The Educational Evaluation Process

This section will provide a broad overview of the evaluation process. Your future coursework will provide an opportunity for a more in-depth discussion and exploration of the evaluation process.

What happens during an educational evaluation?

Evaluating a child means more than the school just giving a child a test. The school must evaluate the child in all areas where they may be affected by a possible disability. This may include looking at the child’s health, vision, hearing, social and emotional well-being, general intelligence, performance in school, and how well the child communicates with others and uses their body. The evaluation must be individualized (specific to that child) and comprehensive enough to determine whether the child has a disability. It must also identify all the child’s needs for special education and related services if it is determined that the child has a disability.

The evaluation process involves several steps. These are listed below.

Reviewing existing information

A team of people, including the family, begins by looking at the information that the school already has about the child. The family may have information about the child that they wish to share as well. The team will look at information such as:

• the child’s scores on tests given in the classroom or to all students in the child’s grade;
• the opinions and observations of the child’s teachers and other school staff who know the child; and
• the family’s feelings, concerns, and ideas about how the child is doing in school.

Deciding if more information is still needed

The information collected above will help the group decide:

• whether the child has a particular type of disability;
• how the child is currently doing in school;
• whether the child needs special education and related services; and
• what the child’s educational needs are.

If the information that the team collects fails to answer these questions, then the school must collect additional information about the child.

Collecting more information about the child

A parent or guardian’s informed written permission is required before the school may collect additional information about the child. The school must also describe how it will collect the information. This includes describing the tests that will be used and other ways that the school will gather information. After receiving consent, the school will go ahead as described. The information it gathers will give the evaluation team the information it needs to make the types of decisions listed above.

How does the school collect this information?

The school collects information about the child from many different people and in many different ways. Tests are an important part of an evaluation, but they are only a part. The evaluation should also include:

• the observations and opinions of professionals who have worked with the child;
• the child’s medical history when it relates to their performance in school; and
• the family’s ideas about the child’s school experiences, abilities, needs, and behavior outside of school, and their feelings about school.

The following people are part of the team evaluating a child :

• parents or guardians;
• at least one general education teacher if the child is (or may be) participating in the general educational environment;
• at least one special education teacher or service provider;
• a school administrator who knows about policies for special education, children with disabilities, the general education curriculum (the curriculum used by students who do not have disabilities), and available resources;
• someone who can interpret the evaluation results and explain what instruction may be necessary for the child;
• individuals (invited by the family or the school) who have knowledge or special expertise about the child;
• the child, if appropriate;
• representatives from any other agencies that may be responsible for paying for or providing transition services (if the child is age 16 or, if appropriate, younger and will be planning for life after high school); and
• other qualified professionals.

For more information about family rights during the special education evaluation process, listen to the podcast: Your Rights during the Special Education Evaluation Process (26:24):

These other qualified professionals may be responsible for collecting specific kinds of information about the child. They may include:

• a school psychologist and/or an occupational therapist;
• a speech and language pathologist (sometimes called a speech therapist);
• a physical therapist and/or adaptive physical education therapist or teacher;
• a medical specialist; and others.

Professionals will observe the child. They may give the child written tests or talk personally with them. They will attempt to get a picture of the “whole child.” For example, they want to understand such aspects as:

• how well the child speaks and understands language;
• how the child thinks and behaves;
• how well the child adapts to changes in their environment;
• how well the child has done academically;
• how well the child functions in a number of areas, such as moving, thinking, learning, seeing, and hearing; and
• the child’s job-related and other post-school interests and abilities.

Additional considerations:

IDEA gives clear directions about how schools must conduct evaluations. For example, tests and interviews must be given in the language (e.g., Spanish, sign language) or communication mode (e.g., Braille, using a picture board or an alternative augmentative communication device) that is most likely to yield accurate information about what the child knows or can do developmentally, functionally, and academically. The tests must also be given in a way that does not discriminate against the child because they have a disability or are from a different racial or cultural background.

IDEA states that schools may not decide a child’s eligibility for special education based on the results of only one procedure, such as a test or an observation. More than one procedure is needed to see where the child may be having difficulty and identify their strengths and needs.

In some cases, schools will be able to conduct a child’s entire evaluation within the school. In other cases, schools may not have the staff to conduct all the necessary evaluations. These schools will need to hire outside specialists or agencies to conduct some of or all the evaluation. If the child is evaluated outside the school, the school will need to make the arrangements. The school will note in writing exactly what type of testing is to be done. All these evaluation procedures are done at no cost to parents.

In some cases, once the evaluation has begun, the outside specialist may request to do more testing. In this case, the specialist should contact the school. If the testing goes beyond what the school originally requested, the school will need to agree to pay for the extra testing.

To learn more:

• Watch the short video It All Adds Up: Racial Disproportionality in Special Ed (3:31) to hear about the impact of overrepresentation and special education specific to race and gender.

• Watch the American Educational Research Institute: Study Finds Minority Students Are Underrepresented in Special Education (5:37).

• Read this short blog: To be Black in America with a Learning Disability to hear Atira’s story about the intersection of race, disability, and systemic racism in schools.
• Also read Ryan’s story: Why This Black Boy Couldn’t Ask for Help.