 | The first step is usually a parent or teacher requesting an
in house assessment team meeting. The team may decide the to try some minor
interventions. There hould be a written record tracking the trial interventions, over what period of time, which
ones were successful, and which ones were not successful. Careful documentation can
better identify individual problem areas. Trial and error without careful
documentation is not productive for the child or the teacher, as it can
delay the identification of possible special education needs. It is
wise to agree on the timeframe for the trial interventions. |
|
If the trial period is not productive, it is time to refer
your child for a full educational evaluation. You, a teacher, or
another person can do this. If you make the request do so in writing. The
evaluation is conducted by district personnel. |
|
Parents, teachers, or administrators can make the initial
recommendation for a full educational evaluation. This assessment should be conducted by a "multidisciplinary team"
made up of several individuals
with expertise in different areas, one of whom has expertise in the area of
suspected
disability. There can be no one-test assessment, or all tests
conducted by just one person. In other words, there is no "one person,
one test" evaluation. |
|
Children are to be educated in the same setting as their
nondisabled peers to the maximum extent possible, with any necessary
supports and services needed in that setting as well as any delivered outside that
setting. |
|
The law requires a full continuum of placement
settings to meet all needs. In other words, districts are required to offer
more than the old style system which offered only the regular ed classroom
or a catchall room for those who could not succeed in the regular ed
classroom with no services. Such a system was deemed unacceptable years ago. |
| If parents disagree with a district's
evaluation they have the right to ask for an independent evaluation at
public expense. Such a request should always be in writing. Parents can
choose the independent evaluators as long as they meet, at the least,
the criteria for district evaluators. |
What are those tests
really measuring?
The labels placed on diagnostic tests
can be rather misleading. For instance, parents usually think "Comprehension"
measured a child's reading comprehension. That test actually measures,
among other things, how well a child comprehends the world he lives in
and social interactions.
I am most grateful to "Bob"
for the following
definitions, offered in parent friendly language. I had searched for 3 years
for such understandable definitions, and with his help, I can now put
this up for reference.
If
diagnosticians out there have
some additional input for lay persons to understand this web of
diagnostics I would be most grateful. It is certainly a confusing area
for parents in general. Here is another
article on evaluations, a composite of input from diagnosticians,
teachers, and others involved in special education.
Sometimes the district will want to review your child's evaluation as the first
part of an IEP meeting. You have the right to have those tests explained
to you in language you understand. Also, in order to be prepared for the
meeting, you may need time at home to go over the results carefully, draw your
own conclusions, and formulate your own recommendations. These steps are
important if you are to be on an equal, fully informed footing with other team
members. If you have not been given an opportunity to do this, you could
request that the meeting be tabled until you have had time to review the
information and formulate your own conclusions and recommendations.
|
You
have the right to have evaluations explained to you in a way that you
understand. |
Ó
2000, 2007 Judy Bonnell
. 
