Transcript Identification, Assessment, & Evaluation

Identification,
Assessment, and
Evaluation
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
1
Identification, Assessment, &
Evaluation
LEAs shall conduct a full and individual
evaluation before the initial provision of special
education and related services to a child with
a disability (IDEA, 20 U.S.C. 1414(a)(1))
In addition to determining eligibility, the evaluation must
also be used to determine the student’s educational
needs
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Purposes of
Assessment/Evaluation
• Entitlement Decisions
• Programming Decisions
• Accountability/Outcome Decisions
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
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Requesting an
Assessment/Evaluation
• IDEA 2004 includes language that allows either
a parent, the SEA, another state agency, or
school district personnel may initiate a request
for an initial evaluation (IDEA, 1414 (a)(1)(B)
• The IEP and other qualified professionals review
existing data, determine if additional tests are
required, interpret all evaluation data and
determine eligibility based on the data.
• Assessment/evaluation data must lead to
intervention
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Referral Process
Multidisciplinary team (MDT) receives a student referral
MDT decides if sped assessment is needed
MDT seeks parental permission to assess
MDT receives informed consent
MDT conducts assessment
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Parental Consent for
Assessment
• An agency responsible for FAPE must seek
parental consent prior to evaluation or providing
special education services
• An agency must make reasonable attempts to get
consent of parents of children who are wards of
the state
• If a parent refuses consent:
– For evaluation: the agency may use due process to
obtain authority for evaluation
– For services: the agency may NOT use due process in
seeking to provide services; there is no fault to the
public agency, and no IEP meeting is required
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Assessment Process
MDT team conducts evaluation
Does the child have an IDEA disability
Does the child need special education
Appoints IEP team
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
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Determining Needed
Evaluation Data
• Review existing evaluation data
Parentally provided information
Classroom-based assessments &
observations
Observations by teachers
Formal and informal assessments
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
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Evaluation Data Needed
• Identify the data that is needed to
determine:
Category of disability
Present levels of performance
Special education & related services
Modifications to allow child to meet IEP
goals & participate in general education
The student’s progress
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Evaluation Materials
• Test and Evaluation materials
• Must not be discriminatory
• Must be given in the child’s native
language or mode of communication
• Must be used to assess all areas related to
the suspected disability
• Technically sound instruments to assess
Cognitive & behavioral factors
Physical & developmental factors
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Standardized Tests
• Standardized tests must:
• Be valid
• Be administered by trained personnel in
conformity with instructions
• Reflect of the student’s aptitude or
achievement
• Assess specific areas of educational need
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Evaluation Procedures
• A variety of assessment tools & strategies
must be used to collect functional &
developmental information that may assist in
determining:
• Whether the child has a disability
• The content of the IEP
• No single procedure may be the sole criterion
• Decisions must be made by a
multidisciplinary team
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Nondiscriminatory Evaluation
• Tests must be selected & administered
that are not racially or culturally
discriminatory
• IDEA provides no guidance on how to
accomplish this
• This section is to address the
overrepresentation of minority students
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
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Interpreting Evaluation Data
• Draw on information from a variety of
sources
• Decisions must be documented and
carefully considered
• Decisions must be made by a team
(usually IEP team)
• Placement decisions must be accordance
with LRE requirements
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Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Procedures For Initial
Evaluation
• There is a 60-day timeframe from receipt of parental
consent for initial evaluation until the initial
evaluation is conducted, unless the state
establishes its own timeframe within which an
evaluation must be conducted.
• The timeframe does not apply if:
– The child attends a new school district after consent is
given but before the evaluation is conducted; or
– The parent fails to, or repeatedly refuses to, produce the
child for evaluation
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Special Rules for Determining
Eligibility in IDEA 2004
• A child will not be determined to be a child
with a disability if the basis of the child’s
problem is lack of scientifically based
instruction in reading, lack of appropriate
teaching in math, or LEP
– Scientifically based reading instruction
addresses the essential components of
reading as listed by the National Reading
Panel
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Special Rule for Determining
Eligibility for Learning
Disabilities (IDEA 2004)
• When determining whether a child has a
learning disability, an LEA shall not be
required to take into consideration a
discrepancy between ability and
achievement
– An LEA may use a process that determines if
the child responds to scientific, researchbased instruction
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
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Triennial Reevaluation
• Three year reevaluation may be conducted to
determine
– If the student is still eligible for services under IDEA
– Determine the student’s present levels of academic
achievement and functional needs
– Whether any additions or modifications to the special
education services in a student’s IEP are needed
• When a student’s academic and functional needs
warrant it, a reevaluation should be performed more
frequently than three years
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Re-Evaluation of Students
who Graduate
• When a student in special education
graduate with a diploma, or ages out of
special education, although the school does
not need to conduct a formal evaluation, it
must provide a summary of the child’s
academic achievement and functional
performance, which shall include
recommendations on how to assist the child
in meeting the child’s postsecondary goals
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Independent Educational
Evaluations (IEE)
• Provide parents with information on where to
obtain an IEE
• Right to one IEE at public expense
• If LEA evaluation is appropriate the parents are
entitled to an IEE, but not at public expense
• Results of the IEE must be considered
• IEE results may be presented at a hearing
• A hearing officer may request an IEE
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Accountability & Students
with Disabilities
•
•
•
•
No Child Left Behind
Minimum competency tests
Monitoring student progress
Reporting student progress
Yell / The Law and Special Education, Second Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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