FIEs (Revised July 2017)

Initial Referrals

When students are initially referred for testing, the FIE Summary page should be blank. The FIE Summary will not be blank if the student has been referred in the past and was a DNQ.

For Initial Referrals, you must create a NEW FIE.

Go to the FIE Summary page and click the NEW button.

The assessment TEAM must complete the FIE together. All sections of the FIE must be addressed through Formal or Informal evaluation data. No area of the FIE should be blank. Information must be placed in the correct section of the FIE.

Sections of FIE

Language

Physical/Health

Sociological

Emotional

Intellectual

Achievement/Academic Performance

Assistive Technology

If the assessment team accepts an evaluation report from an evaluator that is not an employee of BISD, the assessment team must ensurethat the outside evaluation report addresses all the areas of the FIE. If the outside evaluation does not address all areas of the FIE, then the assessment team must address the remaining sections of the FIE through formal or informal data.

Additional Assessment needed after the Initial FIE has been presented

If the ARD committee determines that additional assessment data is needed after the initial FIE is presented, the need for the additional assessment data is documented in the ARD document and a NOPE is completed.

When the new evaluation/s is completed the assessment team will REVISE the Initial FIE to add the additional assessment data.

In this example, the Initial FIE was completed on 09/01/2014. The ARD to present the Initial FIE was held 09/30/2014. On 02/07/2015 a special ARD is held and the ARDC determined that additional evaluation data was needed for SI, OT, PT, etc. When the additional evaluations are completed, the current FIE is revised to add the additional assessment data.

Go to the FIE Summary Page and click the REVISE button.

After you click the REVISE button, you can go to the FIE/ARD Administration button to add the FIE Eligibility Reports.

In this example, the Initial FIE was completed on 09/01/2014. Additional evaluation data was completed on 03/15/2015. The Initial FIE is then revised and the additional evaluation data is added to the current FIE. All assessments must be included in one FIE. The original date of the FIE 09/01/2014 continues to be the date of the FIE. The only exception is for SI ONLY students. If the student was an SI Only student and additional assessment was requested, and the student now qualifies for another disability (SLD, ID, ED, etc), this date now becomes the new FIE date. The SLP must add current data (REED) to note that the student continues to need speech services. All dates are aligned. In this example, 03/15/2015 now becomes the date of the FIE.

The 3 year Re-Evaluation

Example: Initial FIE was completed on 11/01/2011. Now, it is three years later, fall 2014, and time for a 3 year Re-Evaluation.

A REED must be completed to determine what, if any, areas of the FIE must be re-evaluated.

(Please see the TEA REED Guidance at the end of this form. Assessment staff must review the most current formal evaluation data every time a REED is conducted.)

SECTIONS of the FIE / No Testing Needed / Additional Testing Needed
Language / Speech and Language Evaluation needed
Physical/Health / OT, PT Evaluations needed
Sociological / YES
Emotional / Psychological Evaluation needed
Intellectual / YES
Achievement/Academic / YES
Assistive Technology / NO

A Notice of Proposal to Evaluate (NOPE) is completed to inform the Parents which evaluation/s will be completed. The NOPE is the PWN (Prior Written Notice). The NOPE and PWN mean the same thing. Parental consent is obtained.

When the new evaluation is completed, the assessment team will create a NEW FIE.

Now the FIE Summary page will show the Initial FIE dated 11/01/2011 and the NEW Current FIE 10/15/2014.

All Assessment personnel must work collaboratively to combine all assessments into one FIE with only one FIE date. There should not be different dates for different assessments. ONE FIE, ONE DATE. The Diagnostician will align all dates and finalize the FIE when it has been completed. In this example, 10/15/2014 now becomes the date of the FIE. All assessments in the compliance box will be aligned.

The 3 year Re-Evaluation – No testing needed.

Example: Initial FIE was completed on 11/01/2011. Now, it is three years later, fall 2014, and time for a 3 year Re-Evaluation.

A REED must be completed to determine what, if any, areas of the FIE must be re-evaluated.

(Please see the TEA REED Guidance at the end of this form. Assessment staff must review the most current formal evaluation data every time a REED is conducted.)

SECTIONS of the FIE / No Testing Needed / Additional Testing Needed
Language / No
Physical/Health / No
Sociological / No
Emotional / No
Intellectual / No
Achievement/Academic / No
Assistive Technology / No
OT / No
PT / No
VI / No

The REED must include all areas of the FIE and ALL disabilities and related services the child is receiving. If the assessment team determines that testing is not needed in any area, then the date of the REED, becomes the date of the new FIE.

An FIE-REED will be created in IEPplus to indicate the current FIE. For speech only students, the Speech Path will create the FIE – REED. The diagnostician will create the FIE-REED for all other students. Click NEW FIE.

Enter the Title as: FIE-REED (date)

Do not add any data to the FIE. Add a statement on the first page indicating that a REED was completed.

Go to the FIE/ARD Administration screen and add all eligibility reports needed. Make sure that all the dates are aligned to the date of the REED.

The FIE-REED is created so that the ARD document may have the most current assessment information and dates.

TEA- Guidance

Review of Existing Evaluation Data

Previously, the local educational agencies (LEAs) were required to reevaluate students who received special education and related services every three years. In 2004 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) was reauthorized and the evaluation provisions in the law were modified. One important change was adding the language that permits the parent of the student and the LEA to agree that a reevaluation of a student with a disability is unnecessary, unless the LEA determines that a change in the student’s educational needs warrant a reevaluation or if the student’s parent or teacher requests a reevaluation.

IDEA 2004 retained the language in the law requiring a review existing evaluation data (REED) on the student as part of an initial evaluation, if appropriate, or as part of a reevaluation. This means, before any evaluation a REED must be completed to help determine which specific evaluations, if any, are needed.

The REED must be conducted by the members of the student’s admission, review and dismissal committee (ARDC) and other qualified professionals. The members review the student’s existing evaluation data to determine the scope of the evaluation or reevaluation. This review process does not have to take place in an ARDC meeting. A review of the student’s existing evaluation data must include the following:

  • Previous evaluations
  • Evaluations and information provided by the parents
  • Teacher information and observations
  • Classroom based, local, and state assessments

The committee members must ensure that information obtained from these sources is documented and carefully considered.

Based on the review of existing evaluation data, the group of qualified professionals must determine what additional data, if any, are needed to determine whether the student is a student with a disability and the educational needs of the student, or in the case of a reevaluation of a student, whether the student continues to be a student with a disability and whether the student continues to need special educations services.

Review of Existing Evaluation Data Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a review of existing evaluation data?

A review of existing evaluation data (REED) is the process of looking at a student’s existing data to determine if additional data are needed as part of an initial evaluation (if appropriate) or as part of a reevaluation. Specifically, the group conducting the REED must determine whether further assessments are required to determine:

  • Whether the student has or continues to have a disability;
  • Whether the student's present levels of academic achievement needs and related developmental needs have changed;
  • Whether the student needs or continues to need special education and related services; and
  • Whether the student needs any additions or modification to the special education and related services to meet the measurable annual goals set out in the individualized education program (IEP) and to participate, as appropriate, in the general education curriculum.

2. When must a reevaluation be conducted?

The local education agency (LEA) must ensure that a reevaluation of each student with a disability is conducted when:

  • The LEA determines the student’s educational or related services needs, including improved academic achievement and functional performance, warrant a reevaluation;
  • The student’s parent or teacher requests a reevaluation; or
  • The admission, review and dismissal (ARD) committee is determining that the student is no longer a student with a disability.

A reevaluation may not occur more than once a year unless the parent and the LEA agree otherwise and must occur at least once every three years unless the parent and the LEA agree that a reevaluation is unnecessary.

3. Who conducts a REED?

A REED is conducted by an ARD committee (which must include the parent or the adult student, an administrator, a general education teacher of the student, a special education teacher of the student, assessment personnel) and other members with knowledge of the student, as appropriate.

4. Is an ARD committee meeting required when conducting a REED?

No. A REED may be conducted without holding an ARD committee meeting. It is common practice, however, for REEDs to be conducted as part of an ARD committee meeting. This enables the group to review the information together and to document the determinations made by the participants.

5. Is parental consent required before conducting a REED?

No. The LEA is not required to obtain parental consent before reviewing existing data as part of an initial evaluation or a reevaluation.

6. What information is reviewed when a REED is conducted?

A review of the student's existing evaluation data must include the following information:

  • The student's evaluations, including independent evaluation conducted by outside agencies, and information provided by the student’s parents or the adult student;
  • The student's current classroom-based, local, or state assessments, classroom-based observations, curriculum-based measurements (CBMs), criterion-referenced assessments, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), report cards, discipline reports, attendance records, medical and health records, the most recent full and individual evaluation (FIE), and any other pertinent information; and
  • The teacher's and related service provider's observations of the student.

7. What if the group conducting a REED concludes that no additional data are needed?

No additional data are needed.

If the group conducting a REED determines that no additional data are needed, the LEA must notify the student’s parent or the adult student of:

  • The groups determination and the reasons for the determination and
  • The right to request an evaluation to determine whether the student continues to have a disability and to determine the student’s educational needs.

If the parent or the adult student does not request additional evaluation, the LEA is not required to conduct further evaluation, and the REED may constitute the student’s three-year reevaluation.

8. What if the group conducting a REED concludes that additional data are needed?

If the group conducting a REED determines that additional data are needed, the LEA must:

  • Provide the parent or the adult student with prior written notice that describes any assessments that it proposes to conduct; (NOPE)
  • Obtain consent from the parent or the adult student before conducting any additional assessments (except that an LEA need not obtain consent to conduct a reevaluation if it can demonstrate that it made reasonable efforts to obtain consent); and
  • Administer the assessments and evaluation measures needed to produce the necessary data.