Initial Evaluation Process – Part B / IEP

Search before creating a new record

1. Use Tools > Request Transfer to search for an existing record and avoid creating a duplicate.
2. If a record exists elsewhere, follow Request Student Transfer Help.
3. If no record exists, follow Creating a New Student Record.
4. Update the district, school, demographic, contact, and provider information appropriate for the referral.

Review the existing record status

• Active: Determine whether the student is already eligible. A reevaluation, review, amendment, or incoming-plan workflow may be more appropriate than an Initial Evaluation.
• Inactive / Not Eligible: Preserve the inactive date and reason. That prior status may be required for SIRAS to allow a subsequent Initial Evaluation.
• New referral with no eligibility history: Keep the record status Pending while the Initial Evaluation is underway.

Preserve the Special Education Initial Entry Start Date

If the student was previously found eligible and later exited, preserve the original Special Education Initial Entry Start Date. A later Initial Evaluation resets the new referral information; it does not replace the student's historical first-entry date.

See Starting Another Initial Evaluation After a Prior Evaluation for second Initial Evaluation rules.

SIS integration note

Districts using an SIS-to-SIRAS referral integration should complete the local SIS referral indicator before expecting the SIRAS record, transfer request, or demographic update. For example, Aeries districts may use the SPED Evaluating? indicator according to their district integration procedure.

1. Open the student's IEP Manager / Forms Manager.
2. Create an Initial Evaluation meeting.
3. Enter the referral date, referral source, permission-to-assess information, assessment-consent dates, and scheduling information in the meeting workflow.
4. Do not enter the new referral and assessment-consent fields directly on the MIS Summary when SIRAS provides them through the Initial Evaluation meeting.
5. Attach or document the referral, assessment plan, communications, consent records, and other supporting information according to district procedure.

If SIRAS will not allow the Initial Evaluation, review the student's existing eligibility/status history and see Starting Another Initial Evaluation After a Prior Evaluation. Contact SIRAS Support when the record history and requested meeting do not align.

Parent Consent Date

When the district receives signed permission to assess, enter the date the permission was received as the Parent Consent Date. The record remains Pending while the evaluation is underway.

SSID requirement

The district should proceed with the evaluation even when an SSID has not yet been obtained. However, an SSID is required to submit the resulting special education records to CALPADS, so the district must obtain one through the applicable CALPADS enrollment process.

Enrollment specifics are governed by current CALPADS documentation and local district/SIS procedures. See:

• CALPADS Update Flash 276 – Enrollment Information for Students Being Initially Evaluated
• Enrollment Suggestions for IEP Referrals
• District Enrollment Date

Create the Pending As Of archive from the MIS Summary before the Initial Evaluation meeting occurs.

The archive functions as a record that the district has received assessment consent and has an Initial Evaluation still in progress.

When CALPADS specifically requires it

The Pending As Of MEET record is required when:

• the Parent Consent Date is before an applicable Fall 1 or EOY 1 census/reporting date; and
• the expected Initial Evaluation meeting will occur after that census/reporting date.

For Fall 1, this includes the case where consent is received before Census Day and the evaluation remains pending afterward. The record may also include the applicable meeting-delay information when the evaluation becomes late.

Related reporting-period guidance:

• Reporting Beginning-of-Year Initial Evaluations Around Fall 1
• Reporting End-of-Year Initial Evaluations Around June 30

Parent never provides assessment consent

The open meeting event may be used to document communications, attempted contacts, notices, and the actual field history. When the Initial Evaluation will not proceed:

1. complete the notes and attach the appropriate supporting documentation;
2. close the meeting as not completed using Force Finalize or Abandon a Meeting;
3. make the record Inactive using the applicable SIRAS initial-evaluation / no-evaluation reason; and
4. follow When Students Leave or Stop Participating – Inactive for the status procedure.

Assessment consent was received and later rescinded

If the Parent Consent Date was entered but the parent later withdraws assessment consent before the evaluation is completed:

1. document the withdrawal and all related communications in the meeting event;
2. change the permission-to-assess indicator to reflect that consent is no longer available;
3. force finalize / abandon the meeting after documentation is complete;
4. make the record Inactive using the applicable initial-evaluation / no-evaluation reason;
5. clear the Parent Consent Date from the MIS Summary; and
6. remove any Pending As Of MEET record that was submitted to CALPADS.

The district generally has 60 calendar days from the Parent Consent Date to complete the Part B Initial Evaluation, subject to the applicable rules and exceptions.

Before the meeting

• Monitor the Parent Consent Date, expected meeting date, and Pending As Of archive.
• If the meeting becomes late, enter the appropriate Meeting Delay code and label.
• Preserve supporting documentation when the reason is not self-evident.
• Do not replace the original meeting date with a continuation date merely to make the timeline appear compliant.

At the meeting

• Document the evaluation type as MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation.
• Record the eligibility outcome and the parent's response accurately.
• Use Plan Effective Date, Service Start Date & CALPADS SERV Reporting for plan/service date concepts.
• Use Parent Response – Definitions when selecting the response to the proposed eligibility and plan.

For current statewide delay codes and reporting combinations, consult the current CALPADS System Documentation and Special Education File Submission Scenarios.

The Part B Initial Evaluation has five primary SIRAS/CALPADS outcome paths. Preserve both the code and the label whenever a coded value is documented.

A. Eligible & Participating

Use this outcome when the team finds the student eligible, the parent accepts the initial provision of special education and the plan, and participation will begin.

• SWDS [1] Eligible and Participating
• MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation
• Evaluation Outcome [20] Eligible
• PLAN and SERV are reported when the plan has been approved.
• The SWDS effective date is typically the meeting date when the parent agrees that day; when approval occurs later, use the later parent-agreement date.

B. Eligible – Future Plan or Participation Expected

Use this outcome when the student is eligible, but the plan or participation will not begin yet—for example, approval remains pending or the student is expected to begin at a known future school date.

• SWDS [2] Eligible, Not Participating
• NONPART [12] Eligible - No Education Plan Currently (Future Plan Expected)
• MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation
• Evaluation Outcome [20] Eligible
• No PLAN or SERV is reported until the applicable plan/participation event occurs.

When the parent later approves the plan or the future participation begins, SIRAS reports the new SWDS [1] Eligible and Participating status and the applicable PLAN/SERV records. The original Initial Evaluation MEET does not need to be duplicated.

C. Eligible – Parent Declined FAPE

Use this outcome when the parent accepts the eligibility determination but declines the offered FAPE/services.

• SWDS [2] Eligible, Not Participating
• NONPART [11] Eligible - No Education Plan (Parent Declined FAPE)
• MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation
• Evaluation Outcome [20] Eligible
• No PLAN or SERV is reported for the declined offer.

D. Not Eligible – Did Not Qualify

Use this outcome when the Initial Evaluation is completed and the team determines the student does not meet eligibility requirements.

• SWDS [4] Not Eligible
• NONPART [21] Not Eligible based on Initial Evaluation (DNQ)
• MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation
• Evaluation Outcome [25] Not Eligible
• No PLAN or SERV is reported.

Parent disagreement or an Independent Educational Evaluation does not automatically mean staff should reset the referral and open another Initial Evaluation. Use IEE Independent Educational Evaluation Help and Starting Another Initial Evaluation After a Prior Evaluation.

E. Not Eligible – Parent Does Not Accept Eligibility / Initial Provision

Use this outcome when the team finds the student eligible, but the parent does not accept the eligibility or does not consent to the initial provision of special education and related services in the manner represented by this outcome.

• SWDS [4] Not Eligible
• NONPART [27] Not Eligible - No Consent for Eligibility
• MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation
• Evaluation Outcome [25] Not Eligible
• No PLAN or SERV is reported.

1. Preview the complete meeting document and verify the referral, assessment, eligibility, parent-response, plan, service, and date information.
2. Confirm the selected outcome matches what occurred in the field.
3. Finalize the meeting using the normal workflow. See Finalizing a Meeting.
4. Review the archived transaction on the MIS Summary.
5. Confirm that SIRAS created only the applicable SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV records.
6. Resolve CALPADS validation errors by correcting the source data and resending the transaction rather than changing the historical story.

See Initial Evaluation Reporting for additional reporting review.

• ☐ Confirm this is a standard Part B Initial Evaluation, not IFSP onboarding, Part C-to-B transition, Plan Adoption, or service re-entry for a student who remains eligible.
• ☐ Search for an existing SIRAS record before creating a new one.
• ☐ Preserve valid inactive history and the Special Education Initial Entry Start Date.
• ☐ Create the Initial Evaluation and enter the referral/consent information in the meeting workflow.
• ☐ Enter the Parent Consent Date when signed assessment consent is received.
• ☐ Coordinate with SIS/CALPADS staff to obtain an SSID without delaying the evaluation.
• ☐ Create the Pending As Of MEET archive before the meeting.
• ☐ If consent is never received or is rescinded, document the process, abandon the meeting, clear the Parent Consent Date, and reverse any Pending As Of reporting.
• ☐ Monitor the 60-day timeline and use the correct Meeting Delay code and label when applicable.
• ☐ Preview the completed meeting document before finalizing.
• ☐ Select the exact eligibility/participation outcome and preserve every code with its label.
• ☐ Review the resulting SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV records after finalization.

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