Reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Long, Ph.D. — Director of Special Education, 32 years in public schools.
Multiple sources: teacher/staff observations across settings; academic records (grades, work samples, attendance); behavioral data (referrals, incident reports, patterns over time); parent input and history; outside evaluations or records if the family shares them; and the results of the school's own formal evaluation (a multi-factored or comprehensive evaluation), which the school must conduct with parent consent before an eligibility decision. You can request this evaluation in writing at any time you have a genuine concern.
The free Evaluation Report Decoder explains what a score measures, where it sits, and whether a gap between two scores is real.
Open the Evaluation Report Decoder →Dr. Long's Assistant answers your specific questions in plain language — built from Dr. Long's expertise, plus state and federal law read at the source — never the open internet.
Get started →This is educational information, not legal advice. IDEA, Section 504, FERPA, and state rules may differ by situation.
Same Team