Austin ISD special education evaluation: every checkpoint

Short answer

A written evaluation request, written parent consent, completed evaluation, and ARD meeting are separate milestones. Texas guidance generally sets 15 school days for a district response to a qualifying written request and 45 school days after consent for the initial evaluation report, with absence and school-year exceptions; the ARD eligibility decision follows on its own calendar. Austin ISD and the ARD committee determine which deadlines, eligibility, services, and transportation apply.

Who this is for

Parents and guardians requesting or tracking an Austin ISD special-education evaluation, including a transportation need connected to school access.

Next steps

1. Send a dated written evaluation request to the campus principal or a district special-education administrator and keep proof it was received.
2. Record the written-consent date separately, then use the TEA timeline guidance with the actual school calendar, absences, and year-end exceptions.
3. Keep the prior-written notice, completed report, and ARD date together; an evaluation does not by itself establish eligibility, services, or placement.
4. Raise a disability-related transportation need with the ARD team, report address changes through the school or case manager, and keep a backup plan while any approved route change is processed.

Have this ready

• A dated copy of the written request and proof the right campus or district administrator received it
• The separate date written consent was received
• The school calendar, absence record, notices, evaluation report, and ARD date
• A general list of school-access and transportation concerns for the official team

Common mistakes to avoid

• Counting calendar days where the rule uses school days
• Treating the request date and the written-consent date as the same milestone
• Assuming an evaluation guarantees eligibility, a particular service, placement, or transportation
• Putting a child’s name, diagnosis, IEP, evaluation, student ID, address, or school record into ATX Untangled

Key facts

• Texas guidance: the district has 15 school days to respond to a qualifying written evaluation request.
• The initial evaluation report is generally due 45 school days after the district receives written parent consent, with absence and school-year exceptions.
• An evaluation does not by itself establish eligibility; the ARD committee makes the eligibility decision on its own calendar.
• The request date and the written-consent date are separate milestones, and the timelines count school days, not calendar days.

Checked August 10, 2026 against the official source.

Official sources

• Texas special-education evaluation timeline
• Austin ISD Child Find and evaluation
• Austin ISD special-needs route service

Last reviewed August 10, 2026 against the official source.

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