Disposition of Referral

What Happens After a Referral Has Been Made?

Within 15 business days from the date a school receives a referral for special education, they must pull together the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team and conduct a meeting. This meeting is called the Disposition of Referral.

At the Disposition of Referral meeting, the IEP team will talk about the reasons the referral was made and review all available data and information about your child. This includes report cards, any standardized tests that your child may have taken and any testing you may have had done outside of the school that you want to share with the school, as well as parent and teacher input. Then, the IEP team will decide what the next steps are. The IEP team will determine whether:

Your child's need can be met through regular education services

The IEP Team has determined that the concerns raised in the referral can be addressed with existing resources available to all children such as tiered support or Title I.

There is reason to suspect a disability and recommend further evaluation

If the IEP team believes they do not have enough or the right type(s) of information, the school may request permission to conduct an evaluation.

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For every major decision in the special education process, including the Disposition of Referral and conducting an evaluation, the school district must give you Written Prior Notice (WPN) of that decision. WPN ensures that parents have the information they need to make an informed decision about their child’s education. When the district asks you for consent, the WPN explains what they are asking for your consent for and why.

WPN is required to have 7 pieces:

  1. The decision – What was proposed or refused
  2. Reasons why this is being proposed or refused
  3. A description of each evaluation, procedure, test, record or report used to make the decision
  4. Other options considered and why these options were rejected
  5. Other factors relevant to the IEP team’s decision
  6. Statement that parents were given a copy of Parental Rights (Procedural Safeguards)
  7. Resources parents may contact to help them understand their rights

To learn more about WPN, check out PIC’s online module.

Frequently Asked Questions

The IEP team includes:

  • You, the parent, the
  • Local Education Agency (LEA) Representative, (the person who can commit the resources of the school district to your child’s IEP should your child be found eligible)
  • At least one special education teacher or related service provider,
  • At least one of your child’s regular education teachers,
  • An individual who can interpret the educational implications of your child’s evaluation results, and
  • Others invited by you or the school as appropriate.

IEP Team members may represent more than one role on the IEP team.

When parents have a disagreement with the IEP team, they can always request another IEP meeting to discuss their concerns with the team.

If the disagreement is about the proposed IEP, you may wish to give the team your input as to what should be added, removed or changed in writing. It is helpful to explain why your recommendations are necessary to provide your child with a free appropriate public education and how they support their educational needs. You may also wish to consider having your child’s private therapists or doctors write a letter providing their input to the IEP team.

Parents always have the right to request more formal dispute resolution options such as a facilitated IEP meeting, mediation, neutral conference, or due process if they cannot come to agreement with the IEP team. For more information on these options, please contact PIC.