South · DC

District of Columbia special education IEP compliance and timelines

Governing regulations: D.C. Code § 38-2561.01 et seq.; 5-A DCMR Chapter 30. State education agency: Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Initial evaluation: LEAs must make reasonable efforts to obtain consent within 30 days of a referral, then complete the initial evaluation and eligibility determination within 60 days of consent.
Initial IEP meeting: A meeting to develop the initial IEP within 30 days of the eligibility determination. (34 CFR § 300.323(c)(1); 5-A DCMR Chapter 30)
Annual review: At least once every 365 days (34 CFR § 300.324(b)(1)).
Reevaluation: At least every 3 years unless the parent and LEA agree it is unnecessary, and not more than once a year without agreement (34 CFR § 300.303).
Transition planning: Must be in effect by age 14, earlier than the federal age of 16.
Academic standards: District of Columbia Common Core State Standards
IEP forms & systems: The OSSE Special Education Data System (SEDS) is the statewide IEP system used by D.C. public and public charter LEAs.

Where District of Columbia differs from the federal baseline

D.C. sets a separate 30 day window from referral to obtain parental consent before the 60 day evaluation clock starts.
Secondary transition planning begins with the IEP in effect when the student turns 14.
Each public charter school may elect to be its own LEA for special education, so timelines are monitored across many small LEAs.
Earlier law used a 120 day referral to placement timeline; it was replaced by the current 30 plus 60 day structure.

01Signed consent date recorded; evaluation due within 60 calendar days.
02Eligibility determined and initial IEP meeting scheduled: A meeting to develop the initial IEP within 30 days of the eligibility determination.
03PLAAFP includes measurable baselines and a statement of how the disability affects involvement in the general curriculum (34 CFR § 300.320(a)(1)).
04Each annual goal is measurable, with condition, behavior, criterion and measurement method (§ 300.320(a)(2)).
05Progress reporting schedule stated for each goal (§ 300.320(a)(3)).
06Transition goals and services in effect by age 14 where applicable.
07Prior Written Notice issued for every proposal or refusal, with all seven § 300.503(b) elements.
08Annual review scheduled within 365 days; reevaluation within 3 years.

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