# Washington — Special education initial evaluation deadlines by state — days, day type, and what starts the clock For Washington, evaluation deadline is Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent; day type is school days; clock starts on is the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent; differs from federal 60 days is different unit; statute or rule is WAC 392-172A-03005, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31. - **State:** Washington _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Evaluation deadline:** Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Day type:** school days _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Clock starts on:** the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Differs from federal 60 days:** different unit _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Statute or rule:** WAC 392-172A-03005 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Eligibility or IEP deadline:** no sooner than five school days after the evaluation report is provided to the parent and no later than 40 school days following the receipt of the parent consent _(per ospi.k12.wa.us, not stated by the source above)_ ## What the source says > (3) When the student is to be evaluated to determine eligibility for special education services and the educational needs of the student, the school district shall provide prior written notice to the parent, attempt without unnecessary delay to obtain consent, fully evaluate the student and arrive at a decision regarding eligibility within: (a) Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent; or ## Sources disagree More than one authority states this, and they do not state the same thing. Both are reproduced with the source each came from. ### Evaluation deadline app.leg.wa.gov says evaluation deadline is **Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent**, as of 2026-08-31. > (3) When the student is to be evaluated to determine eligibility for special education services and the educational needs of the student, the school district shall provide prior written notice to the parent, attempt without unnecessary delay to obtain consent, fully evaluate the student and arrive at a decision regarding eligibility within: (a) Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent; or Source: https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=392-172A-03005 ospi.k12.wa.us says evaluation deadline is **within 35 school days of receiving written consent from the parent**, as of 2026-08-31. > Districts must complete an initial special education evaluation or reevaluation to determine the eligibility or continuing eligibility of a student for special education services within 35 school days of receiving written consent from the parent. Source: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-04/guidance-specialed-hb-2557-faq.pdf ### Clock starts on app.leg.wa.gov says clock starts on is **the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent**, as of 2026-08-31. > (3) When the student is to be evaluated to determine eligibility for special education services and the educational needs of the student, the school district shall provide prior written notice to the parent, attempt without unnecessary delay to obtain consent, fully evaluate the student and arrive at a decision regarding eligibility within: (a) Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent; or Source: https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=392-172A-03005 ospi.k12.wa.us says clock starts on is **receiving written consent from the parent**, as of 2026-08-31. > Districts must complete an initial special education evaluation or reevaluation to determine the eligibility or continuing eligibility of a student for special education services within 35 school days of receiving written consent from the parent. Source: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-04/guidance-specialed-hb-2557-faq.pdf ### Statute or rule app.leg.wa.gov says statute or rule is **WAC 392-172A-03005**, as of 2026-08-31. > (3) When the student is to be evaluated to determine eligibility for special education services and the educational needs of the student, the school district shall provide prior written notice to the parent, attempt without unnecessary delay to obtain consent, fully evaluate the student and arrive at a decision regarding eligibility within: (a) Thirty-five school days after the date written consent for an evaluation has been provided to the school district by the parent; or Source: https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=392-172A-03005 ospi.k12.wa.us says statute or rule is **ESHB 2557**, as of 2026-08-31. > Districts must complete an initial special education evaluation or reevaluation to determine the eligibility or continuing eligibility of a student for special education services within 35 school days of receiving written consent from the parent. Source: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-04/guidance-specialed-hb-2557-faq.pdf ospi.k12.wa.us says statute or rule is **ESHB 2557**, as of 2026-08-31. > The district must then convene an eligibility determination meeting to review the results in the evaluation report and determine the student’s eligibility (or continuing eligibility) for special education services no sooner than five school days after the evaluation report is provided to the parent and no later than 40 school days following the receipt of the parent consent. Source: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-04/guidance-specialed-hb-2557-faq.pdf ## Source - https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=392-172A-03005 - https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-04/guidance-specialed-hb-2557-faq.pdf - https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2026-04/guidance-specialed-hb-2557-faq.pdf Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-04-28. Part of [Special education initial evaluation deadlines by state — days, day type, and what starts the clock](https://referencesource.org/special-education-evaluation-timelines-by-state/).