response the questions

CHAPTER 12:
Multidisciplinary Team & the Role of Parents

Assessment in Special Education

Raymond H. Witte

Jane E. Bogan

Michael F. Woodin

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Pre-referral Process

Responsibilities of school:

• Teacher is mandated to provide high-quality instruction using evidence-based practices
• Teacher is required to use progress monitoring techniques
• Tiered instruction model used to provide progressively more intensive and individualized instruction for struggling students

During pre-referral:

• Teacher should document interventions that have been tried & the outcome
• Teacher should share information with the pre-referral team

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Pre-referral process

Members of the team:

• Local education agency (LEA) representative leads the team
• General education teacher
• Special education teacher
• School nurse (if suspected hearing or vision issue)
• School psychologist
• Guidance counselor
• Other relevant personnel
• Parents *may* be part of the team at this point but not legally required

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Pre-referral Process

General ed teacher presents the issue, the techniques that have been tried, & the student progress through work samples, progress monitoring graphs, anecdotal notes, etc.

Team brainstorms ideas for interventions and narrows list to those that are most feasible for implementation

Interventions are implemented with consistency & fidelity for an appropriate length of time

The team reconvenes to evaluate the results and determine the next steps

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Eligibility Process

Purpose of the team is to collect data from a comprehensive evaluation, analyze and interpret the data, and determine if the student qualifies for special education under one of the 13 categories identified in IDEIA

Identification of a learning disability

• Discrepancy method: process that determines if there is a significant discrepancy between student ability and student achievement which indicates the presence of a learning disability
• Response to Intervention (RtI) method: process that evaluates student response to high-quality instruction and interventions; if response is not sufficient to indicate progress, then the student is identified as having a learning disability

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Team Models

Multidisciplinary Team: each team member brings his/her unique knowledge and expertise to the table to identify & gather relevant knowledge about the child

Transdisciplinary Team: the family and child are the direct and immediate focus of the team with each specialist working with other team members to conduct assessments and provide services

Interdisciplinary Team: one specialist works with the child and the teacher acts as the case manager; the one specialist delivers all assessments and services and collaborates with the other specialists to ensure a comprehensive program

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Multidisciplinary Team Members

LEA representative

School psychologist

General education teacher

Parents

Special education teacher

School nurse

Occupational therapist

Physical therapist

Speech-language clinician

Mobility specialist

Social worker

Any other personnel relevant to the child

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Comprehensive Evaluation Areas

Receptive & expressive language skills

Fine & gross motor skills

Social-emotional level

Vision & hearing examination

Academic achievement

Intelligence

Adaptive behavior

Background

• Developmental background
• Family background
• Educational background
• Student interests and relationships outside the school environment

Witte, Bogan, Woodin, Assessment in Special Education. © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Tips for Multidisciplinary Team Meetings

Make everyone feel welcome

Avoid acronyms and jargon

Discuss the unique strengths and challenges of the child

Encourage questions from all team members

Display a professional attitude

Thank team members for attending & contributing to the meeting