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Fullerton Joint Union High School District

Excellence in Education

Referral & Identification

The Special Education Process

The Fullerton Joint Union High School District follows a collaborative, structured process to determine whether a student is eligible for special education services and to design an individualized program tailored to their unique needs.

The process consists of four key steps:

Step 1: Referral for Assessment

A referral is the first step toward determining if a student needs specialized support.

  • Initiating a Referral: Parents, guardians, teachers, or other school staff may request an evaluation in writing if they suspect a disability affects the student’s learning.
  • Assessment Plan Timeline: Within 15 calendar days of receiving a written referral (excluding school vacations longer than 5 days), the District will provide you with an Assessment Plan or written notice explaining why an assessment is not appropriate at that time.
  • Parental Consent: Parents have 15 calendar days to review and sign the Assessment Plan. Assessments cannot begin without written parent consent.
  • Evaluation Timeline: Once the signed Assessment Plan is received, the District has 60 calendar days (excluding school vacations over 5 days) to complete the evaluation and hold the initial Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting.

Step 2: Comprehensive Assessment

An assessment gathers multi-disciplinary data to evaluate all areas of suspected disability and determine educational impact. The evaluation may include:

  • Standardized testing and academic assessments
  • Classroom observations and work sample reviews
  • Input and interviews with parents, teachers, and the student
  • Reviews of educational, medical, and developmental records

Step 3: The IEP Meeting & Eligibility

Once assessments are complete, an IEP meeting is scheduled at a mutually agreeable time and location. The IEP team collaboratively reviews the evaluation results to determine eligibility and, if eligible, develop the student's program.

Step 4: Ongoing Review & Progress Monitoring

Special education is an ongoing, adaptive process.

  • Annual IEP Review: The IEP team meets at least once per year to review student progress toward goals, update accommodations, and adjust services as needed.
  • Triennial Re-Evaluation: At least once every three years, a comprehensive re-evaluation is conducted to reassess eligibility and ongoing educational needs.

If you have questions about initiating a referral or the assessment process at your school site, please contact your student's school administrator or the FJUHSD Educational Services Department.

A flowchart outlines the assessment process for special education, including timelines.

  • In many cases, parents or guardians refer their child for assessment for special education services. Teachers, other school personnel, and community members may also refer a child for an assessment.

    Within fifteen (15) calendar days, not counting school vacations greater than five (5) days, of the receipt of a referral for assessment you will receive a written response from the District. If the District determines that an assessment of your child is not appropriate, you will receive written notice of this decision. If the District determines that an assessment is appropriate, you will receive an Assessment Plan.

    An Assessment Plan describes the types and purposes of the assessments which may be used to determine your child’s eligibility for special education services. Before your child can be assessed, you must consent to the assessment by signing the Assessment Plan. You have at least fifteen (15) days from the receipt of the Assessment Plan to consent to and sign it. The school has sixty (60) calendar days, not counting school vacations greater than five (5) days, from the receipt of your signed Assessment Plan to complete the assessment and hold an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting.If you do not consent to the Assessment Plan, school personnel may take steps to protect your child if they believe that he or she is being denied appropriate special education services. School personnel may request to meet with you informally or initiate a due process hearing to override your refusal to consent.

  • An assessment involves gathering information about your child to determine whether your child has a disability, if he or she is eligible, and the nature and extent of special education services that your child may need. Assessments may include individual testing, observations of your child at school, interviews with the child and school personnel who work with the child, and review of school records, reports and work samples.

  • After your child has been assessed, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting will be held. The IEP meeting must be held at a time and place convenient for both you and the school’s representatives. At this meeting, the IEP team will discuss the assessment results and determine whether your child is eligible for special services. If your child is eligible, then an IEP will also be developed during the meeting.

The IEP Team

  •  
  • Parent(s) or guardian(s)
  • General Education Teacher
  • Special Education Teacher / Case Carrier
  • District Representative / Administrator (knowledgeable about district resources)
  • Assessment Specialists (e.g., School Psychologist, Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist)
  • The Student (whenever appropriate, and required for transition planning)

 

Language translation and interpreter services are provided upon request to ensure full parental participation.