How to Request a Special Education Evaluation in Pennsylvania

Waiting for the school to suggest an evaluation is one of the most common mistakes Pennsylvania parents make. Under Chapter 14, you don't have to wait. You have the right to request a comprehensive evaluation at any time — and once you make that request in writing, the district's timeline obligations kick in immediately.

Here's how the evaluation process works in Pennsylvania, what documents to expect, and what to do if the school refuses or delays.

When You Can Request an Evaluation

You can request a special education evaluation any time you suspect your child may have a disability that affects their ability to access education. You do not need a doctor's diagnosis first. You do not need the school's agreement that a problem exists. You simply need to make the request.

Common situations where parents request evaluations:

• Your child is significantly behind grade level and general education interventions haven't helped
• Your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, or another condition privately and you want to know whether they qualify for school services
• Your child's behavioral challenges are escalating and you want to understand the underlying cause
• Your child is in an RTI (Response to Intervention) process and years are passing without formal evaluation
• Your child transferred to a new district and their previous evaluation is outdated

Pennsylvania's Child Find mandate also requires the school to act on its own when it has reason to suspect a disability — but you cannot rely on the school to self-initiate. Document your concerns in writing and make the request yourself.

How to Make the Request

Submit a written request to the school principal and the Director of Special Education. Do not rely on a verbal conversation or an email to a teacher. Put it in writing and keep a copy with the date.

Your letter should state:

• You are requesting a "comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation to determine eligibility for special education and related services under Chapter 14 and IDEA"
• The areas of concern you want evaluated (academic, behavioral, speech/language, occupational therapy, social-emotional functioning)
• Your child's name, grade, and date of birth
• The school

Keep it concise and direct. You don't need a legal argument — just a clear written request.

If you make an oral request to any professional employee or administrator, the school is legally required under Section 14.123(c) to give you the Permission to Evaluate (PTE) form within 10 calendar days. If they don't, follow up in writing referencing the oral request you made on a specific date.

The Permission to Evaluate (PTE) Form

The PTE is Pennsylvania's consent form for the initial evaluation. Before the school can evaluate your child, you must sign it. Before you sign:

• Review the list of proposed assessments
• If areas are missing that you believe are relevant — OT, speech, behavioral assessment — request they be added
• Ask what evaluation tools will be used and who will conduct each component

The formal 60-calendar-day evaluation clock does not start until the school receives your signed PTE. Once you sign and return it, document the date.

The 60-Day Evaluation Timeline

Pennsylvania's evaluation timeline is governed by Chapter 14: the school must complete the evaluation and deliver the Evaluation Report (ER) to you within 60 calendar days of receiving the signed PTE. Summer vacation does not count — the clock pauses during the period between the school year's closing and opening.

The ER is Pennsylvania's evaluation document. It is kept separate from the IEP (unlike some other states that combine evaluation and program into one document). The ER must include:

• Findings from all assessments conducted
• Input from parents, teachers, and existing records
• An eligibility determination: does the child have a qualifying disability that requires specially designed instruction?
• A description of the child's present educational needs

You must receive the ER at least 10 school days before the IEP meeting where it will be discussed. This gives you time to process the findings before you're asked to participate in developing the educational program. You can waive this waiting period in writing.

If the District Refuses to Evaluate

If the school believes an evaluation is unnecessary, it cannot simply ignore your request. Under Chapter 14, the district must issue a NOREP (Notice of Recommended Educational Placement) formally declining to evaluate, with specific data and reasoning supporting the refusal.

That written refusal is the beginning of your paper trail, not the end of the road. You can immediately:

1. Request an explanation of the specific data they relied on to refuse
2. File for mediation through the ODR (Office for Dispute Resolution) to challenge the refusal
3. File a due process complaint requiring the district to evaluate

A refusal to evaluate when there is reasonable suspicion of a disability is a violation of both federal IDEA and Pennsylvania's Child Find obligations. Hearing officers take these cases seriously when the parent has documented a reasonable basis for concern.

Reevaluations and the Reevaluation Report (RR)

Students with existing IEPs must be reevaluated at least once every three years (triennial reevaluation). Pennsylvania uses a Reevaluation Report (RR) for this process.

The school may propose to conduct the reevaluation using existing data without new testing (called a "records review" reevaluation). Before agreeing to a records-only review, verify that the existing data is recent enough to be meaningful. If you believe new testing is warranted, you can request it — the district must either conduct it or document why it isn't necessary.

If the IEP team determines a student no longer qualifies for special education, that determination must come from a reevaluation and be documented in an RR.

Requesting an IEE

If you disagree with the ER — either because you believe it's incomplete, used the wrong assessment tools, or reached incorrect conclusions — you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. The district must either fund an independent evaluation by a qualified outside evaluator, or immediately file for due process to defend the adequacy of its own evaluation.

For a complete guide to the evaluation request process, what the ER should contain, and how to challenge an inadequate evaluation in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania IEP & 504 Blueprint covers the full Chapter 14 evaluation framework.

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