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If a child is suspected of having a disability (or has a diagnosis) and needs special education, he/she should make a referral to the school or local education agency (LEA). In this referral you should clearly write out concerns, and explain why you believe the child may have an education disability.
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In New Hampshire, within 15 calendar days (this counts weekends, holidays, school vacations, snow days) from the date a school recieves a referral for special education, they must pull together the Individual Education Program (IEP) Team and conduct a meeting.
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Once the IEP team has your written consent to test your child, they have 45 calendar days to complete the evaluations, which are then used to determine your child's eligibility for special education.
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Once the evaluations are complete, the IEP team develops a written summary of the test results. Then, the IEP, including the parents, meet to consider all available information to determine the child's educational standings.
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Once your child is determined eligible for special education and under what category or code, the IEP team must present you with a WPN (written prior notice). The IEP team then has 30 days to begin writing your child's IEP.
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Within 30 days of determining that your child is eligible the IEP team must meet to begin to draft an IEP. Sometimes this happens at the same meeting the team determines eligibilty and sometimes it's broken into two meetings. The IEP must be reviewed annually, and must be in effect by the start of each school year.
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Once the IEP has been approved and signed by the school and parent, the IEP decides where the child's IEP needs can be met in the least restricitve environment (LRE).
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https://nhspecialed.org/special-ed-process/disposition-of-referral/ Pierangelo, R. A.; Giuliani, G. (2017). Assessment in Special Education: A Practical Approach (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
