Starting Another Initial Evaluation After a Prior Evaluation
Use this guide when a student has already completed an Initial Evaluation and staff are unsure whether SIRAS should allow another Initial Evaluation meeting.
The key question is the student's current eligibility status:
- A student who remains eligible but is not participating normally does not need another Initial Evaluation.
- A student who is currently Not Eligible may need another Initial Evaluation after a new referral.
For the standard Part B Initial Evaluation workflow, see Initial Evaluation Process – Part B / IEP.
When a new referral or follow-up process begins, move the record into the appropriate working status promptly. Preserve the earlier inactive date, NONPART reason, archived transactions, and Special Education Initial Entry Start Date until the new outcome is established.
1. Is Another Initial Evaluation Appropriate?
| Current situation | Correct direction |
|---|---|
| The prior evaluation found the student eligible, but the parent declined FAPE or participation has not begun. CALPADS shows SWDS [2] Eligible, Not Participating. | Do not create another Initial Evaluation. Eligibility still exists. Use the appropriate Plan Review, Reevaluation, Amendment, or Other Review meeting to discuss beginning participation or revising the plan. |
| The student was previously found Not Eligible, was later found no longer eligible, or eligibility ended through a valid reportable exit. CALPADS shows SWDS [4] Not Eligible. | A new referral may use another Initial Evaluation. Move the Current record into the new referral workflow while preserving the prior inactive history. |
| The parent disagrees with a prior evaluation and requests an Independent Educational Evaluation. | Do not automatically reset the referral or create another Initial Evaluation. Begin with IEE Independent Educational Evaluation Help. |
| The prior Initial Evaluation is still open, incomplete, or was never properly closed. | Complete, force finalize, or otherwise resolve the existing event before creating another one. Do not create a second Initial Evaluation simply to bypass an unfinished meeting. |
Do not use another Initial Evaluation merely to move a student from eligible/not participating to eligible/participating.
2. Student Remains Eligible but Is Not Participating
This includes students whose prior Initial Evaluation resulted in:
- NONPART [11] Eligible - No Education Plan (Parent Declined FAPE); or
- NONPART [12] Eligible - No Education Plan Currently (Future Plan Expected).
The student remains eligible. Another Initial Evaluation is not appropriate merely because the family now wants to discuss beginning services.
Begin the follow-up process
- Change the SIRAS Current record from Inactive to Pending when the follow-up work begins.
- Keep the prior inactive date and NONPART reason in place.
- Open the appropriate meeting other than Initial Evaluation—for example, a Plan Review, Reevaluation, Amendment, or Other Review based on the work the team needs to complete.
This lets the SIRAS UI reflect what is happening now without rewriting the prior eligibility and participation outcome.
If participation still will not begin
Finalize the follow-up meeting while the prior inactive/non-participation reason remains in place. SIRAS can preserve the new meeting history without incorrectly reporting that the student became participating.
If participation will begin
As soon as the team knows the student will begin participating:
- change the Current record to Active using the actual field date;
- clear the prior inactive date/reason as appropriate for the new participation event;
- confirm the parent approval, Plan Effective Date, and applicable service information; and
- finalize the meeting and review the resulting transaction.
SIRAS can then report SWDS [1] Eligible and Participating with the applicable PLAN and SERV records.
See SIRAS Record Status – Reflect What Is Happening in the Field.
3. Student Is Currently Not Eligible & Has a New Referral
A subsequent Initial Evaluation may be appropriate when the student is currently Not Eligible because of a prior outcome such as:
- NONPART [21] Not Eligible based on Initial Evaluation (DNQ);
- NONPART [27] Not Eligible - No Consent for Eligibility;
- NONPART [28] Parent withdrawal/self-withdraw if over 18;
- NONPART [30] No Longer Eligible based on Reevaluation; or
- another valid eligibility-ending outcome reflected in SIRAS and CALPADS.
Begin the new referral
- Change the Current record to Pending when the new referral begins.
- Leave the prior inactive date and reason in place.
- Create a new Initial Evaluation in IEP Manager.
- Enter the new referral, assessment-plan, and consent information through the new meeting workflow.
- Allow SIRAS to replace the Current referral fields with the new referral information.
- Preserve the historical Special Education Initial Entry Start Date.
The Special Education Initial Entry Start Date remains the student's original historical entry into special education, even if the later Initial Evaluation results in re-entry.
If SIRAS will not allow the meeting
First verify that the prior inactive date and reason were not removed. SIRAS uses that historical status to recognize that the student is currently Not Eligible and may appropriately receive another Initial Evaluation.
Contact SIRAS Support when the record history appears correct but the meeting remains unavailable.
4. Assessment Consent & Pending As Of Reporting
After signed assessment consent is received, follow the standard workflow in Initial Evaluation Process – Part B / IEP:
- enter the Parent Consent Date promptly;
- coordinate with district SIS/CALPADS staff to obtain an SSID without delaying the evaluation;
- create the Pending As Of MEET archive before the evaluation meeting; and
- monitor the evaluation timeline and expected meeting date.
The record should be Pending while the new evaluation is underway, but the prior inactive date and reason should remain available until the new outcome is established.
If consent is later rescinded
Document the withdrawal, abandon/force finalize the open evaluation when appropriate, clear the Parent Consent Date, reverse any Pending As Of MEET reporting, and return the record to the applicable Inactive outcome.
5. Parent Disagreement & Independent Educational Evaluations
A disagreement with a DNQ or other evaluation result does not automatically mean staff should reset the referral and open another Initial Evaluation.
- Document and finalize the original Initial Evaluation according to the actual outcome.
- Use IEE Independent Educational Evaluation Help for the dispute and IEE process.
- Determine whether the later evaluation is part of the original dispute/reconsideration or a genuinely new referral.
- Do not erase the original MEET, SWDS, or archived history while the disagreement is being resolved.
Only when the district intentionally begins a new referral after the student is already Not Eligible should staff follow Section 3 and create another Initial Evaluation.
6. Forms When the Student Is Again Not Eligible
When the subsequent Initial Evaluation again results in a Not Eligible determination:
- select the Not Eligible / exit control on the Student Information and Services form;
- allow SIRAS to remove the eligibility- and service-dependent forms that are no longer required;
- do not manually delete historical services from the MIS Summary;
- preview the meeting document before finalizing; and
- change the Current record back to Inactive using the actual outcome date and reason.
Those fields preserve the prior plan from which the student exited. The finalized meeting and archived transaction establish the new eligibility outcome.
7. Subsequent Initial Evaluation Reporting
Again found Not Eligible
If CALPADS already contains SWDS [4] Not Eligible and the subsequent Initial Evaluation again finds the student Not Eligible, SIRAS should report:
- MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation; and
- Evaluation Outcome [25] Not Eligible.
SIRAS should not submit a duplicate SWDS [4] when the status has not changed. This avoids the duplicate-status SWDS0618 validation.
Found eligible and participating
When the subsequent Initial Evaluation results in eligibility and participation, report:
- SWDS [1] Eligible and Participating;
- MEET [10] Part B Initial Evaluation with Evaluation Outcome [20] Eligible;
- PLAN; and
- SERV.
Found eligible but not participating
Use the applicable outcome from Initial Evaluation Process – Part B / IEP, including:
- NONPART [11] Eligible - No Education Plan (Parent Declined FAPE); or
- NONPART [12] Eligible - No Education Plan Currently (Future Plan Expected).
The SIRAS UI should show the actual outcome as soon as it is known. Finalizing the meeting creates the historical/reporting transaction, which must then be submitted and accepted by CALPADS.
8. Subsequent Initial Evaluation Checklist
- ☐ Confirm whether the student is currently eligible or Not Eligible.
- ☐ Do not open another Initial Evaluation merely because an eligible student is not participating.
- ☐ Change the Current record to Pending promptly when new referral or follow-up work begins.
- ☐ Preserve the prior inactive date, NONPART reason, archived history, and Special Education Initial Entry Start Date.
- ☐ Use a non-Initial follow-up meeting when an eligible student may begin participation.
- ☐ Use another Initial Evaluation only after a valid Not Eligible status and a new referral/evaluation process.
- ☐ Enter assessment consent and create the Pending As Of MEET archive through the standard Initial Evaluation workflow.
- ☐ Do not automatically reset the referral because a parent requested an IEE.
- ☐ Preview forms and meeting documents before finalizing.
- ☐ Update Active or Inactive status as soon as the new field outcome is known.
- ☐ Review whether SIRAS should report MEET only or a new SWDS/PLAN/SERV outcome.
