©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 10 Assessment and the IFSP/IEP Process

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Assessment of Young Children There are six interrelated steps: –Screening –Determining eligibility –Determining services –Planning the program –Monitoring progress –Evaluating the program

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Assessment of Young Children (continued) Criterion-referenced assessment –A child’s progress is measured against a preset standard. –These are helpful in planning. –The child is not compared to other children.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Assessment of Young Children (continued) Norm-referenced tests –A child is compared to other children of the same age. –These are not as helpful with young children. –It is used as a screening process to begin further testing.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Assessment of Young Children (continued) IQ tests –Most are norm-referenced. –The purpose is to attempt to determine how much a child knows, how well the child solves problems, and how quickly a child can perform a variety of mental tasks. –Scores should be used with caution. –High scores as a young child are not a determining factor of future intelligence.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Process of Early Identification Case finding –Identifying children early to prevent further developmental delays. –Child Find Established in the 1960s. To publicize information to families on disability services and where to find help.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Process of Early Identification (continued) Screening –This is a process to identify children. –It uses low-cost, easily administered tests to identify children. –Screening tests need to be reliable and valid. –Results are not a diagnosis. –Follow-through is essential.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Process of Early Identification (continued) Types of screening instruments –DIAL 4 –Denver II –ESI-R –ASQSE

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Process of Early Identification (continued) Who does the screening? –Professionals and paraprofessionals screen. –Depending on the screening, a certain level of training may be required. –Little training is required for the Snellen Eye Screening, but specialized training is required for a hearing screening.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Process of Early Identification (continued) Limitations of screening –It is only a snapshot of the child at that time. –The child was probably in a new place with new people and had difficulty focusing. –Use results to begin the evaluation process.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Family’s Role in Assessment Cultural, ethnic, and linguistic differences –Assessment must be conducted in a child’s native language. –Assessments must be designed for use in the native language, not just translated. –Assessments should be given by a cultural mediator, fluent in both languages. –Multiple forms of information should be collected. –Test items should measure a child’s strengths and weaknesses.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification Teachers’ qualifications –Teachers see the children daily and understand child development. –They are trained to notice the differences in development.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Teacher as observer The teacher is trained to observe all children and record what they see. They are able to note differences in daily interactions as well as see problems over the long run. Teachers use facts when recording observations and not opinions or subjective statements.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Systematic observations Teachers need to develop a system to collect observation data. All observations should include: –Child’s name –Date and time –Setting –Initials of observer

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) Types of Observations –Checklists This is a list of skills in which the observer records whether the child can or cannot do a skill. Often this is done throughout the day, not in a contrived setting.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Frequency counts These are tally marks collected every time a child does a behavior. –Duration measures When a behavior occurs, the observer notes the time and then notes the time when the behavior ends.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Anecdotal notes These are short, concise notes taken about a child while doing an activity. These notes then are turned into recording that a parent can read and comment on.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Running record This is a narrative recording of everything a child did, said, and responded to. They involve complete concentration of the observer on the one child.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Logs, journals, and diaries These are similar to running records, yet not as formal. A teacher may use these for one-on-one planning. Notes to teacher not necessarily to be shared with parents.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) –Time sampling Brief, periodic observations to determine the presence or absence of a behavior. –Language samples Verbatim recordings of what the child says or what sounds the child makes. –Portfolio assessment Samples of the child’s work collected over the year.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued) Cautionary notes for teachers –Avoid making diagnoses. –Avoid labeling a child. –Avoid jumping to conclusions. –Develop a good relationship with families. –Listen carefully. –Make careful judgments. –Be culturally sensitive.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Family Service Plan The IFSP is designed to work with families of infants and toddlers with disabilities to identify priorities, resources, and concerns. Family is a key component. Services are decided, and families are given support to utilize these services.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Family Service Plan (continued) IFSP requirements –Pre-referral and case conferencing A parent and teacher meet to discuss concerns, both share information, and a decision is made as to whether further screening is necessary. –Identification of needs Children are screened to see where they are developmentally. Strengths as well as concerns are noted. Family input is given into prioritizing the findings.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Family Service Plan (continued) –Non-intrusiveness The law protects families’ privacy by not allowing professionals to ask questions that invade their cultural beliefs and practices. Families should not feel like they are in the hot seat through this process. They should instead feel like a vital member of the team.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Family Service Plan (continued) –IFSP evaluation It must be evaluated at least once a year. Changes are made to goals that have been met, and goals not met are re-evaluated for the new year. –Service coordination The service coordinator aligns all the services and serves as the mediator between the professionals and the parents. Their job is also to help a parent find transportation to services needed by the child.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Family Service Plan (continued) –Parents as service coordinators Parents should be praised if they want this role. Training is required. Leadership is a needed skill to help their child in the future, so encourage parents to take this step now. –Program-to-program transition The law requires that planning for a new program is written into the child’s IFSP. It should be as smooth as possible, and parents should have input.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program IEP is the educational plan for students once they reach the school system. Classroom practice and treatment are linked.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) The IEP team –Made up of professionals from various disciplines –Parents –Child’s teacher – general and special education –An IEP team—multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or interdisciplinary

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Requirements of the IEP –Based on developmentally valid, nondiscriminatory assessment information. –List child’s present level of performance. –Identify short-term objectives and long-term goals. –Specify the services to be provided and dates. –Ensure accountability. –Identify where and when services will be provided.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Assessment –Must be done over a period of time. –Must include more than one assessment showing a disability. –Is used as a piece of the puzzle to identify areas of need for the child.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Annual goals –These are broad goals to accomplish throughout the year. –They are specific to that child. Writing goals –SMART IEPs Short-term objectives –These are the ministeps that will be taken to achieve the long-term goals.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Specific services to be provided –Any specialized services that the child will need are listed here. –Activity-based intervention –It should also list where the services will take place. Pull out Naturalistic intervention

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Projected dates for service –The dates that the child will begin receiving services is noted. –Also the ending date or re-evaluation date is included. –It is required that a child be re-evaluated to determine whether services are still needed or whether a change in services is needed.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Discipline –If behavior is an issue, a functional behavior assessment should be conducted. Evaluation –At least once a year a child’s IEP needs to be evaluated and new goals written for the new year or old goals revised. –Every three years the child is re-evaluated to determine if services are still necessary.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Individualized Education Program (continued) Computer-based information systems –Online systems to support IEP development.

©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. 504 Plans Requirements of the 504 plan –Student must have Physical or mental impairment that limits life activities. Have a records of such an impairment. Be regarded as having such an impairment. –Student must still be assessed to determine eligibility