For some reason, I seem to be getting more calls this year from
parents who are seeking answers in relation to their right to request a
psychoeducational evaluation from their school. Yes, parents do have that
right. Quite often, whether a student has an IEP already or not, the school
will say that they have to first do RTI (Response To Intervention) before doing
an evaluation. While, yes, schools have to do RTI, that is not a reason to
delay the parents signing a Consent to Evaluate. It is sometimes used as a
delay tactic and should never get in the way of moving forward on an evaluation
that is needed.
Main Reasons to Request an Evaluation
If your child does
not have an IEP, and you suspect that there is a disability that is
negatively affecting their education, you can request to sign a Consent to
Evaluate. This evaluation is usually a full psychoeducational evaluation that
is comprehensive in nature and can consider many different types of educational
impacts related to disabilities. Since most people reading this article will be
parents of children who already have IEPs, I won’t get into the specifics of
the initial evaluation, other than saying that parents have the right to sign a
Consent to Evaluate if they have concerns about their child’s education related
to a disability.
When
your child already has an IEP, every 3 years the team needs
to “consider” testing, however, there are two main reasons to formally
evaluate.
1. If
you think there may be another disability that is significantly affecting their
education and you want that to be considered. This oftentimes looks like a
child who is originally evaluated and determined with a developmental delay,
and later the team needs to consider autism spectrum disorder. An evaluation is
needed to make that switch. There are certainly other conditions that would
warrant an evaluation of this type regarding eligibility.
2. If
your child is not making the progress that you or other members of the team
would expect them to make and it appears as though the interventions are not
having a positive impact, this is another reason to evaluate. The evaluation
should look for both the skills and abilities that your child possesses. On
intellectual and academic testing, looking for high scores will help give
insight into how your child takes in the world and processes information. Once
you understand how they think, then a conversation needs to take place of how
to teach them, what curriculum would align with the way that they learn and
identify where more energy should be spent. If you use a curriculum that is
contrary to the way the child learns, you are very likely to have the same
academic outcomes year after year – and all not good.
Times to Be Cautious
Many parents think
that psychoeducational evaluations are needed every three years and that it’s
something that they should have, because they can. As with anything, sometimes
you have to be careful of what you wish for – there could be negative side
effects that many people don’t know about or think about. I attend IEP meetings
quite often where a child is, say in 2nd grade and the teacher sees that the
child is struggling and tries to convince the parents to do an IQ test so that
they “won’t have to take the standardized test in 3rd grade”. (What
parent doesn’t love the idea of getting their child out of standardized testing
that is likely to stress them out?) Attempting to avoid standardized testing is
not a good reason to evaluate, especially not in the younger grades. If a child
is struggling in school, then it’s time to look at how they’re being taught, in
what type of classroom and who is doing the teaching.
When a student is
evaluated, and if they obtain an IQ score of 67 or lower, the likelihood is
very high that the team will remove the student from regular standards. In fact,
they need that 67 or lower IQ to do so. We know that students with disabilities
are not good test takers, and a test is only a reflection of how someone did on
that day, at that time and in that location. If a student is evaluated and
removed from standards, it is important to know that the team is changing that
child’s future with a simple strike of the pen. When students are removed from
standards, and placed on alternative assessments, there will be no college
degree seeking program in their future nor regular certification in a trade or
vocation. For some students, this is appropriate, and the focus will be on
independent living and job skills so that they can receive the instruction they
need in order to prepare for the world of work after school has ended. But most
students with disabilities are on, and should remain on, regular standards
regardless of their diagnosis.
I was that parent.
When my son was in 4th
grade, having had a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation done just a few
years prior, I thought that I wanted updated testing to see how he had changed,
given all of the interventions we were providing. What came back from that
testing module was significantly lower scores than he had previously received.
It turned out that the testing instrument that was used that second time was
not only not the same as the first one, but it did not take into consideration
that he was much stronger nonverbally than he was verbally. I had to jump
through a few hoops for those low scores to be removed from his educational
record. We did not test again until he was tested through Vocational
Rehabilitation when he was in 11th grade and preparing to graduate.
If there is a reason
to test, do it. If it’s just because you think it might be good, then talk to
someone who knows and understands why you would test, and what types of tests
would be a good idea towards the outcomes you seek. This could be an advocate but
could also be a parent who has gone through themselves. Wrightslaw.com has
some good info and guidance on this topic as well.
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