Determining Special Education Eligibility

If a student is suspected of possibly needing special education or related services, a process is started with parental consent to determine eligibility.   This involves an eligibility meeting.

The child’s parent and a group of qualified professionals must decide if the child has a disability and needs special education and related services. 

There is a three prong question assessed to determine if the student is eligible for special education. Broadly, the three questions are:

1. Meets Eligibility Requirements
The student meets state eligibility requirements for a specific disability (see the list below)

2. Adverse Impact on Educational Performance
The student’s education performance measure is significantly and consistently below the level of same-age peers preventing the student from benefiting from general education

3. Need for Specially Designed Instruction
The student requires modification to instruction (content, methodology, or delivery of instruction) to meet his or her needs and ensure access to the general education curriculum.

Idaho has 14 different disability categories they use to assess eligibility for special education services.

They are:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder
2. Intellectual Disability
3. Deaf-Blindness
4. Deaf or Hard of Hearing
5. Developmental Delay
6. Emotional Behavioral Disorder
7. Other Health Impairment
8. Specific Learning Disability
9. Multiple Disabilities
10. Orthopedic Impairment
11. Speech or Language Impairment: Language
12. Speech or Language Impairment: Speech
13. Traumatic Brain Injury
14. Visual Impairment Including Blindness

a visual overview of the process can be found here: 10 Basic Steps in Special Education

For much more in-depth information see Section 7 of the Idaho State Special Education Manual 

There is also a detailed breakdown of the Eligibility Categories in downloadable PDF Format available here.