Introduction to Assessment

Before we look at the process of assessment, let's look at the history of Special Education and the laws that laid a foundation for modern assessment. practices.

In 1948 only 12% if all children with disabilities received some form of special education.
In the1950s, state law either permitted or required the exclusion of the “weak minded”.
Many states that did educate such children provided separate facilities that isolated them from their peers

These court cases set the precedent upon which Special Education laws would be founded:

Brown v Board of education (1954)

• The court in Brown stated that segregation based on unalterable characteristics with the result being inequitable opportunities could not be upheld in the Unites States and demanded that such segregation end
• Brown was used as a precedent for Special Education laws. If Brown could not segregate by race, then schools should not be able to segregate or otherwise discriminate by ability and disability

PARC v Commonwealth (1971)

• In this case, the court ruled that schools may not exclude students who have been classified with mental retardation. They also mandated that all students must be provided with a free appropriate public education

Mills V Board of education of DC (1972)

• In this case, the court ruled that “No child eligible for a publicly supported education in the District of Columbia public schools shall be excluded from a regulate public school assignment…The District of Columbia shall provide to each child of school age a free and suitable publicly supported education regardless of the degree of the child’s mental, physical or emotional disability or impairment”

Rehabilitation act of 1973

• This act made discrimination against individuals illegal to those receiving federal funding or grants

Education for All Handicapped Children Acts (EHA)

• Required states to provide a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities no matter how serious the disability
• Required school systems to include the parents and guardians when meeting about the student or making decisions about his or her education
• Mandated an IEP for every student with a disability

now, What is Assessment?

• In Special Education, assessment is a process that involves collecting information about a student for the purpose of making decisions. This includes gathering information about a student’s strengths and needs in all areas of concern using formal and informal methods of evaluating student progress and behavior

Assessment plays a critical role in:

• Evaluation decisions
• Diagnostic decisions
• Eligibility and diagnosis decisions
• IEP development decisions
• Educational placement decisions
• Instructional planning decisions

The assessment process includes:

• Collection – tracing and gathering information from the many sources of background information on a child, such as school records, observation, parent intakes, and teacher reports
• Analysis – the processing and understanding of patterns in a child’s educational, social, developmental, environmental, medical, and emotional history
• Evaluation – the determinations of a child’s strengths and limitations in specific areas, including academic, intellectual, psychological, emotional, and medical development

Assessment process cont.

• Determination – the process of deciding that the presence of a suspected disability does or does not exist using knowledge of the criteria that constitute each category
• Recommendation – the professional suggestions and proposals concerning educational placement ad program that need to be made to the school teachers, and parents

The assessment process could also be broken down into 9 different steps

1. identification of Children (2 Ways)

• Child Find: Special Education law mandates that all states identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities in the state who need special educations and related services
• Referral or request for evaluation: teachers or parents may make a request to have a child evaluated if they suspect they might have a disability

2.Full and Individual Evaluation of the Child by a Multidisciplinary Team

• Answers the questions:
• Does the child have a disability that requires the provision of sped and related services?
• What are the child’s specific educational needs?
• What special education services and related services, then are appropriate for addressing those needs?

3. Determination of Eligibility for SpeD

• A team of professionals and the parents look at the child’s evaluation results to determine whether the child meets criteria for a “child with a disability” as defined by Special Education law

4. Scheduling an IEP Meeting

• A team of school professionals and the parents must meet to write and IEP for the child within 30 calendar days after a child is determined eligible.

5. Holding iep meeting and writing iep

• The parents and the student (when appropriate) are members of the IEP team. The parents are involved in every step of the meeting. If parents to not agree with the IEP or placement of the child, they can ask for mediation.

6. Providing Special Education

• The school makes sure that the child’s IEP is carried out as written. Parents, teachers, and service providers are given a copy or access to the child’s IEP.

7. Progress monitoring

• Progress towards annual goals is measured and parents are regularly informed of their child’s progress.

8. IEP is Reviewed

• The IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year (annual review). If necessary, the IEP is revised.

9. Child is Reevaluated

• Every 3 years the child must be reevaluated (called the triennial review).

My Classroom

• To have the assessment process broken down for me was really helpful. When I am a teacher, I want to be able to assess my students as accurately and thoroughly as possible, so have a step-by-step overview of the process helped me to put everything into perspective.