Triennial IEP Review Checklist for California Parents

A triennial review (also called a triennial re-evaluation or triennial assessment) is a comprehensive re-assessment of your child that California districts are required to conduct at least every three years. Its purpose is to determine:

• Whether your child still qualifies for special education services.
• What their current educational needs are.
• Whether their current placement, services, and goals are still appropriate.
• What progress they've made since the last evaluation.

• Review the Assessment Plan the district sends you. It should list every area to be assessed. If you believe an area is missing (behavior, OT, AT, mental health), request it be added in writing.
• Ask who will conduct each evaluation — qualifications matter. Psychoeducational assessments should be conducted by a licensed school psychologist.
• Submit a parent concerns letter describing what you want the evaluation to address.
• Gather any private evaluations you've had done in the past three years and plan to share them with the team.
• Review your child's progress reports from the past three years. Have goals been met? Where has progress stalled?
• Note any areas of new or emerging concern that weren't identified in the original eligibility assessment.

You are entitled to receive copies of all evaluation reports before the IEP meeting — request them at least 5 school days in advance so you have time to read them. When reviewing reports, look for:

• Standard scores and percentiles — not just labels. A score in the "below average" range could mean very different things depending on where exactly it falls.
• Discrepancies between what the report says and what you observe at home or hear from your child.
• Areas that weren't assessed — if you requested an assessment and it isn't in the report, ask why.
• Present levels — do they accurately describe your child as they are today?
• Whether the evaluator observed your child in the classroom — observation in the natural environment is required for most eligibility categories.
• The evaluator's conclusions and recommendations — especially whether they recommend continuing, changing, or ending special education services.

• "Does my child still meet eligibility criteria under each of the areas identified at the last evaluation?"
• "What does the data show about growth over the past three years?"
• "Are there any new areas of need identified that weren't in the previous IEP?"
• "Is the current placement still the least restrictive environment appropriate for my child?"
• "Are there any services that should be added, changed, or increased based on the new evaluation data?"
• "If the team is recommending fewer services, what data supports that reduction?"
• "If I disagree with the evaluation results, what are my options?"

If you disagree with the district's evaluation, you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense.

• Make sure the new IEP accurately reflects the triennial findings — especially if new needs were identified.
• If services were reduced, make sure you understand the specific reason and ask for it in writing (Prior Written Notice).
• If you believe the evaluation missed something important, request a supplemental assessment in the specific area.
• Track when the next triennial is due and mark it on your IEP Due Date Tracker.