Eligibility Isn’t One-and-Done: Understanding Eligibility and Reevaluation

Parents, no matter where they are in the special education process, have questions about eligibility.  It is one of the most important yet least talked about parts of the special education process.  

Some parents are just beginning to wonder whether their child needs more help and whether a referral for special education makes sense.

Others already have an IEP in place and are surprised to learn that eligibility is being discussed again through reevaluation.

Different starting points,  but the same eligibility process.

In special education, eligibility is not a one-time decision. For students with disabilities, it is a legal determination that must be revisited periodically, and each time it arises, teams are required to answer the same core questions using current data.

Understanding eligibility & reevaluation process and how it applies both at the initial eligibility meeting and years later at reeligibility meetings is one of the most important pieces of advocacy knowledge a parent can possess.

Eligibility Is a Decision That Repeats

Under federal special education law, eligibility is not guaranteed and can change over time. When a child is first evaluated, the team must decide whether the student meets the criteria for special education services.

That same determination must be revisited through reevaluation, typically at least every three years.

This means eligibility decisions are recurring by design.

The purpose of reevaluation is not to relive the past or start over from scratch. It helps the team determine whether the student still qualifies, continues to need specialized designed instruction, and what supports will be required moving forward.

The Core Considerations Behind Every Eligibility Decision

Whether a team is determining eligibility for the first time or revisiting it during reevaluation, the decision is guided by a consistent set of required considerations, even though the exact worksheets, forms, or wording may vary by state or district.

While states can organize eligibility criteria differently, all teams must look at core elements that help determine whether a student needs special education. Here are some of the key factors teams are required to consider:

• Multiple sources of data, not a single test score or snapshot in time

• Patterns of underachievement and how they show up across areas of need

• Cognitive processing and whether difficulties are unexpected in light of the student’s abilities

• Adverse educational impact, including academic, functional, or emotional effects

• What has helped (and what hasn’t), and whether the child  requires specially designed instruction to make progress

• Exclusionary factors, to determine whether another primary cause explains the difficulty

Looking Closely at the Data

Academic data should be the starting point for all educational decisions. Teams look at how a student is performing compared to grade-level expectations in areas such as reading, written expression, spelling, or math.

What matters most is not one score, but patterns. Multiple data points help teams understand whether a struggle is persistent, significant, occurring over time, and resistant to typical instruction.

Eligibility teams are required to consider multiple sources of data, which may include:

• Formal evaluation results from district or private evaluators

• State and district testing

• Universal screening tools

• Curriculum-based measures and classroom assessments

• Work samples from school and home

• Parent input, observations, and documentation

Most importantly, this data can help identify areas where your child is performing below age or grade-level standards and norms.  To qualify for special education services, you will want to use data points from the sources above to clearly show your child’s areas of underachievement.

How Cognitive Processing Fits In

In many states, eligibility teams also look beyond academic performance and consider how a child learns.

They may assess whether a student’s academic difficulties are unexpected in light of their overall cognitive ability. Teams may also look for a pattern of strengths and weaknesses across cognitive and academic areas.

For many students with dyslexia, this pattern is especially telling. Weaknesses in phonological or orthographic processing often coexist with average or strong abilities in other areas. This uneven profile helps explain why reading difficulties are unexpected in light of the student’s instruction, effort, and cognitive abilities.

Adverse Impact Is Always Part of the Decision

Eligibility is never based on test scores or a diagnosis alone.

Teams must also determine whether the disability has an adverse educational impact.  That means the disability significantly and consistently affects the student’s ability to access the grade-level curriculum or make meaningful progress in school.

Adverse impact can show up in academic performance, but it can also affect emotional regulation, behavior, confidence, stamina, and independence.

Parent input is often an essential contributor here. 

What you see at home, the exhaustion after school, the avoidance of reading, the anxiety around assignments, provides critical information that may not be visible in the classroom.

What Has Been Tried & Why It Matters

Eligibility teams also consider if the child requires specially designed instruction to meet their unique needs.  To do this, the team not only looks at the child’s needs but they also consider the instruction and support the child has already been provided.

General education support interventions and informal plans can be helpful, but they do not replace special education services when a student requires individualized, specially designed instruction.

Importantly, progress made with significant support does not eliminate the need for that support. In many cases, it reinforces it. 

Teams consider what methodology of instruction and informal supports that child requires to make progress.  For example, if the child only makes progress in their reading when they have additional pull out interventions taught in a small group and with an Orton Gillingham approach, that reinforces that the child requires this as part of his specially designed instruction to meet his unique needs. 

Additionally, teams must also rule out whether other exclusionary factors, such as lack of instruction, environmental circumstances, or medical issues, are the primary cause of the difficulty. These factors may coexist with a disability, but they cannot take its place when the data tells a different story.

What This Means for Parents

When parents understand that eligibility is recurring, the process becomes more predictable and far less intimidating.

If you are just beginning to explore eligibility, this knowledge helps you understand what teams are required to consider and why preparation matters from the start.

If your child already has an IEP, this same understanding helps you approach reevaluation with clarity. You know the questions being asked. You know the role of data. And you know that eligibility decisions are not based solely on personal progress.

Eligibility isn’t a single meeting. It’s how the system continually determines access to special education support and services.

Sometimes, reevaluation results show that a student no longer needs special education services. When that happens, parents should know they are part of the decision-making process and have rights if they have questions or concerns about service changes.

As informed parents, you can be prepared and ready to advocate for your child when those determinations are made.

Hands-On Understanding Eligibility & Reevaluation Workshop

If you’d like to go deeper into how eligibility decisions are made and how to prepare confidently, whether you’re facing eligibility for the first time or approaching reevaluation, we invite you to join us for our LIVE “Eligibility Unlocked” workshop on January 22, 2026. 

👉 Learn more and reserve your spot here (It's FREE)!!!

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If you’re feeling unsure about what to do next, you’re not alone. We’ve walked alongside many families facing the same questions, and we know how helpful it can be to have someone listen and guide you.

That’s why we offer Free Discovery Calls. A no-pressure conversation where parents of children with dyslexia can talk through their child’s needs & discover their next best steps.