Wrightslaw

At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the confusing world of special education. In this issue, we look at testing, evaluations, and IEPs.

Highlights: IEPs, educational progress & FAPE; measuring progress with objective tests; testing issues & advocacy; your child's evaluations; Wrightslaw programs in IN, MO, AZ, NH; why Wrightslaw programs are held during the day & where to get advocacy training; Wrightslaw books - scratch n' dent sale; help from Yellow Pages for Kids.

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." - John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach

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IEP time is just around the corner. If a child has a disability that adversely affects educational performance, the child is entitled to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). In a nutshell, FAPE is an individualized educational program (IEP) that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefit.

How can you tell if a child is receiving educational benefit? If you monitor educational achievement test scores over time, you'll know if the child is making progress and receiving educational benefit. Over the next several weeks, we will help you fine-tune your knowledge about IEPs.

Assume you have a medical condition - high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol. You and your doctor develop a treatment plan. Your doctor measures your progress with objective medical tests. If your test results improve, this is evidence that the treatment plan is working. If your test results do not improve - or they get worse - your doctor is likely to revise the treatment plan and/or refer you to a specialist.

If you have a child with a disability, you and school personnel will meet to develop an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). The IEP is similar to a medical treatment plan - it identifies present level of functioning, the child's needs, services the child will receive, and how progress will be measured. Educational progress can and should be measured with objective tests.

Has your child made progress? Is the child "closing the gap" between the peer group? How do you know?

Before you attend the next IEP meeting, read Tests and Measurements for the Parent, Educator, Advocate & Attorney three times. This article will teach you what standard scores, percentile ranks, subtest scores, and age and grade equivalent scores mean. This information is also presented in Chapters 10 and 11 of Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy.

Dr. Bill Matthew, Director of Special Education in California, offers suggestions about tests and and testing issues, including age & grade equivalents, subtest scatter, improper use of projective tests, and tests that are psychometrically sound. Read Tests, Testing Issues & Advocacy.

Learn more about tests and evaluations.

In What to Expect from an Evaluation, psychologist and literacy researcher Marianne Meyer walks you through the process of gathering information and participating in the evaluation process. Read article

In What You Should Know About Evaluations, parent attorney Bob Crabtree explains, "As a parent, you must make sure that all areas of possible need are assessed as quickly as possible. While some parents would rather not allow their school system to evaluate their child, a refusal to cooperate at this stage of the process can backfire . . . " Read article

All participants will receive two books, Wrightslaw: Special Education Law and Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, (Value: $59.90), and the new publication, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004: Overview, Explanation and Comparison of IDEA 2004 & IDEA 97 by Peter Wright.

If you are interested in bringing a Wrightslaw program to your community, please read FAQs about Seminars.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, Standard Edition - $29.95

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, Deluxe Edition with Legal Companion CD-ROM - $39.95

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy - The Special Education Survival Guide

Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind with NCLB CD ROM - $29.95

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Scratch-n-Dent Sale: Special Ed Law, From Emotions to Advocacy - $9.95 each - Limited quantities available. Scroll Down Page for Scratch n Dent

Discounts & Exam Copies

50% Discount on Bulk Purchases of Wrightslaw Books -The Advocacy Challenge Discount is a 50% discount on bulk purchases of Wrightslaw books.

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Contact Info
Pete and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: newsletter@wrightslaw.com