Manifestation Determination Review

When a student enrolled in the special education program receives disciplinary action, the ARD Committee meets to determine if the student's actions were a result of their disability. This is called a manifestation determination review (MDR).

Conducting a manifestation determination review link

Steps to conduct a manifestation determination review:

1. Send a Notice of ARD Committee Meeting. The purpose will be to discuss disciplinary matters.
2. Create a Manifestation Determination Review.
3. Provide a timeline and any relevant background information.
4. Review all relevant information in the student's file, including their IEP.
   • See below for steps on how to document that you reviewed the student's IEP.
5. Make a determination of whether the student's behavior is or is not a manifestation of their disability.
   • If the behavaior is not a manifestation, the school may take disciplinary action in the same manner they would for a child without disabilities.
   • If the behavior is a manifestation, the ARD Committee must take additional steps to address the issue.
   • Conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and implement a behavior intervention plan (BIP).
   • Review and modify the student's BIP if one already exists.
   • Remedy any deficiencies if the behavior was a result of the LEA failing to implement the IEP.

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Steps to document a review of an IEP for an MDR:

1. Follow the typical steps to amend or revise the student's IEP.
2. In the Amendments/Revisions section, under meeting, select "Yes".
3. For Section Amended/Revised, enter Complete IEP.
4. For Description of Changes, enter reviewed IEP in accordance with MDR.
5. If you want to add signatures, you can add a signature section in Section 15 of the IEP, or print off the signatures page in the MDR and add it as an attachment.

This is a suggested workflow for documenting a review of an IEP that several districts follow, however it is not required to document the review in this manner.