Eligibility 101 School Psychologists: Chelsey Crawford Kara Leslie Jessica Schiffer Emily Zalewski Eligibility 101

Schedule Re-Evaluation Standard Operating Procedures Eligibility Paperwork Criteria Worksheets Interpreting Psychological Reports Educational Report Writing TERA/TEMA

Standard Operating procedure: re-evaluations Identify students for re-evaluation by September 15th. Send roster including due dates to school psychologist, school social worker, and related staff. Complete the student evaluation planning worksheet 2 weeks prior to initiation of the re-evaluation. **This form is no longer part of the eligibility packet- you will need to add it. Need to select educational and observation for every re-eval. Send an email to appropriate staff to alert them that the student evaluation planning worksheet has been completed in SEAS. When everyone is in agreement of the components that need to be completed, the case manager contacts that parent and send home the planning worksheet and consent. If parents do not agree with the components selected, the team may need to hold a meeting. Case manager schedules eligibility meeting and sends meeting notice to parent two weeks prior to the eligibility meeting. http://blogs.henrico.k12.va.us/sop/2012/01/02/re-evaluation-process-2/

When Is a psych/social evaluation considered? An IEP student comes to your school from a different state. The file is missing a psychological/social evaluation. The team suspects a new or different disability category or changes in cognitive, behavioral, or social skills? Considering termination of special education services. Students with an Intellectual Disability (IQ 50-70) who are coming up for their first re- evaluation. **Consult with school psychologist and school social worker to determine if a psychological and/or social is needed for the re-evaluation.

Student planning worksheet

Student planning worksheet part 2

Student planning worksheet part 3

Consent

Consent Part two

Consent Part Three

What happens if…. Educational testing scores are all average for a student with a Specific Learning Disability. Consult your school psychologist as soon as possible. The student is no longer exhibiting behaviors consistent with the ED category. Consult with your school psychologist as soon as possible. Be sure you have data to support the improvement in behavior. You are not sure what information to use to answer questions on the criteria worksheet. Look at the previous psychological report Consult your school psychologist

Before the meeting… Who to invite: Parent- send meeting notice to the parent at least 2 weeks before the meeting General Education Teacher Administrator Speech- if needed School Psychologist and School Social Worker (If they had a component) You are the chair person, and you lead the meeting unless other arrangements have been made. Open with the purpose of the meeting and introductions. Be sure to incorporate the student’s strengths into your report and presentation. 

What forms do I complete at Eligibility? Eligibility Meeting Minutes Criteria Worksheets For re-evals, only complete the worksheets for the disability category that the student is currently being serviced under. If there is a concern about a new or different category at the eligibility meeting, complete eligibility paperwork based on the current disability categories and re-convene to discuss additional components. Do not change the student’s disability category without an updated psych and social. Prior Notice

Eligibility meeting minutes

Decision page

Decision Page Continued…

Signature page

Signature page continued Do not complete this section for re-evaluation unless there is psych/social component and/or the student is exiting speech/language services.

Criteria worksheets are fun Intellectual Disability Autism Emotional Disability Other Health Impairment Specific Learning Disability http://blogs.henrico.k12.va.us/exed/2011/10/25/eligibilityre- evaluation/ Autism and ED are old worksheets

Intellectual disability

Autism

Autism part two

Emotional disability

Emotional disability part two

Emotional disability part three

Other health impairment

Specific learning disability

SLD part two

SLD part three

LD Addendum

LD Addendum PART tWO

Prior written notice

Interpreting Psychological reports For a SLD Reeval: Focus on the composite standard scores in the “Cognitive Functioning” section of the psych report If no composite score is listed, look at the subtest scores. These can also indicate a deficit. A standard score below 85 is considered a normative weaknesses. Check summary - this will often review the cognitive strengths and weaknesses and point to the specific deficit that indicates a learning disability. Different cognitive abilities relate to different academic abilities. Check the descriptor in the psych report to determine which cognitive ability impacts which academic ability. For OHI (ADHD), ED, Autism Reeval: Look at the Social/Emotional/Behavioral section. Check rating scales (ED/OHI = BASC-2, Conners-3, Conners-CBRS; Autism = ASRS, GARS-3) T-score that are equal to or > 70 are typically clinically significant/very elevated Check direct measures for autism such as ADOS or CARS. Report will typically indicate level of severity (mild to moderate, severe etc)

Activity! Interpreting a psych report and completing the SLD worksheet

Educational Evaluations • Updated WJ Achievement-- training • Testing location should be free from distractions • Follow examiner prompts in manual precisely • Make note of behaviors during testing • Read the manual • Practice, practice, practice

Educational Reports are not… The score summary generated by Woodcock-Johnson scoring software The narrative summary generated by the Woodcock-Johnson software A copy of the front of the protocol with the scores displayed A display of the student work or responses from the protocol

Sections of the educational report Consistency of basic formatting (header, font, alignment, page numbers, etc.) CONFIDENTIAL REPORT Identifying Information Student Name School Date of Birth Grade Chronological age Dates of testing Name of examiner/case manager Current program/disability

Sections of the educational report Part 2 Assessment Procedures List formal assessment(s) completed List any other information obtained through informal means Cumulative file review Student/teacher interviews Classroom observations, if included in report Reason for Referral/Background Information Indicate whether triennial review or initiated for another reason Discuss current programming and level of service Review of classroom data indicating progress toward current IEP goals and grades or other classroom measures Indicate whether another disability or possible exit from exceptional education is being considered

Sections of the educational report part 3 Observations During Testing Number of sessions Activity level Attention Conversational proficiency Comfort level with examiner Level of effort Frustration tolerance Sensory aids Any distractions or disruptions during testing Any adjustments made to standardized administration Whether the results are perceived to be an accurate estimate of classroom functioning

Sections of the educational report part 4 Academic Achievement/Testing Outcomes Clear explanation of overall test and what it measures Explanation of what the scores mean Chart/table displaying scores and indicating qualitative ranges Explanation of composites/subtests Indicate tasks the student was able to do as well as tasks the student struggled with Strengths/weaknesses

Sections of the educational report part 5 Conclusions/Summary Provide a brief summary of the data presented in the report Recommendations Vague or specific Based on data from your report Signature, Name, and Title ALWAYS sign report and type your name below signature

Other important things to note Always use age-based norms to score assessments Avoid age equivalencies or grade equivalencies Only use percentile ranks if you are confident in your ability to explain what they mean Test protocols should be housed in your working files for students and NOT in cumulative files Protocols can not be photocopied Narrative reports should be placed in cumulative file two days before meeting If you have questions about test interpretation, please ask a specialist, coordinator, or your school psychologist prior to completing report or interpreting report for parent in meeting

Qualitative ranges of standard scores 69 and below: Very Low/Significantly Below Average 70-79: Low/Poor/Borderline 80-89: Low Average/Below Average 90-110: Average 111-120: High Average/Above Average 121-130: Superior/High 131 and above: Very Superior/Very High Phrasing and specific cutoff points vary based on the test used

Questions??

TERA/TEMA