Writing a NOREP
What is a NOTICE OF RECOMMENDED EDUCATIONAL PLACEMENT/PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE (NOREP)?
The purpose of this notice is to summarize for the parents the recommendations of the Local Education Agency (LEA) for the child’s educational program and other actions taken by the LEA.
Section 1.
Here is a list of options that can be selected:
- Proposes initial provision of special education and related services (For this action, the school may not proceed without parent/guardian consent in Section 8 of this document)
- Refusal to initiate an evaluation (Must issue Procedural Safeguards Notice)
- Proposes to change the identification, evaluation or educational placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
- Refusal to change the identification, evaluation or educational placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
- Change of placement for disciplinary reasons (Must issue Procedural Safeguards Notice)
- Due process hearing, or an expedited due process hearing, initiated by school/district
- Graduation from high school
- Exiting special education
- Exiting high school due to exceeding the age eligibility for a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
- Refusal to change the identification, evaluation or a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
- Extended School Year (ESY) services
- Response to request for an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense
- Other
This is a list for the LEA to use to communicate to the parents the proposed actions to be taken. All actions listed require Prior Written Notice, except the first action, (i.e., Proposes initial provision of special education and related services), which requires parental consent. When selecting the first action, the LEA may not proceed without the written consent of the parents in Section 8 of this notice.
In the reevaluation process, if the parent requests additional data and the LEA disagrees with the request, the LEA would issue the NOREP/PWN with an explanation of the reason for the refusal.
A clarification has been added to remind the LEA that they must issue the Procedural Safeguards Notice for the following actions: Refusal to initiate an evaluation; and Change of placement for disciplinary reasons.
2. A description of the action proposed or refused by the school/district:
This section provides the LEA an opportunity to describe to the parents the type of action proposed or refused in Section 1 of this notice.
For example, the parent has requested additional testing to be conducted for purposes of reevaluation, and the LEA refuses to do additional testing because the LEA believes existing evaluation data on the student are sufficient to determine that the child continues to be a child with a disability and the child’s educational needs.
3. An explanation of why the school/district proposed or refused to take the action:
This section provides an explanation of the reasons why the above actions were proposed or refused. The following are some examples:
- Evaluation data indicate that the child does not meet the eligibility requirements as a child with a disability
- Evaluation data and the child’s performance indicate that the child has met exit criteria as determined by the IEP team and is no longer in need of specially designed instruction, and therefore no longer needs special education
- The student will be graduating with a regular diploma
- The LEA has conducted an evaluation and considers the data to be valid and comprehensive and therefore refuses to pay for an independent evaluation.
4. A description of other options that the IEP team considered and the reasons why those options were rejected. If the action proposed or refused is in regard to educational placement, options considered must begin with the general educational environment with supplementary aids and services.
This section explains to the parents the reasons why the options considered were not found to be appropriate. The following are some examples:
- Child does not need specially designed instruction to be successful in the general education curriculum
- Results of the evaluation indicate that the child's needs can be met with supplemental support service.
- Observations conducted during the reevaluation indicate that receiving itinerant support would not be sufficient to meet the child’s needs.
5. A description of each evaluation procedure(s), assessment(s), record(s) or report(s) used as a basis for the proposed action or action refused:
This section describes the evaluation procedure(s), assessment(s), record(s), or report(s) used as a basis for the action proposed or refused. Below are some examples of evaluation procedures/tools. However, this section also must contain a description of the procedures used.
- Response to Intervention (RtI)
- Progress monitoring data
- Curriculum-based assessment data
- Benchmark assessment data
- Oral reading fluency data
- Parent observations and data on behavior in the home
- Functional behavior assessment
- Assistive technology assessment
- Data from related service providers
- Informal behavior assessment
- Classroom observations and other observations
- Evaluation information provided by the parents
- Standardized assessments, including the PSSA and PASA
- Individual or group achievement assessments (may be state or nationally normed)
- Existing evaluation data (school reports)
- Vocational assessment
- Functional assessment(s) results
- Data from individual or group assessments of emotional, social, or behavioral functioning
6. A description of other factors that were relevant to the school's/district's proposal or refusal:
This section describes other factors, if any, that were relevant to the proposed action or refusal. Following are some examples:
- Based on data collected on the child, the child demonstrates consistent behavioral difficulties during transitions between settings.
- Child is reading at grade level.
- Child has a medical condition that will require an extended absence from school.
7. The educational placement recommended for your child is:
This section informs the parents of the amount of special education supports and the type of special education supports that are being recommended.
Amount of Special Education Supports
- Itinerant
- Supplemental
- Full Time
Type of Special Special Education Supports
- Learning Support
- Life Skills Support
- Emotional Support
- Deaf or Hard of Hearing Support
- Blind or Visually Impaired Support
- Speech and Language Support
- Physical Support
- Autistic Support
- Multiple Disabilities Support
- * Select only one of the Amount of Special Education Supports
- ** Select one or more of the Type of Special Education Supports
8. Parent Consent
Parents are to select the appropriate option indicating their approval or disapproval of the proposed action. If parents do not approve the recommendation, they should list the reason for disapproval. Parents always have the right to formally request one of the options listed below or they may prefer to work informally to reach agreement.
- Mediation: IDEA 2004 revised several provisions of procedural safeguards. LEAs and parents should consult the Procedural Safeguards Notice for detailed information related to mediation.
- Due Process Hearing: When a parent checks this box, the LEA has the obligation to provide the parent with the Due Process Complaint Notice form and the Procedural Safeguards Notice. A parent filing a due process complaint must provide a copy to the LEA and the Office for Dispute Resolution. LEAs and parents should consult the Procedural Safeguards Notice for detailed information related to due process hearings.
Additional Resources
