A Parent's Guide to IEPs, 504 Plans and School Evaluations

Every US public school district has a legal duty to find and evaluate children who may have a disability, and a parent can start that process with a single written request. The questions below are the ones families tend to ask along the way, from the first worry to the first plan.

Which conditions count as learning differences?

"Learning differences" is an informal umbrella, not a legal or medical term. The four that come up most often are dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD. Dyslexia is difficulty reading words accurately or fluently and spelling them, usually rooted in processing the sounds of spoken language; a child with dyslexia may understand a story read aloud perfectly well. It is the most common specific learning disability. Dyscalculia is persistent trouble with number sense, remembering arithmetic facts and calculating, beyond what the child's instruction would explain. Dysgraphia affects handwriting and the physical act of writing, and sometimes spelling and organising written work.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting attention, impulse control and activity level. It is not a learning disability in itself, but it affects schoolwork heavily and often occurs alongside one. The CDC estimates that about 1 in 9 US children aged 3 to 17 have ever been diagnosed with it.

The labels differ by setting. Clinicians use "specific learning disorder" from the DSM-5, with impairment in reading, written expression or mathematics. Schools use "specific learning disability", one of the 13 eligibility categories in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ADHD is usually covered under "other health impairment".

How do I ask for an evaluation?

IDEA requires public schools to evaluate children who may have a disability at no cost to families. Children in private schools are covered too, through the public district where the private school is located. The process runs in this order:

1. Write the request. Send a dated letter or email to the principal or the district's special education office saying you are requesting a full evaluation for special education. Describe your concerns in a few sentences and keep a copy. A comment at a parent-teacher conference may not start anything.
2. Sign consent. The school needs your written consent before it evaluates. If it decides not to evaluate, it must tell you in writing and explain why; this is called prior written notice.
3. Track the deadline. Federal rules give the school 60 days from receiving your consent to complete the initial evaluation, unless your state sets its own timeline. Some states count school days or use a different number, so check yours.
4. Attend the eligibility meeting. A team that includes you reviews the results and decides whether your child qualifies. If they qualify for an IEP, the meeting to write it must take place within 30 days of that decision.
5. Challenge it if you disagree. You can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense, carried out by a qualified evaluator outside the school.

Can the school tell us to wait and see how classroom support goes?

Many schools use a tiered system of extra help, often called Response to Intervention (RTI) or a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), before considering special education. That is reasonable as a first step. What it cannot be is a reason to refuse or delay an evaluation a parent has requested. The US Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs said so plainly in a 2011 memo to states: a district cannot use RTI to delay or deny an evaluation for a child suspected of having a disability.

If you are told to wait, ask for the decision in writing. A school that declines to evaluate has to issue prior written notice explaining why, and that document is what you would need if you later pursued mediation or a complaint.

We already paid for a private evaluation. Does the school have to accept it?

The school must consider it, but it does not have to adopt its conclusions. Under IDEA, the team has to take into account an outside evaluation that meets the district's criteria when making decisions about your child. It can still run its own testing, and it can reach a different view on eligibility. A private report is most useful when it includes the actual test scores, explains how the difficulty affects schoolwork, and makes specific recommendations the school can act on.

Will the school actually use the word "dyslexia"?

It can. Some districts avoid the term and write "specific learning disability" in reading instead. In 2015 the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services issued guidance stating that nothing in IDEA prevents schools from using terms such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia in evaluations, eligibility decisions and IEPs. If the specific word matters for the kind of reading instruction your child receives, you can ask for it to be used.

IEP or 504 plan: which one fits?

An IEP (Individualized Education Program) comes from IDEA. A child qualifies if they have one of the 13 listed disabilities and, because of it, need specially designed instruction. The IEP sets measurable annual goals and lists the special education and related services the child will receive (such as reading intervention, speech-language therapy or occupational therapy), along with accommodations and how progress will be reported. It is reviewed at least once a year, and the child is reevaluated at least every three years.

A 504 plan comes from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a civil rights law. It covers students with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, including learning, reading, concentrating and thinking. Because the bar is broader, many students with ADHD who do not need specialised instruction have a 504 plan instead of an IEP. A 504 plan mainly provides accommodations and access rather than individual goals and specialised teaching.

One difference matters later: Section 504 also applies at colleges that receive federal funding, while IEPs end when a student graduates from high school or ages out.

What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification?

An accommodation changes how a student learns or shows what they know, while keeping the same expectations. Common ones:

• extended time on tests and assignments
• audiobooks or text-to-speech for reading-heavy work
• speech-to-text or typing instead of handwriting
• a copy of class notes or slides
• testing in a quieter room, or short scheduled breaks
• a calculator when the task is about reasoning rather than arithmetic

A modification changes what the student is expected to learn: fewer or simpler problems, a different reading level, or a different grading standard. Ask how any modification affects grades and course credit, because in some states a heavily modified program can change which diploma a student receives.

Where can we get reliable help?

Every state has at least one Parent Training and Information Center, funded by the US Department of Education, which explains IDEA rights and helps families prepare for meetings; the Center for Parent Information and Resources (parentcenterhub.org) lists them. Understood.org publishes plain-language guides and sample request letters. The International Dyslexia Association covers dyslexia and structured literacy, and CHADD focuses on ADHD and runs the CDC-funded National Resource Center on ADHD. If a school is not meeting its Section 504 obligations, families can file a complaint with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Talk to your pediatrician too, particularly about ADHD, which is diagnosed medically and can involve treatment decisions the school cannot make.

Before any IEP or 504 meeting, ask for the evaluation report and any draft documents a few days in advance. Reading them at home, with a pen, is the easiest way to arrive with specific questions instead of reacting to the paperwork for the first time across the table.