Checklists
• Assessment Plans/Parent Consent for Evaluation – Checklist
• Required Members of the Multidisciplinary Assessment Team for an Initial Evaluation – Checklist
• Student Behavior During Evaluation – Checklist
• Visual Processing Disorder – Checklist
• Auditory Processing Disorder – Checklist
Forms
Charts
• Who Administers Specific Tests
Procedures
• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Autism
• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Emotional Disturbance
• Procedures for Determining the assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability
Checklists
Assessment Plans/Parent Consent for Evaluation Checklist
Prior to any assessment, the MDT must secure an agreement by the parent to allow the members of the team to evaluate the child. This release is part of the assessment plan and should do the following:
_____Be in a language easily understood by the general public
_____Be provided in the primary language of the parent or other mode of communication used by the parent, unless to do so is clearly unfeasible
_____Explains the types of assessments to be conducted
_____State that no individualized educational program (IEP) will result from the assessment without the consent of the parent
_____No assessment shall be conducted unless the written consent of the parent is obtained prior to the assessment. The parent shall have at least 15 days (may vary from state to state) from the receipt of the proposed assessment plan to arrive at a decision. Assessment may begin immediately upon receipt of the consent.
_____The copy of the notice of parent rights shall include the right to electronically record the proceedings of the eligibility committee meetings
_____The assessment shall be conducted by persons competent to perform the assessment, as determined by the school district, county office, or special education local plan area
_____Any psychological assessment of pupils must be conducted by a qualified school psychologist
_____Only a credentialed school nurse or physician who is trained and prepared to assess cultural and ethnic factors appropriate to the pupil being assessed shall conduct any health assessment of pupils.
To Download a PDF Version of this checklist – Click Here
Required Members of the Multidisciplinary Team for an Initial Evaluation Checklist
While specific state regulations may differ on the membership of the MDT, the members are usually drawn from individuals and professionals within the school and community. A special education teacher will be assigned as the member of the MDT who will be responsible for the educational and perhaps perceptual evaluations of the child. You should also be aware that the law mandates that an individual who is an expert in the field of the suspected disability must be a member of the MDT. For instance, in the case of a suspected learning disability you will be considered the expert on the team in this area. It is important that you are familiar with the professionals that might be asked to participate on this team in the evaluation of a child with a suspected disability. These may include but are not limited to:
_____School Psychologist: The role of the school psychologist on the MDT involves the administration of individual intelligence tests, projective tests, personality inventories, and the observation of the student in a variety of settings.
_____School Nurse: The role of the school nurse is to review all medical records, screen for vision and hearing, consults with outside physicians, and may refer to outside physicians if necessary.
_____Classroom Teacher: Works with the local school based Child Study Team to implement pre-referral strategies, plans and implements, along with the special education team, classroom strategies that create an appropriate working environment for the student.
_____School Social Worker: The social worker’s role on the MDT is to gather and provide information concerning the family system. This may be accomplished through interviews, observations, conferences etc.
_____Special Education Teacher: The role of this individual includes consultation to parents and classroom teachers about pre-referral recommendations, administers educational and perceptual tests, may be called upon to observe the student in a variety of settings, may be involved in the screening of students with suspected disabilities, writes IEP’s including goals and objectives and recommends intervention strategies to teachers and parents.
_____Educational diagnostician: Administers a series of evaluations including norm-referenced and criterion referenced tests, observes the student in a variety of settings, makes educational recommendations that get applied to the IEP as goals and objectives.
_____Special education supervisor
_____Physical Therapist: The physical therapist is called upon to evaluate a child who may be experiencing problems in gross motor functioning, living and self help skills, and vocational skills necessary for the student to be able to function in certain settings. This professional may be used to screen, evaluate, provide direct services or consult with the teacher, parent or school.
_____Medical Doctor(Be specific): ___________________________ i.e. neurologist
_____Behavioral consultant: This individual works closely with the team in providing direct services or consultation on issues involving behavioral and classroom management techniques and programs.
_____Speech/Language clinician: This professional will be involved in screening for speech and language developmental problems, be asked to provide a full evaluation on a suspected language disability, provide direct services, and consult with staff and parents.
_____Audiologist: This professional will be called upon to evaluate a student’s hearing for possible impairments and as a result of the findings may refer the student for medical consultation or treatment. The audiologist may also assist in helping students and parents obtain equipment i.e. hearing aids that may impact on the child’s ability to function in school.
_____Occupational Therapist: The occupational therapist is called upon to evaluate a child who may be experiencing problems in fine motors skills and living and self help skills, This professional may be used to screen, evaluate, provide direct services, consult with the teacher, parent or school and assist in obtaining the appropriate assistive technology or equipment for the student.
_____Guidance Counselor: This individual may be involved in providing aptitude test information, provide counseling services, work with the team on consolidating, changing, or developing a student’s class schedule, and assist the Child Study Team in developing pre-referral strategies.
_____Parents: The parents plays an extremely important role on the MDT in providing input for the IEP, working closely with members of the team, and carry out, assist, or initiate academic or management programs within the child’s home.
Download a PDF Version of this checklist – Click Here
Student Behavior During Evaluation-Checklist
The evaluation of a student involves many areas of input and observation. A critical period of observation takes place at the time of testing when the special education teacher has a firsthand opportunity to view the child under these types of conditions. It should be noted that the way a child approaches different types of evaluations may be very similar to the style he/she uses in the classroom. There are many behaviors that should be observed when administering tests. Recording these observations will greatly facilitate report writing. Some suggestions of behaviors to be observed follow:
_____Adjustment to the Testing Situation
- What was the child’s initial reaction?
- How did the child react to the examine?
- Were there any initial signs of overt tension?
_____ Examiner variables (conditions that may affect test outcome that are directly related to the examiner i.e. examiner style, gender, examiner tension, examiner expectations etc.) may need to be considered especially if test results vary greatly from examiner to examiner.
_____ Be aware of overt signs of tension (observable behaviors indicative of underlying tension) that may affect the outcome of the test results. Some overt signs of behavior often manifested by children include, constant leg motion, little or no eye contact with the examiner, consistent finger or pencil tapping, oppositional behaviors ( behaviors that test the limits and guidelines of the examiner) singing or making noises while being tested, keeping jacket on or a hat almost covering his/her face etc. If this type of tension is extreme you may want to explore the possibility that the results may be minimal indications of ability.
_____ Reaction Time
- Were responses delayed, blocked, irregular?
- Was there any indication of negativism?
- Were responses impulsive or well thought out?
_____ Nature of Responses
- Are some nonsensical, immature, childlike?
- Are they inconsistent?
- Does subject ask to have responses repeated?
- Is the subject critical of his responses?
_____ Verbalizations
- Is the subject verbose?
- Is he spontaneous in responding?
- Does he have peculiarities of speech?
_____ Organizational Approach Used During Testing
- Does subject plan and work systematically?
- Does he make false starts?
- Does he use trial and error?
_____ Adaptability during Testing
- Does subject shift from one test to the next?
- Is interest sustained in all types of test items?
_____ Effort during Testing
- Is subject cooperative?
- Does he/she give evidence of trying hard?
- Does child become frustrated easily?
Download a PDF Version of this checklist – Click Here
Visual Perceptual Processing Disorder – Checklist
There are many symptoms that may indicate problems in a certain perceptual area. Some of these are observable, while others are discovered through intakes and testing. What follows is a list of symptoms that may reflect perceptual disabilities in a variety of visual areas:
General Visual Perceptual Problems – The student:
_____ Exhibits poor motor coordination
_____ Is awkward motorically-frequent tripping, stumbling, bumps into things, has trouble skipping, jumping
_____ Demonstrates restlessness, short attention span, perseveration
_____ Exhibits poor handwriting, artwork, drawing
_____ Exhibits reversals of b,d,p,q,u,n when writing beyond a chronological age of 7 or 8
_____ Inverts numbers (17 for 71), reverses as well
_____ Gives correct answers when teacher reads test, but can’t put answers down on paper
_____ Exhibits poor performance in group achievement tests
_____ Appear brighter than test scores indicate
_____ Poor perception of time and space.
Visual-Receptive Process Disability – The student:
_____ Does not enjoy books, pictures
_____ Fails to understand what is read
_____ Is unable to give a simple explanation of contents of a picture
_____ Is unable to categorize pictures
Visual-Association Disability – The student:
_____ Is unable to tell a story from pictures; can only label objects in the pictures
_____ Is unable to understand what he or she reads
_____ Fails to handle primary workbook tasks
_____ Needs auditory cues and clues
Manual-Expressive Disability – The student:
_____ Has poor handwriting and drawing
_____ Communicates infrequently with gestures
_____ Is poor at “acting out” ideas, feelings
_____ Is clumsy, uncoordinated
_____ Plays games poorly; can’t imitate other children in games
Visual-Memory Disability – The student:
_____ Exhibits frequent misspellings, even after undue practice
_____ Misspells his own name frequently
_____ Can’t write alphabet, numbers, computation facts
_____ Identifies words one day and fails to the next
Download a PDF Version of this checklist – Click Here
Auditory Perceptual Processing Disorder – Checklist
What follows is a list of symptoms that may reflect perceptual disabilities in a variety of auditory areas.
General Auditory Perceptual Indicators – The student:
_____ Appears less intelligent than IQ tests indicate
_____ Does many more things than one would expect: puts puzzles together, fixes broken objects, and so on
_____ Appears to have a speech problem
_____ May emphasize wrong syllables in words
_____ May sequence sounds oddly
_____ May use “small words” incorrectly
_____ Appears not to listen or comprehend
_____ Watches teacher’s or adult’s faces intently, trying to grasp words
Auditory Receptive Process Disability – The student:
_____ Fails to comprehend what he or she hears
_____ Exhibits poor receptive vocabulary
_____ Fails to identify sounds correctly
_____ Fails to carry out directions
Auditory Association Disability – The student:
_____ Fails to enjoy being read to him by someone else
_____ Has difficulty comprehending questions
_____ Raises hand to answer question but gives foolish response
_____ Is slow to respond; takes a long time to answer
_____ Has difficulty with abstract concepts presented auditorily
Verbal Expressive Disability – The student:
_____ Mispronounces common words
_____ Uses incorrect word endings and plurals
_____ Omits correct verbal endings
_____ Makes grammatical or syntactical errors that do not reflect those of his or her parents
_____ Has difficulty blending sounds
Auditory Memory Disability: The student:
_____ Does not know address or phone number
_____ Fails to remember instructions
_____ Has difficulty memorizing nursery rhymes or poems
_____ Has difficulty knowing the alphabet
Download a PDF Version of this checklist – Click Here
Forms
Tables
Who Administers Specific Tests
Measures of Intellectual Ability –Normally administered by the Psychologist
• Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS)
• Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI)
• Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC):
• Mental Processing Scales
• Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT)
• McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities (MSCA)
• Otis-Lennon School Ability Test COLSAT)
• Slosson Intelligence Test – Revised (SIT-R)
• Stanford Binet Intelligence Test
• Test of Nonverbal Intelligence – Third Edition (TONI-3)
• Wechsler Scales of Intelligence
Reading Assessment Measures – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, classroom teacher
• Decoding Skills Test (DST)
• Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty (DARD)
• Gates-MacGinitie Silent Reading Test – Third Edition
• Gates-McKillop-Horowitz Reading Diagnostic Tests
• Gilmore Oral Reading Test
• Gray Oral Reading Test – 3 (GORT-3)
• Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT)
• Slosson Oral Reading Test – Revised (SORT-R)
• Spache Diagnostic Reading Scales (DRS)
• Test of Reading Comprehension – Third Edition (TORC-3)
• Woodcock Reading Mastery Test – Revised (WRMT-R)
Arithmetic Assessment Measures – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, classroom teacher
• Enright Diagnostic Inventory of Basic Arithmetic Skills (Enright)
• Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test – Revised (Key Math-R)
• The Steenburgen Diagnostic – Prescriptive Math Program and Quick Math
• Screening Test (Steenburgen)
• Test of Early Mathematics Ability – 2 (TEMA-2)
• Test of Mathematical Abilities – 2 (TOMA-2)
Spelling Assessment Measures – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, classroom teacher
• Diagnostic Word Patterns
• Test of Written Spelling – 3 (TWS-3)
Handwriting Assessment Measures – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, speech and language therapist, classroom teacher
• Denver Handwriting Analysis(DHA) – and occupational therapist
• The Picture Story Language Test (PSLT)
• Test of Early Written Language – 2 (TEWL-2)
• Test of Written Language – 2 (TOWL-2)
• Test of Written Language – 3 (TOWL-3)
• Written Language Assessment (WLA)
Comprehensive Achievement Measures – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, classroom teacher
• Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Basic Skills
• Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA)
• Norris Educational Achievement Test (NEAT)
• Peabody Individual Achievement Test – Revised (PIAT-R)
• Test of Academic Achievement Skills – Reading, Arithmetic, Spelling,
• and Listening (TAAS-RASLC)
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
• Wide Range Achievement Test – 3 (WRAT-4)
Tests That Specifically Measure Areas of Visual Perception – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist
• Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration – Fourth Edition
• Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BVMGT)
• Marianne Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP)
• Motor Free Perceptual Test – Revised (MVPT-R)
Tests That Specifically Measure Areas of Auditory Perception – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, classroom teacher, speech/language therapist
• Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Test of Auditory Discrimination (GFW)
• Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test (LACT)
• Tests of Auditory Perceptual Skills – Revised (TAPS-R)
• Wepman Test of Auditory Discrimination – 2 (ADT-2)
Comprehensive Measures of Perceptual Abilities – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, classroom teacher, speech/language therapist, or occupational therapist
• Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency
• Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitudes – Third Edition (DTLA-3)
• Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA)
• Slingerland Screening Tests for Identifying Children with Specific Language Disability
• Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD)
• Woodcock-Johnson Psycheducational Battery – Revised(WJ-R)
Expressive and Receptive Language Measures – Normally administered by the speech and language therapist, special education teacher, psychologist
• Boehm Test of Basic Concepts – Revised (BTBC-R)
• Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (CREVT)
• Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation
• Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Test of Auditory Discrimination (G-F-WTAD)
• Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills (K-SEALS)
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – III (PPVT-III)
• Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language – Revised (TACL-R)
• Test of Adolescent and Adult Language – Third Edition (TOAL-3)
• Test of Early Language Development – Second Edition (TELD-2)
• Test of Language Development – Intermediate (TOLD-I:2)
• Test of Language Development – Primary-2 (TOLD-P:2)
Psychological Measures – Normally administered by the psychologist
• Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale – Revised (ADDES)
• Children’s Apperception Test (CAT)
• Conners’ Parent and Teacher Rating Scales (CRS) – and classroom teacher and parent
• Draw-A-Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED)
• Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test (GHDT) – and special education teacher
• Kinetic-House-Tree-Person Drawings (K-H-T-P)
• The Politte Sentence Completion Test (PSCT)
• Rorschach Psychodiagnostic Test
• Thematic Apperception Test for Children and Adults (TAT)
Social Maturity and Adaptive Behavior Scales – Normally administered by
psychologist
• AMRAdaptive Behavior Scale – School (ABS-S:2)
• AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scales – Residential and Community–2 (ABS-RC-2)
• Developmental Assessment for the Severely Handicapped (DASH)
• Light’s Retention Scale (LRS)
• The Adaptive Behavior Evaluation Scale – Revised (ABES-R)
• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS)
Early Childhood Assessment Measures – Normally administered by the special education teacher, psychologist, speech and language therapist
• The Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI)
• Bayley Scales of Infant Development – Second Edition (BSID-II)-Ages
• 1-42 months – psychologist only
• Boehm Test of Basic Concepts – Preschool Version-K-Grade 2
• Bracken Basic Concept Scale(BBCS) – Ages 2.6-8
• Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
• Degangi-Berk Test of Sensory Integration (TSI) – occupational and physical therapists only
• Developmental Profile II (DP-II)
• The Denver Developmental Screening Test – Revised (Denver II)- Occupational Therapist
• Kindergarten Readiness Test (KRT) Metropolitan Readiness Tests – Sixth Edition (MRT-6)-PreK-Grade 1
• Preschool Language Scale – 3 (PLS-3) – Birth-6
• The Preschool Evaluation Scales (PES) – Birth-72 months
Tests for the Hearing Impaired – Normally administered by the speech and language therapist
• Auditory Perception Test for the Hearing Impaired (APT/HI) – Ages 5 and up
• Carolina Picture Vocabulary Test for Deaf and Hearing Impaired (CPVT) – Ages 4-11.5
• Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude – Ages 3-18
• Leiter-R International Performance Scale – Ages 2-17
• Rhode Island Test of Language Structure (RITLS) – Ages 3-20
• Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) – for children with identified hearing loss
• Test of Early Reading Ability – 2 Deaf or Hard of Hearing (TERA-2–D/HH) – Primary grades
• Assessment Measures Used by Occupational Therapists – Normally administered by the occupational therapists
• Milani-Comparetti Motor Development Test Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP)
• Quick Neurological Screening Test (QNST) Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT)
• Purdue Perceptual-Motor Survey (PPMS)
Bilingual Assessment Instruments – Normally administered by the special education teacher, speech and language therapist, psychologist
• ESL/Literacy Scale (ELS)
• Language Proficiency Test (LPT)
• Matrix Analogies Test – Expanded Form (MAT-Expanded Form)
• Screening Test of Spanish Grammar
• System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA)
From The Special Educator’s Complete Guide to 109 Diagnostic Tests
Pierangelo/Giuliani: Prentice Hall Publishers 1999
Download a PDF Version of this Table – CLICK HERE
Procedures
Determining the procedures and assessment measures for the Diagnosis of Autism
If a student is suspected of having Autism, the following procedures and assessment measures should be used:
A developmental profile that describes the student’s historical and current characteristics associated with Autism
The evaluator must establish that the student had characteristics of ASD in early childhood. The developmental profile describes the student’s historical and current characteristics associated with autism in the following areas from the eligibility criteria:
- Impairments in communication
- Impairments in social interaction
- Patterns of behavior, interests, and/or activities that are restricted, repetitive
- stereotypic
- Unusual responses to sensory information;
The information must also demonstrate that the characteristics are:
- Inconsistent or discrepant from the student’s development in other area(s)
- Documented over time and/or intensity
Behaviors characteristic of students with ASD must be viewed relative to the student’s developmental level. The developmental profile should be organized to list characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder the individual student displays within each area required in the eligibility criteria.
At least three observations of the student’s behavior, one of which involves direct interactions with the student.
The observations shall occur in multiple environments, on at least two different days, and be completed by one or more licensed professionals knowledgeable about the behavioral characteristics of Autism.
A minimum of three observations should be done because individuals with autism may function differently under different conditions. Important environments to observe are unstructured periods (e.g., breaks, recess, lunch, free time, free play, at home), during large group instruction, and structured sessions. Observations during changes in routines, interactions in the home environment, and unfamiliar environments may also help to develop an accurate picture of the student.
An assessment of communication to address the communication characteristics of Autism which includes but is not limited to measures of language semantics and pragmatics completed by a speech and language pathologist.
A medical statement or a health assessment statement indicating whether there are any physical factors that may be affecting the student’s educational performance
The school district will send (either directly or through the parent/guardian) the health assessment form to the student’s physician or physician’s assistant to determine if there are any other physical factors that the team should consider concerning the underlying causes of the student’s behavior. The physician may indicate there are no factors or may name factors that are present such as mental retardation or seizures. The physician’s statement may even indicate a student has a medical diagnosis of autism. The team needs to consider any factors expressed by the physician as they complete the eligibility process. This statement alone will not determine if the student meets eligibility criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder but rather gives needed information to the team about issues to consider as eligibility decisions are being made.
An assessment using an appropriate behavioral rating tool or an alternative assessment instrument that identifies characteristics associated with autism
The tools identify characteristics associated with autism. They are used to help determine if the individual student demonstrates characteristics of autism. The score on a behavior rating tool alone does not determine eligibility for Autism Spectrum Disorder. The score and related information gained from completing the tool will provide valuable information to the team when making the eligibility determination. However, no one piece of information alone is used to determine eligibility.
Additional evaluations or assessments necessary to identify the student’s educational needs.
Some questions the team may ask include:
- What is reinforcing to the student?
- What does the student find aversive?
- What are the student’s interest areas?
For young students, teams must identify skills needed to progress developmentally. The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) reflects both the student’s development and special education needs. Students with IFSPs receive specially designed educational activities in the areas of development in which they are delayed.
For school-age students, teams must identify skills needed to participate in the general curriculum. The IEP Committee’s determination of how each student’s disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general curriculum is a primary consideration in the development of the student’s IEP. In assessing students with disabilities, school districts may use a variety of assessment techniques to determine the extent to which these students can be involved and progress in the general curriculum. These assessment techniques may include criterion-referenced tests, standard achievement tests, diagnostic tests, other tests, or any combination of the above. Thus, the IEP Committee for each student with a disability must make an individualized determination regarding how the student will be involved and progress in the general curriculum and what needs that result from the student’s disability must be met to facilitate that participation.
Besides these assessment measures, the following should be considered:
If a student is suspected of having autism under the definition set forth in IDEA, the following assessment measures should also be considered:
- An observation by a team member other than the student’s general education teacher of the student’s academic performance in a general classroom setting; or in the case of a student less than school age or out of school, an observation by a team member conducted in an age-appropriate environment
- A developmental history, if needed
- An assessment of intellectual ability
Other assessments of the characteristics of speech and language impairments if the student exhibits impairments in any one or more of the following areas:
- cognition
- fine motor
- perceptual motor
- communication
- social or emotional
- perception or memory
These assessments shall be completed by specialists knowledgeable in the specific characteristics being assessed:
- A review of cumulative records, previous individualized education programs or individualized family service plans and teacher collected work samples
- If deemed necessary, a medical statement or health assessment statement indicating whether there are any physical factors that may be affecting the student’s educational performance
Assessments to determine the impact of the suspected disability:
- On the student’s educational performance when the student is at the age of eligibility for kindergarten through age 21
- On the student’s developmental progress when the student is age three through the age of eligibility for kindergarten
- Additional evaluations or assessments necessary to identify the student’s educational needs.
Download a PDF Version of this assessment procedure – CLICK HERE
Determining the Procedures and Assessment Measures for the Diagnosis of Emotional Disturbance
Each student shall have a multidisciplinary evaluation for the initial assessment of a suspected disability (Emotional Disturbance) that includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Comprehensive social history collected directly from the student’s parent/guardian/guardian, custodial guardian, or if necessary, from an individual with intimate knowledge of the student’s circumstances, history, or current behaviors. A comprehensive social assessment shall include family history, family-social interactions, developmental history, medical history (including mental health),and school history (including attendance and discipline records)
- Direct and anecdotal observations over time and across various settings by three or more licensed professionals
- Documentation and assessment of how emotional disturbance adversely affects educational performance in the learning environment
- Individual assessment of psycho-educational strengths and weaknesses, including intelligence, behavior, and personality factors, taking into account any exceptionality of the individual in the choice of assessment procedures
- Individual educational assessment (criterion- or norm-referenced) including direct measures of classroom performance to determine the student’s strengths and weaknesses
- Physical conditions ruled out as the primary cause of atypical behavior(s)
- Review of past educational performance
- Specific behavioral data, including documentation of previous interventions and an evaluation of the locus of control of behavior to include internal and external factors
- Visual or auditory deficits ruled out as the primary cause of atypical behavior(s)
Besides these assessment measures, the following should be considered:
If a student is suspected of having an Emotional Disturbance under the definition set forth in IDEA, the following assessment measures should also be considered:
- An observation by a team member other than the student’s general education teacher of the student’s academic performance in a general classroom setting; or in the case of a student less than school age or out of school, an observation by a team member conducted in an age-appropriate environment
- A developmental history, if needed
- An assessment of intellectual ability
- Other assessments of the characteristics of speech and language impairments if the student exhibits impairments in any one or more of the following areas: cognition, fine motor, perceptual motor, communication, social or emotional, and perception or memory. These assessments shall be completed by specialists knowledgeable in the specific characteristics being assessed
- A review of cumulative records, previous individualized education programs or individualized family service plans and teacher collected work samples
- If deemed necessary, a medical statement or health assessment statement indicating whether there are any physical factors that may be affecting the student’s educational performance
- Assessments to determine the impact of the suspected disability:
- On the student’s educational performance when the student is at the age of eligibility for kindergarten through age 21
- On the student’s developmental progress when the student is age three through the age of eligibility for kindergarten
- Additional evaluations or assessments necessary to identify the student’s educational needs.
Download a PDF Version of this assessment procedure – CLICK HERE
Determining the Procedures and Assessment Measures for the Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability
When a student has been referred for assessment to determine the presence of a disability, the IEP Committee reviews the documentation of the general education interventions used with the student. The team also collects and reviews a variety of readily available information about the student to determine whether additional formal information gathering is needed.
Examples of sources of information include, but are not limited to the following:
- Information from School Records Information from the Teacher
- Grades Instructional levels based on daily
- Attendance pattern Classroom behavior
- Health record General education interventions
- Screening records: attempted
- Vision Peer relationships
- Hearing Information from parent/guardian conferences
- Speech/Language interviews
- Discipline records Home behavior
- Hobbies and interests
- Neighborhood friendships
The following high-risk factors may indicate the presence of an intellectual disabilityy:
- Academic skill development and adaptive behavior is below that of most, if not all, of the students in the class.
- Work samples evidence delay across all academic areas.
- Low performance level cannot be attributed to factors other than intellectual disabilities (i.e., social/emotional, visual, or hearing problem).
- It is difficult for the student to retain information taught from one day to the next.
- There is a delay in development of gross and fine motor coordination.
The IEP Committee gathers all pertinent data (e.g., documentation of general education interventions, written records, observations, tests, and interviews) to identify the presence of factors indicative of intellectual disability.
The assessment for the diagnosis of intellectual disability needs to include:
- An individually administered standardized intelligence test administered by a qualified professional
- An adaptive behavior scale
- A developmental history of the student
- A medical statement or a health assessment indicating whether there are any sensory or physical factors that may be affecting the student’s educational performance
- Assessments to determine the impact of the suspected disability
Download a PDF Version of this assessment procedure – CLICK HERE
Determining the Procedures and Assessment Measures for the Diagnosis of a Specific Learning Disability
If a student is suspected of having a specific learning disability, the following
evaluation should be considered:
- An observation by a team member other than the student’s general education teacher of the student’s academic performance in a general classroom setting; or in the case of a student less than school age or out of school, an observation by a team member conducted in an age-appropriate environment
- A developmental history, if needed
- An assessment of intellectual ability
- Other assessments of the characteristics of learning disabilities if the student exhibits impairments in any one or more of the following areas: cognition, fine motor, perceptual motor, communication, social or emotional, and perception or memory. These assessments shall be completed by specialists knowledgeable in the specific characteristics being assessed.
- A review of cumulative records, previous individualized education programs or individualized family service plans and teacher collected work samples.
- If deemed necessary, a medical statement or health assessment statement indicating whether there are any physical factors that may be affecting the student’s educational performance
- Assessments to determine the impact of the suspected disability:
- On the student’s educational performance when the student is at the age of eligibility for kindergarten through age 21
- On the student’s developmental progress when the student is age three through the age of eligibility for kindergarten
- Additional evaluations or assessments that are necessary to identify the student’s educational needs.
At least one observation is required as part of the evaluation for determining a Specific Learning Disability. Minimal observation requirements include:
- At least one team member other than the student’s general education teacher shall observe the student’s academic performance in the general classroom setting. In the case of a student less than school age or out of school, a team member shall observe the student in an environment appropriate for a student of that age.
- The relevant behavior noted during the observation of the student; and, the relationship of that behavior to the student’s academic functioning
I. Documentation that the student’s learning problems are not primarily due to:
- lack of appropriate instruction in reading and math
- limited English proficiency
- visual, hearing, or motor impairment
- mental retardation
- emotional disturbance
- environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage
- motivational factors
- situational traumas
Download a PDF Version of this assessment procedure – CLICK HERE
