Understanding exactly when and how to make your evaluation request is the first step in navigating Indiana's special education process. The Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint at /us/indiana/iep-guide/ includes letter templates for evaluation requests, IEE demands, and other key procedural moments — built specifically for Indiana's Article 7 framework so you don't have to start from scratch.

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