The child may also be a member of the PPT team. If transition service needs or transition services are going to be discussed at the meeting, the child must be invited to attend. More and more children are participating in and even leading their own PPT meetings. This allows them to have a strong voice in their own education and can teach them a great deal about self-advocacy and self-determination.

THE EVALUATION PROCESS

Identifying the Student’s Strengths and Needs

The purpose of the evaluation/recommendation process is to identify the child’s specific learning strengths, needs and concerns and to make recommendations. This is a problem-solving process that involves many ways of collecting information, such as informal and formal observations, a review of the child’s background, schoolwork and records, discussions with parents and teachers, standardized and specialized testing, and checklists. The initial evaluations are conducted to determine if the child is eligible for special education and related services, and the specifics of his or her learning needs.

This process also helps identify the child’s strengths and abilities, which are equally important in planning future services. Subsequent evaluations will be needed, as the child develops.
Possible Components of Evaluation;;
Timelines for Initial Evaluation.

Evaluations are conducted for different reasons:

Screening

to identify children who may be experiencing learning difficulties.

Eligibility

to determine if the child is eligible for special education and related services. Subsequently, each child receiving special education and related services will be reevaluated at least once every three years (triennial review) to determine continued eligibility.

IEP development
and placement

to develop a plan of action and make recommendations and decisions about the child’s program and placement.

Instructional planning

to develop a plan of action and make recommendations and decisions about the child’s program and placement.

The following are specific requirements that all schools must meet when evaluating the child’s initial eligibility for special education services:

  • The evaluation must be conducted by a multi-disciplinary team: a group of professionals with expertise in different areas, including at least one teacher or other specialist with knowledge in the area of the child’s suspected disability;
  • More than one evaluation instrument or procedure must be used as the basis for services. Evaluations may be all inclusive or limited to the area of the child’s suspected disability;
  • Tests must be non-discriminatory and administered in the language and form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally and functionally, unless it is not possible to do so; and
  • The team must collect information from a variety of sources, which may include observations, parent interviews and reviews of pertinent medical history.

BRINGING KNOWLEDGE TO THE TABLE

How to Be an Effective Advocate for Your Child

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