IEP Evaluation Process in Georgia
How long does Georgia have to complete an IEP evaluation?
Georgia's evaluation process for special education eligibility is governed by Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04 and federal regulations 34 CFR §§300.301-300.311. Georgia uses a 60-calendar-day timeline from receipt of parental consent to completion of the initial evaluation, which differs from the federal 60-calendar-day default and from some states that use school days. Holiday periods and other times when children are not in attendance for five or more consecutive school days are not counted toward the 60-day timeline, including the weekend days before and after such holiday periods, except for summer vacation periods when the majority of an LEA's teachers are not under contract. If consent is received 30 days or more prior to the end of the school year, the evaluation must still be completed within the 60-calendar-day timeframe. A referral for evaluation may be initiated by a parent, teacher, or other school personnel. Written parental consent is required before conducting any evaluation. Once consent is obtained, the LEA must complete the evaluation within 60 calendar days. The evaluation must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies, not rely on any single measure, be administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel, be nondiscriminatory, and be provided in the child's native language (34 CFR §300.304). Georgia requires assessment in all areas of suspected disability including health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04). For evaluations involving learning or behavioral concerns, Georgia requires a qualified psychological examiner, who must hold one of the following: (1) S-5 certification as a school psychologist, (2) license as a psychologist with school/child clinical training, (3) enrollment as a graduate student in an approved program with at least one year of training, or (4) employment as a Georgia Merit System psychologist. Reevaluations follow the same general requirements and must occur at least every three years unless waived by agreement of the parent and LEA (34 CFR §300.303). Before conducting a reevaluation, the team must review existing evaluation data (REED) to determine if additional assessments are needed (34 CFR §300.305).
What Georgia Requires
Initial evaluation must be completed within 60 calendar days from receipt of written parental consent (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04).
Holiday periods when children are not in attendance for 5+ consecutive school days are excluded from the 60-day count, except summer vacation when most teachers are not under contract.
If consent is received 30+ days before the end of the school year, the evaluation must be completed within the 60-calendar-day timeframe (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04).
Evaluation must use multiple assessment tools and strategies, be nondiscriminatory, and assess all areas of suspected disability (34 CFR §300.304; Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04).
For learning/behavioral evaluations, Georgia requires a qualified psychological examiner with S-5 certification, psychology licensure, or equivalent credentials (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04).
Review of Existing Evaluation Data (REED) is required before conducting reevaluations to determine if additional assessments are needed (34 CFR §300.305).
Parent consent required before conducting any evaluation; parent may revoke consent at any time (34 CFR §300.300).
Key Timelines
60 calendar days: evaluation must be completed from date of written parental consent (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04).
Holiday exclusion: periods when children are not in attendance for 5+ consecutive school days do not count toward the 60 days.
30 calendar days: IEP must be developed after initial eligibility determination (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06; 34 CFR §300.323(c)).
At least every 3 years: reevaluation required unless parent and LEA agree otherwise (34 CFR §300.303(b)).
Not more than once per year: reevaluation may not occur more frequently unless parent and LEA agree (34 CFR §300.303(b)).
Students turning 3 during summer or holiday periods must have eligibility determination and IEP in place by third birthday (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04).