How to Request an IEP Evaluation in Oregon: The Letter That Starts the Clock

The most common mistake Oregon parents make when they believe their child needs a special education evaluation is relying on a conversation with a teacher or a verbal promise from the principal. Verbal communication does not start the clock. The 60-school-day evaluation timeline under OAR 581-015-2110 begins only when the district receives your written request and you subsequently provide written consent to evaluate.

One well-written letter is how you take control of this process.

Why Written Is Non-Negotiable

Oregon's Child Find obligation under OAR 581-015-2080 requires districts to proactively identify and evaluate children with suspected disabilities. But "proactively" doesn't always happen in practice—particularly in understaffed districts like Salem-Keizer, Eugene 4J, and rural frontier districts served by regional ESDs.

When you submit a written request, you:

1. Create an undeniable record that the request was made on a specific date
2. Establish the starting point for the district's procedural response deadline
3. Force the district to either proceed with evaluation or issue a Prior Written Notice (PWN) explaining why they are refusing

Email is strongly preferred over in-person handoffs or postal mail because it automatically timestamps the communication and creates a chain of evidence. If you send a letter by mail, send it certified and keep the receipt.

Who to Address the Request To

Send your request to at minimum two recipients:

1. The school principal (for your child's current school)
2. The special education director or coordinator (for the district)

You can also copy your child's teacher, but the principal and special education director are the key recipients who have authority over the evaluation process.

If you're unsure who the district's special education director is, call the district's main office and ask for the name and email address of the Director of Special Education Services. Most Oregon district websites list this contact information.

What the Request Letter Must Include

Your letter does not need to be long. It needs to be specific. Include:

Your child's identifying information:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Grade and school
• Current date

The specific request: State clearly that you are requesting a comprehensive special education evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and OAR 581-015-2110.

The areas of concern: Describe specifically how your child is struggling. Do not just name the diagnosis—describe the educational impact. Examples:

• "She reads at a level approximately two years below her grade level and has not responded to classroom reading interventions."
• "He has been suspended three times this semester for behavioral outbursts and is receiving failing grades in two core subjects."
• "She experiences anxiety that prevents her from completing tests, results in frequent visits to the nurse, and has led to three instances of school refusal this month."
• "He has received speech therapy privately and his language skills continue to significantly lag his peers."

The more specific your description, the harder it is for the district to argue they had insufficient reason to suspect a disability.

The areas you want evaluated: If you have a sense of which areas are affected, list them. Common evaluation areas:

• Academic achievement (reading, writing, math)
• Cognitive processing
• Language and communication
• Behavioral and social-emotional functioning
• Adaptive behavior
• Sensory or motor functioning (if relevant)

You can say "I am requesting a comprehensive evaluation in all areas related to the suspected disability" if you want to leave the scope broad.

A request for Prior Written Notice if denied: End the letter with: "If you decline to evaluate my child, please provide a Prior Written Notice as required under OAR 581-015-2310 explaining your decision and the data on which it is based."

Sample Request Letter Template

[Date]

[Principal's name] [School name] [School address]

[Special Education Director's name] [District name] [District address]

Re: Request for Special Education Evaluation — [Child's full name], DOB [date], Grade [X]

Dear [Principal's name] and [Special Education Director's name],

I am writing to formally request a comprehensive special education evaluation for my child, [name], currently enrolled in [grade] at [school name]. I am requesting this evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Oregon Administrative Rule 581-015-2110.

My concerns are as follows: [Describe specific educational struggles — grades, behaviors, skill gaps, teacher observations, prior intervention attempts.]

I am requesting evaluation in all areas related to my child's suspected disability, including but not limited to: [list areas if known, or write "all relevant areas"].

I understand that once I provide written consent to evaluate, the district has 60 school days to complete the evaluation and hold an eligibility meeting under OAR 581-015-2110. I look forward to receiving the district's Prior Written Notice regarding the proposed evaluation, including the specific assessments planned.

If you decline to evaluate my child, please provide a Prior Written Notice as required under OAR 581-015-2310, explaining your decision and the evaluation data or other factors that inform it.

Please contact me at [phone/email] to discuss next steps and arrange for my consent.

Sincerely, [Your name] [Phone] [Email]

What Happens After You Send the Letter

Within a reasonable time (typically 10 to 15 business days): The district should respond with a Prior Written Notice describing the proposed evaluation plan, and a Consent to Evaluate form.

When you sign the Consent to Evaluate form: The 60-school-day clock officially starts. Keep a copy of the signed form and note the date you submitted it.

What the evaluation must include: A comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment of all areas related to the suspected disability—cognitive, academic, language, behavioral, adaptive, and any other areas relevant to the suspected condition. Under OAR 581-015-2110, the evaluation cannot rely on a single test or observation.

After the evaluation: The team holds an eligibility meeting to determine whether your child qualifies under one of IDEA's 13 disability categories and requires specialized instruction. You are a required member of this meeting.

What to Do If the District Says No

If the district refuses to evaluate, they must provide a Prior Written Notice explaining why. The refusal must include:

• The specific reason for declining
• The evaluation data or other information they relied on
• A description of other options they considered

If you believe the refusal is wrong—if there is clear evidence of an educational disability that the district is ignoring—you have two options:

1. Request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE): Ask for an outside evaluation at district expense. The district must either agree to fund it or file for due process to defend the adequacy of its own determination.

2. File an ODE state complaint: If the district has violated Child Find by failing to identify and evaluate a child they had reason to suspect had a disability, that is a procedural violation you can report to ODE. ODE investigates and issues a decision within 60 days.

The MTSS Delay Problem

Oregon schools frequently use Response to Intervention (MTSS/RTI) to delay special education evaluations. The argument is that the student must first complete intervention tiers before referral is warranted. This is not legally correct. The U.S. Department of Education's OSEP Memo 11-07 explicitly states that RTI processes cannot be used to delay or deny a special education evaluation under IDEA.

If a school tells you to "wait for MTSS tier results," you can still submit your written evaluation request. The district's obligation to respond begins when they receive your letter, regardless of where your child is in the RTI process.

The Oregon IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a complete evaluation request letter template, a consent tracking checklist, and the exact language for pushing back if the district attempts to delay evaluation through informal processes.

See more United States homeschool guides →