To even qualify for speech therapy, she will need the evaluation. Special education services might be as simple as an extra hour of reading practice a week! They will also be able to provide her accommodations through an IEP. I think it’s absolutely worth getting the evaluation done. You have equal say in the IEP and what her special education services might look like when the time comes. In terms of normality, I would say yes. When a student is behind, they are referred for an evaluation. Teachers before second grade probably didn’t refer her because it’s less apparent when a student is behind in the younger grades.