Introduction

Once the assessment process is completed, and the report is written, the results will be shared with the IEP Committee, the district wide committee responsible to determine whether a student has a documented disability, what type of educational setting will best suit his or her needs and the student’s Individual Educational Program (IEP). As a result, the evaluator will need to prepare for this presentation of results.

There are several things that the evaluator will need to take into consideration. These include:

A

Prior to the IEP Committee meeting, the examiner, along with other members of the MDT prepares a packet of materials that will be shared with the parent and members of the IEP Committee. This packet should include all the information that will allow the members of the IEP Committee to determine the presence of a disability. Such materials may include but are not limited to:

A copy of the educational report
A copy of the psychological report
Copies of any outside reports done by other professionals i.e. psychiatric report, neurological report
A copy of the child’s report cards
A copy of the child’s group achievement test results
Copies of teachers reports providing insight into the child’s daily functioning sat school
A copy of a medical report from the school nurse or pediatrician
copy of the Assessment Plan signed by the parent
A copy of the Initial Referral to the MDT from the School Staff or the parent
A copy of the original referral from the individual who first referred the case to the CST

B

The evaluator will want to make sure that the report is complete and typed at least one week to ten days prior to the IEP Committee meeting. In some districts, the IEP Committee requires that the entire packet be forwarded a week in advance.

C

Prior to the meeting, the evaluators will outline the important points of the report that will be presented to the IEP Committee. For the evaluator, preparation will make him/her look more professional. The evaluator will want to focus on history and patterns of strengths as well as weaknesses. It will very important for the evaluator to paint a picture of a significant impairment affecting educational performance, over time since this is the basis for a classification by the IEP Committee in certain conditions.

D

The evaluator will keep in mind that there is a limited amount of time to present these findings. Even though everyone should have copies of the report in front of them, the length of the report may make it impossible for them to filter out the crucial sections in the time allotted for the meeting. Therefore in many cases evaluators will develop a one page summary sheet which clearly outlines what he/she will be presenting. This would be handed out as the presentation begins.

E

Remember that this is not a parent conference to review the entire report. You should have done that earlier, so keep it brief and highlight the important issues. There are several individuals who may need to report results or speak and the Eligibility Committee may have several meetings that day.

F

One factor that the evaluator and other members of the MDT will have to consider is the fact that the nature of a specific case may require more time than that normally set aside by the IEP Committee for a review. This will necessitate a call to the chairperson and make a request for a longer meeting time. It is very uncomfortable when crucial meetings have to be ended because of time constraints.

G

The evaluator will need to be fully prepared to be questioned about his/her findings or some aspect of the report by either a parent, committee member, lawyer (sometimes brought by the parent), advocate and others.

Concluding Thoughts

In summary, the process of assessment in special education involves many important steps. As you can see, each step is crucial and provides the evaluator, parent, and IEP Committee with valuable information that will assist in making the best decisions for a child with a disability. The specific type of educational program, the appropriateness of the educational setting, and the expected progress of a student with a disability can be greatly enhanced by a meaningful comprehensive assessment.

The job of an evaluator on the MDT is a very responsible position. It should never be taken lightly and any evaluator will need to be as professional, educated, and prepared as possible. This is what every student who is evaluated for special education deserves.

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