Dallas ISD addresses unprocessed SPED referrals

As part of our ongoing commitment to educate all students, this spring, Dallas ISD discovered a backlog of about 2,000 unprocessed evaluations and referrals for Special Education services. The program is one of the district’s fastest growing areas, and we are aligning resources to work through this issue and assure that referrals and evaluations are conducted as quickly and thoroughly as possible, and that students receive the services they need. This backlog is being reduced on a daily basis.

Our goal is to have this process completed and the backlog eliminated by mid-September. Currently more than 15,000 students – approximately 10% of total enrollment – receive Special Education services.

The district is aggressively working to make other changes to improve monitoring, data analysis, staffing, structure and communications for the program and prevent this from recurring.

To read answers to frequently asked questions, see a backlog tracker and other resources, visit www.dallasisd.org/spedforward.