Updated, December 2010
Indicator 11 focuses upon the timeliness in which States meet their Child Find obligations to evaluate children for disability and determine if they are eligible for special education and related services under IDEA within a specific timeframe. The indicator reads:
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Percent of children with parental consent to evaluate who were evaluated and eligibility determined within 60 days (or State established timeframe). [20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)]
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The Context
IDEA includes a component called Child Find that requires States to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged birth to 21, who are in need of early intervention or special education services. IDEA’s Part B child find provisions are found at §300.111.
As part of Child Find, States are responsible for evaluating children suspected of having a disability. The results of the evaluation are then used to determine that child’s eligibility for special education and related services. In 2004, Congress added a specific timeframe to IDEA within which initial evaluations must be conducted. This has been addressed in the regulations as follows:
The initial evaluation—
(1)(i) Must be conducted within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation; or
(ii) If the State establishes a timeframe within which the evaluation must be conducted, within that timeframe…[§300.301(c)(1)]
Previously, schoolsystems were required to conduct initial evaluations within a “reasonable period of time” after receiving parental consent [34 CFR §300.343(b) (1999)]. The fact that IDEA 2004 now specifies a 60-day timeframe is a big change. It’s important to note, however, that any timeframe established by the State takes precedence over the 60-day timeline required by IDEA.
Indicator 11 spells out the data that States must compile and report to OSEP regarding the timeliness of its evaluation and eligibility determinations for children suspected of having disabilities.
Resources to Support Data Gathering for Indicator 11
Guidance documents on Indicator 11.
http://spp-apr-calendar.tadnet.org/byindicator.html#b_indicator_11
And technical assistance.
http://spp-apr-calendar.tadnet.org/explorer/view/id/383
How are we doing?
What’s the current status of State practices in conducting timely initial evaluations of children? What are the data telling us? Read this summary from August 2010. The status of Indicator 11 is described on pages 123-120.
http://uploads.tadnet.org/centers/88/assets/221/download
Resources to Support the Timely Initial Evaluation of Children
Evaluation requirements.
NICHCY offers three training modules on the evaluation process that IDEA 2004 requires. These are: (1) Introduction to Evaluation; (2) Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation; and (3) Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities. These modules are part of NICHCY’s Building the Legacy curriculum on the law. Find them all at:
http://www.nichcy.org/laws/idea/legacy/
Early identification and Child Find.
NECTAC (the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center) can connect you to great resources on these two important State obligations.
http://www.nectac.org/topics/earlyid/earlyid.asp
Find data on evaluation and identification of young children with disabilities for services.
National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM) provides lots of data on how states compare with each other in terms of many different early childhood (Part C) issues.
http://www.monitoringcenter.lsuhsc.edu/Stateranks_B.htm
Connect with “Early Childhood Data Sources.”
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center can connect you with data sources on a wide range of early childhood issues.
http://www.nectac.org/portal/ecdata.asp
Need help with how to crunch your data?
Visit the Data Accountability Center. The Center provides guidance on reporting data about children with disabilities served under IDEA.
https://www.ideadata.org/index.html
Evaluation and identification of students with learning disabilities.
The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD) offers many publications and resources focused on evaluating and identifying students with learning disabilities (LD) with a special focus on Response to Intervention (RTI) as an evaluation and identification method.
http://nrcld.org
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