THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS

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THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS

• Systematic
• Types and number of assessments procedures vary
  depending on reasons for data
• Legal and Instructional Decisions

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Legal Decisions

• primary purpose determine who receives special
  education services
• determine whether individual students meets legal
  requirements for one or more disability.
• student must be determined to have a disability
  and that disability must have an adverse effect
  on the student educational performance.

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• criteria guides assessment process
• Each disability is defined by federal laws and
  state regulations
• Federal definitions tend to be general
  descriptions of the condition
• state guidelines are more specific

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• Legal decisions about mild disabilities require
  several team members
• parents
• general and special educators
• school psychologist
• speech language pathologist
• school nurses
• Informal measures often used to confirm results
  of norm-referenced task and provide additional
  information perhaps unavailable

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Comparison Of Eligibility Criteria For Mild
Disabilities.
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Instructional Decisions

• Once a students been found eligible for special
  education services the major decisions to be made
  are instructional rather than legal
• Major concerns are the content of the students
  curriculum
• What to teach-instructional methods used to
  implement the curriculum or
• How to teach
• Next the overall effectiveness of the
  instructional program

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• First step in preparing the IEP is look the
  result of eligibility assessment information
  specifically
• current levels performance
• identify annual goals and short-term objectives
• select appropriate services and curricular
  modifications of the student
• decide how to monitor

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• After the IEP is implemented the teacher or other
  professional
• constantly make instructional decisions
• becomes cycle of teaching-data collection-instruct
  ional decisions
• (sometimes referred to as teach-test-teach-test)
• Diagnostic-prescriptive model

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• Several times during the school year the teacher
  informs
• parents about progress toward IEP
• can be report cards
• at least once a year the entire IEP has to be
  reviewed
• Examine effectiveness of educational program and
  new plan for the next year

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• Instructional decisions require specific
  information about the students performance in
  relation to the classroom program.
• informal assessment of these strategies are more
  useful than formal measures.

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STEPS IN ASSESSMENT PROCESS

• Identification and referral
• Determination of eligibility
• Program planning
• Program implementation and evaluation

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• Strict guidelines for the ways in which
  assessments must be carried out reauthorization
  of IDEA
• Students and their parents are protected by legal
  requirements for
• due process,
• procedural safeguards,
• nondiscriminatory assessment,
• placement in the least restrictive educational
  environment,
• confidentiality of information, and
• development and regular monitoring of the IEP.

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• Due process has been described as a procedure
  which seeks to ensure the fairness of educational
  decisions and the accountability of both the
  professionals and parents making those
  decisions. Turnbull, Strickland, and Brantley,
  1982.

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Identification And Referral

• First phase is the identification of students
  with possible disabilities
• large number of kids
• identification does not necessarily result in
  referral for special education assessment
• (Bilingual education and classroom
  interventions)

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Screening And Teacher Identification Of Students
With School Problems

• SEA responsible for child find
• symptoms and signs of disability
• availability of services
• Screening procedures used to gather lots of
  information with large groups
• School records can be examined
• Anyone within the community can identify a child
  as possibly having a disability
• Elementary grades, general education teacher
  typically first to see problem
• First step is not referral. instead prereferral
  strategies

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Prereferral - Intervention

• General education teachers are expected to make
  modifications in a students instructional
  program before beginning formal procedure for
  referral.
• Numerous students experienced minor or
  transitional learning and behavioral problems,
  but do not need special education services.

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• Federal special education law requires parents be
  informed of any referral in writing.
• Parents have the right participate in the
  assessment and decision-making
• Parents must give permission for assessment and
  receive an explanation the results
• Parents can ask for independent evaluation,
  inspect all school records, request due process
  hearing if they disagree

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Determination Of Eligibility

• When assessment procedures have been carried out
  and the results are reported
• the team members including the childs parents
  make legal decisions about eligibility for
  special education services

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Standard Scores

• Mean represents the average score
• Standard deviation reflects the variability of a
  set of scores
• Deviation IQ has a mean of 100 and standard
  deviation of 15 (or 16)

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Design of an Individualized Assessment Plan

• Individualized assessment plan or IAP
• IAP describes the steps in assessment and
  procedures used in each step
• Must address the reason for referral and focus on
  areas relevant education
• Three concerns
• students skills and abilities
• general education curriculum and the task with
  which the students having difficulty
• classroom learning environment

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• focus assessment on the education of the student
• ask important assessment questions and then
  select procedures
• choose assessment procedures of the highest
  quality
• coordinate efforts of the team members so things
  are not repeated
• begin assessment in each area of interest by
  survey in general performance
• consider the learning task and the instructional
  environment
• compare findings from different procedures to
  confirm the accuracy of assessment results

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Parental Permission For Assessment

• parents must give their permission before
  assessment can take place
• Special education law requires that parents be
  notified in writing
• reasonable time before the school progresses
• information about procedural safeguards,
• clear explanation of the reasons for the
  assessment, and
• a description of each of the assessment
  procedures to be used

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• understandable language and if necessary be
  translated in the parents native language or
  other mode communications such as Braille or oral
• educational agency must documented these
  procedures the been followed
• goal is to ensure that the parents agree to the
  assessment and that they have to have given
  informed consent

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Administration, Scoring, And The Interpretation
Of Assessment Procedures

• Assessment devices must be technically sound
• Standardized test must be administered by trained
  professionals who follows directions

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Reporting Results

• Results must the reported to parents whether or
  not student ultimately is found to be eligible
• Parents must be informed of their rights to have
  access to all records concerning identification
  assessment and placement
• School system must respond promptly to the
  request to examine records in no more than 45
  days
• If any questions given explanation
• If parents feel that the records are inaccurate
  or violate the childs rights to privacy they can
  ask the school system to amend them

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• The school system must provide information about
  what parents can obtain an independent
  educational evaluation
• Parents have the right to an outside evaluation
  at public expense if they disagree with the
  schools systems evaluation and a school system
  does not or cannot substantiate its own
  evaluation
• If the parents initiated an evaluation results
  must be considered by the school system in making
  any kind decisions

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Decisions Regarding Eligibility

• Decisions about eligibility are usually made by
  team after the results have been reported
• Decisions are based on eligibility criteria
  federal laws and regulations as well as state and
  district policies
• Team must decide whether the student has a
  disability and if disability adversely affect
  school performance
• Students with school performance problems due to
  limited proficiency in English or lack of
  instructional instruction are not considered to
  have a disability

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Design Of The Individualized Educational Program

• IEP meeting must take place within 30 days of the
  determination of eligibility
• IEP must be developed before the student receives
  special education services
• IEP must be implemented soon after the IEP
  meeting
• At least yearly reexamination of appropriateness
  of the IEP and revision if necessary is required

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• Parents must be identified early enough for the
  meeting so theyll have opportunity to attend
• Parents must be informed of the purpose of the
  meeting where, when, who
• Meetings must be scheduled at mutually agreed
  upon time and place
• When parents cant attend, school must use other
  means of communicating to ensure parent
  participation
• IEP meeting may be held without the students
  parents if the parents choose not to attend.
  However school must keep detailed records of all
  attempts to communicate with the parents and any
  responses
• Every effort must be made to ensure the parents
  understand the proceeding and that they are
  involved
• Parents must receive a copy of IEP

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IEP must contain information about

• Present level of educational performance
• Annual goals and short-term benchmarks /
  objectives
• Needed special education related services,
  supplementary aides and services, and program
  modifications and supports
• Extent student will not participate with
  nondisabled students in general education
  classroom and other school activities

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• Procedures for the students participation in
  state- or district-wide assessment
• Projected date for initiation of services and
  duration of services
• Strategies for measuring progress toward annual
  goals and informing parents of that progress
• For older students, include information about
  transitional services
• When appropriate special factors such as
  behavioral needs, language needs, instruction in
  Braille, communication needs, and assistive
  technology devices and services

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• Components of the IEP focus on general education
  curriculum
• Access to and participation in the curriculum
• Team must explain any placement that removes the
  student from the general classroom.
• Federal laws do not require placement in general
  classroom just justification of removal or denial
  to participate in extracurricular activities.

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Placement of students with disabilities is
governed by the principal of Least Restrictive
Environment (LRE)

• To the maximum extent appropriate, children with
  disabilitiesare educated with children who are
  nondisabled and
• That special classes, separate schooling or other
  removal of children with disabilities from the
  regular education environment occurs only in the
  nature or severity of the disability is such that
  education in regular classed with the use of
  supplementary aids and services cannot be
  achieved satisfactorily.

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Parental Agreement To The IEP

• Parent must give consent to before the IEP can be
  implemented
• Must approve provisions on IEP
• Including the educational services to be provided
• Informed consent

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• Disagree
• Voluntary mediation
• Agree written mediation agreement must
  result
• Disagree or dont participate..due process
• Due process
• EA must inform regarding free or low-cost legal
  services if available in the area
• Local due process
• Appeal to SEA
• Appeal to Civil court of U.S. District court.

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Program Implementation And Evaluation

• Implementation of the IEP
• ASAP
• Professionals involved must be made aware of
  supports, accommodations, and modifications
• IEP objectives become framework for evaluating
  progress

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Ongoing Monitoring Of Student Progress

• observations
• analysis of work samples
• criterion-referenced tests
• information inventories
• state-district wide assessment
• Identical conditions
• modifications made to administration
• not participate
• why
• describe how assessment will occur

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Annual Review Of The IEP

• Progress toward meeting annual goals
• Information assessment
• Formal assessment
• Classroom observations
• Portfolio assessment
• Criterion-references testing
• Interviews (students /or parents)

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• Schools must provide special education and
  related services and make good faith effort
• However schools cannot be held accountable if
  student fails to meet goals.(Revise IEP)

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Periodic Re-Evaluation Of Eligibility

• 3 year