|
ASSESSMENT - PUBLIC OR PRIVATE?
By Jan Baumel, M.S., Licensed Educational Psychologist
Are you considering having your child tested to see if he has a learning disability (LD)? Are you wondering whether you should pay for the assessment privately or ask the public schools to do it? What do you need to know to make the choice?
Why assess?
There are many reasons why kids are referred for assessment, a process that includes record review, observation, interview, and testing. Public schools are obligated to assess for specific reasons. If you have other concerns, you'll want to consider a private evaluation.
If you suspect your child may have a learning disability and be eligible for special education services, the public school must respond to you by making a determination, based on specific information, as to whether an assessment is warranted. Here are signs to look for:
- His teacher expresses concern about his progress.
- His group standardized test scores are low - below fifteenth percentile.
- His report cards grades are poor - some D's and F's.
- He's starting to have behavior problems at school.
- He complains daily about how hard school is.
- He isn't progressing or benefiting from his general education program.
Consider a private assessment if you want other kinds of information:
- You want to understand better how he learns.
- You'd like ideas to guide you or his tutor.
- You wonder whether he might be allowed to get extra time on college entrance exams.
- You'd like to improve his grades.
- You want to know what he's really been learning.
- The private school is asking for individualized testing before considering accommodations.
Who evaluates?
Public school personnel have credentials and specialized training. They follow education laws that require a learning disability be identified by a group of professionals from different fields - a multidisciplinary team - who assess your child. You and the general education teacher are part of that team. When all assessments are completed, the team meets together to discuss the results and decide if your child is eligible for special education.
Before you choose someone to assess privately, be sure to ask questions about the person's training and experience, as well as the cost. If your child is assessed privately, most likely he'll be tested by one individual. If you involve specialists from more than one field, find out if they'll meet with you at the same time to develop a plan for your whole child - strengths, as well as needs.
Where and when is it done?
Assessment is a process that may take many hours to complete over a period of time. Your patience and understanding about timelines will ensure that results reflect a true picture of your child.
Private assessments usually take place in a clinic or office setting - somewhere new for your child. However, some individuals may agree to test in your home. Because of scheduling issues, your child may have to work for lengthy periods of time to complete the assessment. To accommodate schedules for you, your child, and the private assessor, arrange appointments well in advance.
If your child is assessed at school, he'll be seen in a familiar environment and may recognize some of the school staff testing him. Because he's at school every day, the evaluation can be flexible - over a period of time, shorter sessions, when he's at his best.
In either case, prepare him ahead of time so he knows what to expect and why he's being tested. It will help to reduce his stress and achieve meaningful test results.
What is included?
Prior to public school assessment, a vision and hearing screening is done to make sure physical issues aren't contributing to learning difficulties. Someone from the team, other than his teacher, observes your child in the general education program to evaluate how he performs in that setting. School records are reviewed as part of the process. School personnel test your child in areas of suspected disability, so probably more than one specialist - school psychologist, special education teacher, speech and language pathologist, etc. - will be involved.
A private assessment includes individual standardized tests and interviews with you and your child. Some private evaluators don't observe your child at school, review school records, or talk to his teacher. Be sure to ask if any of these are included in the process.
How are learning disabilities identified?
A person who does a private assessment may identify your child with a learning disability using a set of criteria other than federal guidelines for special education eligibility. Just because the evaluator concludes your child has a learning disability doesn't mean she can make decisions about services or accommodations in the public schools. She can recommend to the school team who may or may not take action.
While public schools must consider reports you obtain privately, they don't have to agree with them. Schools have the right to assess your child before making any educational decisions. So a private assessment may not "short cut" the timelines or process of a public school evaluation if you believe your child needs special education services.
By law, the multidisciplinary Individualized Education Program (IEP) team first must identify your child as having a specific learning disability. Federal law requires a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement due to a psychological processing problem. In some states, a certain number difference between IQ and academic achievement defines "severe."
What are outcomes?
Even if the public school IEP team agrees your child has a learning disability, he still may not be eligible for special education services. By law, the team also must agree your child requires special education to benefit from his general education program.
A privately obtained report may suggest a tutor, software programs, ways to help at home, or ideas to try at school. Sometimes the product or program associated with an organization where testing was done - a possible conflict of interest - is recommended. If your child does have a learning disability, be wary of promises of a "cure" if he's enrolled in their two week program or improvements in his report card grades if you buy the product.
The report you receive from public or private assessors should be written in a way that's easy for you to understand. Assessment results should identify your child's strengths and needs, to help plan his educational program.
Either you or the assessor should review results with your child, considering his developmental level, so he doesn't feel there are "secrets" about him. The information can help him understand how he learns and what he needs to be a successful learner, as well as appreciate his own strengths and talents.
About the Contributor(s)
Jan Baumel, M.S., Licensed Educational Psychologist, spent 35 years in education as a teacher, school psychologist, and special education administrator before joining Schwab Learning. Today she is a consultant to local school districts and university field supervisor for student teachers.
This article was used with permission from Schwab Learning (www.schwablearning.org), a service of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
This electronic newsletter is a publication of the Northern California Branch of The International Dyslexia Association (NCBIDA). If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please send a message to office@dyslexia-ncbida.org with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject |
