Assessments

What is a Comprehensive Psychoeducational Assessment?

A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment examines all areas of suspected disability relevant to Special Education in the academic sector. It generally includes a cumulative file review, student observations, parent and teacher interview, standardizes testing, current vision and hearing screening, and when relevant a review of medical records. A psychoeducational evaluation is generally administered by a credentialed school psychologist and special education teacher. The school psychologist will administer the cognitive components and the special education teacher will assess the students academic levels. If there are additional concerns the assessment may include other evaluators such as: a speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, audiologist, and social worker. All assessment tools are standardized and measure the student’s abilities in comparison to same age peers. The evaluation will generally consist of: (1) a cognitive assessment that will lend itself to further examination of processes, (2) a standardized academic evaluation, (3)  social emotional and/or behavioral concerns, and may contain (4) adaptive functioning measures.

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The Assessment Process

My Child is Being Assessed for Special Education Services, What Does This Look Like?

Once a parent has signed and returned the assessment plan to the evaluator, the child will begin testing. The assessment process will require the student to be pulled out of class substantially, as they will need to undergo a significant amount of tedious and time-consuming testing. Parents, please do not panic if your child is missing an extensive amount of instruction do to testing, as this is completely normal.

The gamete of testing must be completed and the results must be shared at the eligibility meeting within the designated assessment timeline. The eligibility meeting is a reunion that will determine if the student meets criteria for special education services. At this meeting the assessor(s) will (1) provide a report of the assessment findings, (2) go over their results, and (3) the team will determine if the student is eligible for special education services. Parent(s) will be notified of the date, time, and location of the eligibility meeting well in advance and within a reasonable amount of time.

A copy of the assessment report will be made available for you at the meeting. The assessment report will provide a comprehensive explanation of the tools, information, tests administered, and a breakdown of your child’s test results. The report is yours to keep. (For a break down of the statistical language utilized in the assessment report click on the tab above labeled UNDERSTANDING TEST SCORES). 

Schools are required to have a copy of the assessment report two days prior to the set eligibility meeting. To receive a copy of the assessment report in advance, a parent must make that request. Parents are strongly encouraged to request a copy of the assessment report and go over it prior to the eligibility meeting. This will ease some of the anxiety that comes when anticipating the results of the assessment. The report can be overwhelming with its statistical information. Going over it in advance will allow you to better understand the assessment language, results, and devise any questions for the meeting.

At the eligibility meeting it will be determined if your child meets criteria for special education services. The evaluator(s) utilize the report when going over your child’s assessment results. The report will indicate if your child is showing signs of a disabilities. For a description of the 14 qualifying disabilities under IDEA click here. Generally, nothing can be determined or implemented without the parent(s) written consent. Parent’s, you are your child’s strongest advocate so don’t be shy to ask questions when needing clarification or concerns addressed.

The Assessment Timeline

Proper interventions have been implemented and environmental factors have been ruled out, but my child is still struggling academically and we suspect they have a disability. What happens next? At this point, a referral should be made to evaluate the student for special education services. Typically, the referral is made to the school psychologist. The school psychologists will then have 15 calendar days, from when they received the assessment referral, to draft an assessment plan and send to the parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s). The parent must review, sign, and return the assessment plan to the assessor, as no assessment may be administered without the parent(s) or legal gradian(s) written consent. Once the assessor has received the signed assessment plan they will have 60 calendar days to complete the assessment and share their assessment findings at the eligibility meeting.

Understanding Test Scores

Understanding assessment results and its statistical data can seem like a foreign language. Luckily, we are here to help. For a description of our advocacy packages click here all packages are tax deductible. For general questions consider asking via our Facebook platform as other members may benefit from your inquiry. 

Below is a breakdown of the key terms parents should be familiar with when interpreting statistical data from a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment report.

Standard Scores (SS)  are utilized to represent overall assessment results. They are comprised by calculating the lump sum of the relevant sub tests. Standard Scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. This means that 100 is considered the average when comparing a student to same age peers. It also means that the majority of people will score 15 points within the mean. 

Percentile Ranks  are also utilized to interpret assessment results. Percentile ranks are a statistical term that indicate how a student performed in comparison to same age peers. They represent the position in performance of a student in comparison to the same age sample size. 

T-Scores  are frequently seen when interpreting a Behavior Rating Scale. They have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. 

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Assessment Outcome: Eligible vs Ineligible

My Child Was NOT Found Eligible for Special Education Services, Now What?

If your child underwent a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation and findings indicate that they do not meet criteria for special education services, and you agree with the eligibility findings, your child will not  receive special education services. You may also want to inquire if your child is a candidate for a 504 Plan.

If your child was assessed for special education and you disagree with the eligibility findings it is your right to choose not to sign the eligibility documents. Consider contacting the special education director. Meeting with the special education director provides an opportunity for you to express your concerns, and why you believe your child has a disability and a need for special education support. If you and the special education director cannot come to an accord, you have options. You may want to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at the school’s expense. In some cases, the school district will comply and cover the cost of an IEE.  An IEE is an independent psychoeducational evaluation that is performed by someone outside of the school district. SEAS provide IEE services, click here to get started. An IEE examines a student’s cognitive abilities and determines if a student is displaying a disability. Generally, the IEE results are shared with the school district in an eligibility meeting for reconsideration of special education services.

My Child Meets Eligibility for Special Education Services, Now What?

If the student was found eligible for special education services the school has 30 days to develop an Individual Educational Plan (IEP)  for the child and go over it with the parent and team. This meeting usually takes place right after the eligibility meeting as all the mandated IEP members are present. Generally, the case manager comes prepared with a draft of suitable goals and services for the student. The team goes over the goals and services in a collaborate manner, and makes any necessary changes and modification to the IEP document. The services are instated immediately after all members of the IEP team, including the parent, have provided their written consent for implementation of the IEP.  

At the IEP meeting the school district will propose a special education program that takes into consideration the least restrictive academic environment for your child. While this is explained verbally, a draft IEP is provided in the form of a document at the eligibility meeting. This document will illustrate everything being discussed. The final draft, including any modifications made to the draft IEP, will become your child’s legal binding IEP. 

We are here to help, contact your SEAS advocate  for additional information or for intricate cases that may require additional support.

Advice to Parents:

  • Know your rights! You can request a copy of your parent rights (procedural safe guards) at the district’s special education office. Special education law is lengthy and can be difficult to understand, ask if they offer a parent’s guide to Special Education.
  • You are your child’s best advocate, as no one knows your child better than you. Obtain clarification when needed, so that you may be better equipped to advocate for your child.
  • There isn’t always agreement, between home and school, on the services to implement that will help a student excel academically. During these times it is especially important to remember that school and home both have the child’s best interest at heart.
  • Schools are more likely to work with an involved parent that works as a team, maintains integrity, and is open to listening to alternative ideas.
  • Overly demanding parents tend to establish a poor reputation for themselves. This reputation may inflict heightened responses of stress and anxiety from school personal. Stress and anxiety causes people to have slower processing that makes them more prone to errors. These symptoms are not beneficial for anyone and can indirectly affect a student. Know your rights, make requests, but be open to what the school personal has to say.
  • For the benefit of the child home and school should always maintain a positive relationship.