Referral and Eligibility

Referral and Eligibility for Special Education Services

Diagnostic testing is available by referral to all students residing within Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD & Pewitt CISD boundaries.  The referral process may be initiated by the parent, guardian, teacher, or any other appropriate adult or agency.

Referral for special education services is an information gathering process in which the student’s communication skills, hearing, vision, language preference, sociological information, health information, behavioral history, attendance, prior years’ state-mandated testing results, class participation, grades, and results of response-to-intervention (RtI)/Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) strategies are considered. 

Once this information gathering is completed and written parental informed consent is obtained, Educational Diagnosticians who serve the student’s campus conduct a Full  Individual and Initial Evaluation (FIIE).  Diagnostic evaluations in the school are provided for several areas of suspected disabilities, including learning disabilities, speech and language development, physical impairments, vision or hearing problems, cognitive disabilities, emotional disturbances, autism, health disorders, and traumatic brain injuries.  After assessment personnel have performed appropriate individualized evaluations, a report will be written.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires school districts to evaluate students suspected of having a disability to determine the student’s eligibility to receive specialized services.  The thirteen disability conditions include: 

  • Autism

  • Deaf-blindness

  • Auditory Impairment

  • Emotional Disturbance

  • Intellectual Disability

  • Multiple Disabilities

  • Orthopedic Impairment

  • Other Health Impairment

  • Learning Disability

  • Speech Impairment

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Visual Impairment

  • Non-Categorical Early Childhood

At the completion of the FIIE, an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee meeting will be held with parent(s) in attendance.  This team determines if the student is eligible for special education as a student with a disability.  If eligible, the ARD Committee members determine the student’s individual needs and develops an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the student.  The IEP will address those services the student will receive and how the services will be implemented. Instructional and related services may be either direct to the student or consultation services to assist the teacher. For more information concerning eligibility criteria and referral procedures, contact the principal or counselor of your child’s campus, or call the Special Education Office at 903-645-5081.