Scores
Organization of Reports
Special Ed Law
Misc
100
Type of scores you should never include in a report.
What are raw scores? Why?
100
It is tedious to explain every test and what it measures.
What is not to a reader who is unfamiliar with the test.
100
Your assessment should answer the question, Does this child qualify for special education services?
What is WRONG. Others on the special education team may have information that contributes to answering this question.
100
Who has the BASC manual I loaned them?
What is MY NAME WILL BE MUD with Diane if you don't return that ASAP.
200
If a 6th grader has an 8th grade equivalent score that means he is reading on the 8th grade level.
What is WRONG! It means that he scores the same as the average 8th grader answering the same set of questions.
200
If you give a Conners and the student has high scores, he or she probably has ADHD. You should emphasize that in your report.
What is WRONG! If you also have high anxiety or depression scores on the BASC, you need to rule out anxiety or depression. The Conners may still come out high, but it may not be because the child has ADHD.
200
If you do an ADHD evaluation for parents, what risks are you taking in regards to special education law?
What is you suspect there is a disability so you test, but you do not give parents procedural safeguards. That's a problem.
200
Recommended interventions that require the very same executive functions the interventions are designed to remediate.
What is if a child has difficulty turning in assignments, asking them to carry a note home. Other ideas?
300
Item scores, subtest scores, verbal comprehension scores, full scale scores. Which type of score has the highest reliability estimates? Which as the weakest?
Item scores have the weakest reliability, so be careful about reporting them in reports.
300
If the child has an attendance problem, just writing that he has an attendance problem is good.
Including the specific number of absences is better. Johnny has 10 absences over a period of 9 weeks.
300
Including the statement "Student qualifies for ........"
What is this is a special education team determination, not something you specifically write in your report.
300
Focusing on what the tests have examinees do ("On a test in which the examinee must repeat back a list of digits in reverse order...) rather than on what the tests measure (working memory capacity, in this case).
What is something to avoid.
400
If a 10 year old has an age equivalent score of 14, that means he is reading the same as the average 14 year old.
What is WRONG again. It means that that the 10 year old is reading at the same level as the average 14 year old who answered the same questions as the 10 year old. DO NOT include age or grade equivalent scores unless you specifically include that a clear and accurate definition of the age/grade equivalent scores.
400
If Johnny needs small group to help with behaviors, it's good to recommend that in your report.
What is ...you could have made that recommendation before you began the evaluation. Specifically state what behaviors Johnny needs to learn and practice in small group. Johnny may benefit from small group instruction in social skills. Specific social skills that could be targeted include joining in or resolving conflict.
400
A child has a significant discrepancy between achievement and cognitive test scores.
What is ONE and ONLY ONE indicator that a child may have a learning disability.
400
Describe examinee behaviors in exquisite detail but do not specify what the behaviors might mean.
What is maybe the behaviors don't mean much in relation to the referral question.
500
These help the reader understand that the scores do not measure perfectly. A very important concept.
What are confidence intervals.
500
If Johnny needs small group instruction in math, recommend that.
What is this is a good place to start, but insufficient. You'll also need to include what math skills need to be targeted such as regrouping when doing multiplication with 2 digit numbers.
500
No need to establish that child continues to meet eligibility criteria.
What are periodic evaluation--formerly called three year evaluations.
500
Weird results could be a result of this.
What is measurement error
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