Rachel: We would like to have our six year old daughter tested. She is having trouble reading. We will be paying for the testing ourselves and want to provide the information to the teacher next year so that the school can address our child’s educational needs. We would like to have the best testing possible done. Is there a list of testers or do you have a recommendation on whom to use for the testing. We can do the test in any of the following cities where we have family: New York; Miami; Denver or DC.
Does this section also pertain to GT evaluations of SPED students?
§ 300.502 Independent educational evaluation.
(a)General.
(1) The parents of a child with a disability have the right under this part to obtain an independent educational evaluation of the child, subject to paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section.
(2) Each public agency must provide to parents, upon request for an independent educational evaluation, information about where an independent educational evaluation may be obtained, and the agency criteria applicable for independent educational evaluations as set forth in paragraph (e) of this section.
(3) For the purposes of this subpart –
(i)Independent educational evaluation means an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the public agency r
I am not sure what you mean by GT evaluation. A typical full individual evaluation by special ed staff should contain the info to identify the student as gifted. That evaluation may not give the label GT, but if there is a question about the accuracy of the school evaluation, an IEE should be allowed. Based on the school criteria for GT, additional info may be required, e.g. teacher recommendations.
I don’t think so. The educational evaluation is “to determine whether a child is a child with a disability,” The IEE is simply an educational evaluation done by people not associated with the district. The purpose is the same – to identify students with a disability.
Gifted programs in my state seem to be way less regulated (although there are regulations) than SPED programs under IDEA. Gifted students in Ohio are identified by their performance on standard tests. So a SPED student in Ohio that follows the standardized curriculum would be identified as gifted by their test scores, not their evaluations under IDEA.
Your state regs are probably similar – but worth checking.
Rachel:
If you want to learn what to expect, how to prepare, and how to find a good evaluator and don’t have a copy of Wrightslaw: All About Tests and Assessments, you may want to get one. https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/aat.html
You’ll learn about:
psychological, academic, and neuropsychological tests and what these tests measure
how to select an evaluator
how to request a special education evaluation and how to provide parental consent
speech-language, physical and occupational therapy, processing, adaptive behavior, and functional behavior assessments
test terms and the realities about tests and assessment
how small differences between tests can result in large differences in scores
Read these articles:
Assessment 101 https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/assessment.part1.khan.htm
What to Expect from an Evaluation http://www.fetaweb.com/help/eval.expect.meyer.htm
Use the Yellow Pages for Kids Directory to find an evaluator or educational consultant in the area that works for you. http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com