Florida School Speech Evaluations, ESE and IEPs

Every Florida school district must evaluate a child for special education, including speech and language therapy, when there's reason to suspect a disability. The evaluation is free. This guide covers the steps, the deadlines in Florida's rules, and how Oasis Speech can help.

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In Florida, Special Education Is Called ESE

ESE stands for Exceptional Student Education. Each Florida county is its own school district, so your county's ESE office is where an evaluation request ends up. If your child qualifies, an IEP team (you, teachers, an ESE staff member, and specialists such as the school's speech-language pathologist) writes your child's IEP.

Florida has two separate eligibility categories for communication. A speech impairment covers speech sounds, stuttering, and voice. A language impairment covers understanding and using language, including vocabulary, grammar, and conversation. Speech therapy can also be added to an IEP as a related service for a child who qualifies under another category, such as autism.

The Deadlines Florida Schools Follow

StepDeadline
You ask the school in writing for an evaluationStart
District asks for your consent to evaluate, or explains in writing why it won'tWithin 30 days of your request
District finishes the evaluationWithin 60 calendar days of your signed consent, not counting school holidays, breaks and summer
IEP team meets to write the IEP, if your child qualifiesWithin 30 calendar days of the eligibility decision

The 60-day clock can also pause for long absences, storm closures, or if the parent and district agree in writing. Schools often try classroom supports (called MTSS) first, but when a parent asks for an evaluation, those supports can run at the same time instead of delaying it.

Sample Request Letter

[Date]

To: [Principal's name], [School name], and the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) office, [County] School District

I am the parent of [child's full name], date of birth [date], a [grade] student at [school]. I am requesting an initial evaluation to find out whether my child is eligible for Exceptional Student Education and related services, including speech and language therapy.

My concerns are: [what you notice, such as hard-to-understand speech, stuttering, trouble following directions, trouble with reading, or trouble with conversations].

Please send me the consent form and a copy of my procedural safeguards.

[Your name] | [Phone] | [Email]

Send it by email or hand it in, keep a copy, and write down the date it was received.

Preschoolers: Ages 3 to 5

Children 3 and older who aren't in kindergarten yet are evaluated by the school district too. Call your district's ESE office or its FDLRS Child Find team to ask for a screening. Children leaving Early Steps at age 3 usually start this process before their third birthday.

Reading Trouble and Florida's K-3 Reading Law

Florida law requires schools to give immediate, intensive reading help to any student in kindergarten through grade 3 who shows a substantial reading deficiency or signs of dyslexia, and to notify parents in writing. Many reading problems start with spoken language, which is where a speech-language pathologist can help. Reading support isn't the same as an ESE evaluation, so you can still ask for one in writing.

What a 504 Plan Is

A Section 504 plan gives a student with a disability accommodations, like extra time or a seat near the teacher. It doesn't include specially designed instruction the way an IEP does. Some students with mild communication needs get a 504 plan, and others need an IEP with speech therapy.

How Oasis Speech Helps

  • Private evaluations you can share with the IEP team

  • Going through the school's evaluation report with you in plain language

  • Helping you prepare questions and goals before an IEP meeting

  • Private therapy alongside school services

Sherry Owais, M.A., CCC-SLP, has worked as a school-based speech-language pathologist, so she knows how the process looks from the school side. You can invite anyone who knows your child to an IEP meeting. Ask us if you'd like Sherry to join by video.

School Evaluation FAQ

  • Yes, but it has to explain why in writing and give you your procedural safeguards, which explain how to disagree.

  • No. The school does its own evaluation. You can share any outside reports you have.

  • The IEP team has to consider an outside evaluation you share. It doesn't have to adopt every recommendation, and it usually does its own testing too.

  • Yes. Children in private school are evaluated by the district where the school is located, and home-educated children by the district where they live. Call that district's ESE office.

Get Help With Your Child's IEP

It takes about two minutes. We check your benefits first, then call you to set up the evaluation. Prefer to talk? Call (863) 663-2944.

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