Reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Long, Ph.D. — Director of Special Education, 32 years in public schools.
In California, the school generally has 60 calendar days from when the school receives your written consent to complete the evaluation, decide eligibility, and develop your child's IEP (under Cal. Educ. Code § 56344(a)).
What this deadline covers. Notably, this one window covers the evaluation, the eligibility decision, and the completed IEP — so the district has less room than the number first suggests.
This single window covers the evaluation, eligibility, and the completed IEP; California excludes school vacations longer than five school days, and a late-spring referral can push the IEP to 30 days into the next school year.
Under federal law (20 U.S.C. § 1414(a)(1)(C)) the default is 60 calendar days from the school's receipt of consent, but California's own rule controls where it sets one.
The timeline generally begins when the school receives your signed written consent — write the deadline on your calendar that day so you can tell early and calmly if things slip. Try the deadline calculator →
"Calendar days," "school days," and "business days" differ sharply — school and business days exclude weekends and breaks, so the same number can mean very different real dates. California uses the unit shown above.
A ready-to-send letter that formally requests a special education evaluation and starts the timeline. Just add your details. Enter your email and it's yours.
Every state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center that helps families for free. In California, that's a regional California Parent Center (find yours in the national directory). For the official rules, see California's special education office.
Start factually: "Our evaluation was due on [date] based on California's timeline — can you give me an update?" Get the response in writing, and if it keeps slipping without a plan, it's reasonable to involve the special education director and consider a state complaint. Start by assuming it was a scheduling problem, not bad faith.
State special education rules change and are periodically updated. Confirm the current figure with California's Department of Education or your district before relying on any exact date. This is educational information, not legal advice.
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.
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