A Field Manual · No. I · Volume 2
Michigan
Free timeline cardThe evaluation and IEP timeline sections of the Michigan page from Volume 2 appear here word for word, with their citations. Law checked July 14, 2026.What the labels mean
1. Initial evaluation timeline
30 school days from the district’s receipt of signed parental consent - and that same 30 days must also produce the IEP. MARSE R 340.1721b: “The time from receipt of parental consent for an evaluation to the notice of an offer of a free appropriate public education or the determination of ineligibility must not be more than 30 school days. This timeline begins on receipt of the signed parental consent by the public agency requesting the consent.” The days are school days (days children are in school for instructional purposes - not snow days, teacher workdays, or other non-instructional days), which makes Michigan’s clock substantially shorter than the federal 60-calendar-day default at 34 C.F.R. § 300.301(c)(1). Extension is possible only by parent-district agreement that is in writing and measured in school days. Two front-end rules also matter: on a written request for evaluation, the district has 10 school days from receipt of the request to issue prior written notice and request consent (R 340.1721b(1)); the same 30-school-day rule applies to a student parentally placed in a private school. Sources: MARSE R 340.1721b (MDE); MDE OSE, Guidance for Timeline for Initial Evaluations (March 2022) (PDF).
2. Eligibility-to-IEP timeline
Michigan sets no separate eligibility-to-IEP clock because eligibility and the IEP are folded into the single 30-school-day timeline. Per MDE guidance: “Within 30 school days, the IEP Team is convened to determine initial eligibility or ineligibility and provide an initial offer of a free appropriate public education (FAPE)…. Notice must be provided within seven days of the IEP Team meeting and in no case more than 30 school days from the date parental consent was received.” Downstream deadlines to calendar:
- Parent consent for initial services: within 10 school days of the district’s notice of an initial offer of FAPE (R 340.1721b(2); 34 C.F.R. § 300.300(b)).
- IEP implementation: within 15 school days of the district’s notice of an offer of FAPE, extendable by parent-district agreement with the date stated in the IEP (R 340.1721b(4); R 340.1722(3)).
Source: MDE OSE, Guidance for Timeline for Initial Evaluations (PDF); MARSE R 340.1721b.
Locked on this page · what membership adds
- 3. State complaint
- 4. Due process
- 5. Recording IEP meetings
- 6. Age of majority / transfer of rights
- 7. State education agency special-education office
- 8. Parent Training and Information Center (Michigan)
- 9. Peculiarity worth knowing
- Sources
Use this companion with the verified review edition of The IEP Field Manual. Begin with the federal tool, then check the state entry before relying on a timeline, filing route, age, credential rule, records period, restraint or seclusion duty, or other state-specific procedure.
Each state entry cites official sources. Links and state rules change. Confirm the cited official page again before a high-stakes act or deadline.
This companion is educational information, not legal advice. It does not replace advice from a licensed attorney in the state where the student attends school.
Open your state’s page
All 51 state pages come with the Field Manual membership, together with the 97 tools, the 40 editable letters, and the eight visual maps. $14 monthly or $99 yearly. Cancel online anytime. Fourteen-day first-charge refund guarantee.