The IEP Toolkit

Tennessee IEP evaluation deadline: how long does the school have?

You signed consent for an evaluation. Here is exactly what Tennessee rules require next, and what to do if the date passes.

60 calendar days

From your signed consent, the district must complete the evaluation and determine eligibility — both, not just the testing.

Day type
Calendar days
Clock starts at
Your written parental consent
What the deadline covers
Evaluation completed and the eligibility determination made
Legal citation
Tenn. SBE Rule 0520-01-09-.05(1)(f)

The part most parents miss: the old 40-school-day rule is gone

Tennessee used to run a 40-school-day timeline. That changed years ago. Old references still circulate online, in handouts, and sometimes in conversation with school staff.

The current rule is 60 calendar days from consent through the eligibility determination. If someone quotes you 40 school days, they are working from an outdated source. Use the current rule.

Calendar days, not school days. Tennessee's timeline is measured in calendar days. Weekends and holidays are inside the count, not skipped.

Eligibility is inside the deadline

The 60 days do not stop when the last test is scored. The rule runs through the eligibility determination. A district that finishes testing on day 55 and schedules the eligibility meeting for day 80 has missed the deadline.

Ask early, in writing, for the date the eligibility meeting is scheduled. Do not wait until day 60 to find out it was never put on a calendar.

How to count your deadline

  1. Find the date the district received your signed consent. Not the date you mailed it — the date they got it.
  2. Count forward 60 calendar days, including weekends and holidays.
  3. That date is the deadline for the evaluation and the eligibility determination.
  4. Write the date down and put it in your calendar the day you sign.

What to do if the deadline passes

  1. Put it in writing the same week. Email the case manager and the special education director. State the consent date, the deadline date, and that it has passed. A phone call creates no record.
  2. Ask for prior written notice. If the district refuses or delays, you are entitled to a written explanation of what it is doing and why.
  3. File a state complaint. A missed timeline is a straightforward compliance violation. In Tennessee this goes to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), Division of Special Populations. It is free and does not require a lawyer.
  4. Keep the paper trail. Every date, every email, every response.

Free: IEP evaluation deadlines for all 51 jurisdictions

A one-page chart of every state's deadline, day type, and when the clock starts — plus a playbook for when a district blows the date.

Get the free cheat sheet

Need the letters too? The Evaluation Request Kit has fill-in templates for the request, the follow-up, and the complaint.

Sources

Verified July 2026. State rules change — confirm against the current code before relying on a date.