How to Request a Special Education Evaluation in Missouri (and What Happens Next)

You have been watching your child struggle. The teacher has made comments. You have a diagnosis from outside the school system. But the school has not moved. Maybe they said they are "monitoring the situation." Maybe they mentioned a waiting list. Maybe no one has said anything official at all.

Here is what you need to know: in Missouri, the only thing that starts the legal clock on a special education evaluation is a written request. Verbal conversations, informal meetings, and the school's internal monitoring processes do not trigger DESE's enforceable timelines. Your written request does.

Here is exactly how to request an evaluation and what Missouri law requires to happen next.

Step 1: Submit a Written Evaluation Request

Write a simple, dated letter or email to the school's special education director. Address it to both the director and the building principal to create the clearest record. The language does not need to be complex.

Here is a simple version that works:

"I am formally requesting a comprehensive special education evaluation for [child's name], grade [X], to determine eligibility for special education services and related services under IDEA. I believe [child's name] may have a disability that is affecting their educational performance. Please provide a Notice of Action regarding this request within the legally required timeframe."

Send it by email so you have a timestamped record. If you hand-deliver it, keep a copy. The date the district receives your written request is the date the 30-day response clock begins.

Step 2: The District Must Respond Within 30 Days

Missouri requires the district to provide a Notice of Action — Prior Written Notice — within 30 calendar days of receiving your evaluation request. The Notice of Action must state one of two things:

1. The district agrees to conduct an evaluation and describes what assessments are proposed; or
2. The district refuses to evaluate and explains specifically why — what information they reviewed, what options they considered, and the reasons for the refusal.

There is no middle ground. The district cannot ask you to wait, suggest a three-month observation period, or simply not respond. If 30 calendar days pass without a Notice of Action, the district is already in violation of Missouri's procedural requirements. Document the missed deadline and file a complaint with DESE's Office of Special Education.

Step 3: Review the Proposed Evaluation Plan

If the district agrees to evaluate, the Notice of Action will describe what assessments they plan to conduct. Review this carefully. A legally sufficient evaluation for special education eligibility must be comprehensive — it should include:

• Academic achievement and cognitive ability assessment
• Adaptive behavior assessment (especially for intellectual disability, autism, or emotional disturbance)
• Observations in the classroom environment (required for SLD, Autism, ED classifications)
• Parent and teacher input
• Review of social, cultural, and health history

If the proposed evaluation plan seems narrow — for example, only one type of assessment when your child has concerns in multiple areas — you can request in writing that additional assessment areas be included before you sign consent.

You also have the right to refuse specific assessments. For example, if the district proposes psychological testing that you believe is unnecessary, you can consent to the academic testing and decline the psychological component. However, be aware that refusing certain components of the evaluation may limit the district's ability to reach an eligibility conclusion in the areas covered by the refused assessments.

Step 4: Sign Consent to Evaluate

Your signed consent is the formal trigger for the evaluation. Once you sign, the district has 60 calendar days to complete the evaluation and convene a meeting to review the results and determine eligibility.

Do not sign under pressure at a meeting without reading the evaluation plan carefully. You may take the consent form home to review. If you sign the form and then change your mind, you have the right to revoke consent before the evaluation is completed.

Step 5: The 60-Day Evaluation Timeline

Sixty calendar days is the hard deadline. This is not 60 school days — it is 60 calendar days from the date you signed consent.

During this period, the district should be conducting the assessments described in the evaluation plan. You will likely receive requests for input (questionnaires, rating scales, an intake interview). Provide this information promptly — your input is legally required to be part of the evaluation.

What counts as stopping the clock: The only allowable break in the 60-day timeline occurs if the school is not in session at the end of the 60 days and your consent was signed near the end of a school year. DESE guidance specifies that if a break in instruction occurs, the timeline resumes when school reconvenes — it does not restart.

If the 60-day deadline passes without a completed evaluation and eligibility meeting, that is a procedural violation. Contact DESE's Office of Special Education and submit a written complaint.

Step 6: The Eligibility Meeting

At the end of the evaluation period, the district convenes an eligibility meeting. This meeting reviews all evaluation data and determines whether your child qualifies for special education services.

Missouri evaluates eligibility under 16 disability categories. Your child must:

• Meet the clinical/educational criteria for at least one category
• Have a disability that adversely affects educational performance
• Require specially designed instruction (not just accommodations)

Bring your own notes and any outside evaluations to this meeting. You have the right to present outside assessment data. The team must consider it, even if they do not agree with every conclusion.

What to Do If the District Refuses to Evaluate

A refusal Notice of Action is not the end of the process. It is the beginning of a different process.

When the district refuses:

Option 1: Request an Independent Educational Evaluation. If the district's refusal is based on existing assessment data you believe is inadequate, you can request that DESE provide information about obtaining an IEE through the district. However, an IEE at public expense is specifically for cases where an evaluation was conducted and you disagree with it — not for cases where the district refused to evaluate at all.

Option 2: File a DESE State Complaint. If you believe the district's refusal violates Missouri's Child Find obligation — meaning the district should have identified your child as potentially needing services — file a complaint with DESE's Office of Special Education. DESE investigates and can order the district to conduct the evaluation.

Option 3: File for Due Process through the AHC. If the situation is severe or DESE resolution is too slow, you can file a due process complaint with Missouri's Administrative Hearing Commission. An AHC commissioner assigned to your case can issue a binding order requiring the district to evaluate.

In most situations, a DESE state complaint is the fastest and most cost-effective path to compelling an evaluation. DESE's investigation timeline is typically faster than AHC proceedings, and the process is free.

Common Stall Tactics to Watch For

Missouri parents regularly report these delays after submitting evaluation requests:

• "We need to see how the student responds to our Tier 2 interventions before we can evaluate." Missouri's RTI framework does not allow districts to indefinitely delay IDEA evaluations. If a parent requests an evaluation, the district cannot use RTI as a reason to refuse or delay without issuing a Notice of Action.
• "We need more documentation from the outside therapist first." The district may request outside records, but they cannot make your right to an evaluation contingent on providing them.
• "There's a waiting list for our school psychologist." Staffing challenges do not pause DESE's 60-day timeline.
• "Let's schedule a pre-referral meeting first." If you have already submitted a written evaluation request, a pre-referral meeting does not reset the clock unless you agree in writing to withdraw the formal request.

Any of these responses, in writing, is a refusal that triggers your right to challenge it. If you receive them verbally, follow up with a written summary: "To confirm our conversation on [date], you indicated [summary of what they said]. Please provide a written Notice of Action regarding my evaluation request."

The Missouri IEP & 504 Blueprint includes evaluation request templates, a timeline tracking tool, and the specific DESE complaint language for missed evaluation deadlines and improper evaluation refusals.

See more United States homeschool guides →