By Barbara Resnick, MS,
Educational Specialist/School Liaison

This article is the first of a three-part discussion designed to educate and assist parents as they work with their child’s school. Part I focuses on interacting with the school through the various stages related to conducting a psychoeducational assessment battery. Part II, which will be featured in the next newsletter, will give parents a better understanding of the procedures followed during an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) or a 504 meeting and will explain the different forms generated at the meeting. Part III will appear in the fall newsletter and will address the topic of “Response to Intervention” sometimes called “School-based Problem Solving.”

Getting Started
For a parent whose son or daughter is struggling academically, emotionally or socially, finding the right help becomes a primary concern. Securing the appropriate school accommodations and/or support services is fundamental to a child’s success. In my role as Rush NeuroBehavioral Center’s Educational Specialist/School Liaison, I am often asked by parents for recommendations about how to begin this process.

The first step is contacting the school to request a psychoeducational evaluation. The person to whom you direct your request could be the principal, school psychologist, case coordinator or district special education administrator, based on the district’s procedural system. After locating the correct contact person, parents should then formally (in writing) ask that an evaluation be initiated.

At this point in the school process three pathways are delineated: (1) The school agrees to explore the parent request for an evaluation, (2) Parents request a meeting with their child’s teacher to put together an informal plan to address the areas of concern, which may include contacting the district representative to discuss the possibility of going through the “response to intervention” or “school-based problem solving” process, (the topic of Part III in the fall issue of the RNBC Newsletter) and (3) The district provides written notice declining the parent request for an evaluation. Pursuing a private of independent evaluation is an option especially related to the third response by the school, but the choice by parents to seek a private evaluation could be incorporated into the other two scenarios, as well.

The School Evaluation Process, Step One: The Domain Review Meeting
When the child’s school district agrees to evaluate your child, as a first step, you are invited to a Domain Review Meeting. This meeting must be held within 14 school days of the initial request. At the Domain Meeting a team of staff members along with the child’s parents determine what type of assessments (or additional evaluation procedures) are necessary to get a full understanding of the student. Parental input is an integral part of the Domain process. The composition of the team will vary depending upon the nature of the child’s symptoms and other relevant factors.

The domain meeting may involve the parents and one representative from the school, or parents may meet with a number of school professionals. The following areas or “domains” are discussed at the meeting: Health, Vision, Hearing, Social/Emotional Status, General Intelligence, Academic Performance, Communication Status and Motor Abilities. (See the adjoining page for a sample Domain Meeting form.)

The team will discuss the following personnel and assessments to decide which are relevant and should be included in your child’s evaluation:
•    School nurse — hearing or vision screening and other health evaluations
•    School psychologist — intelligence and achievement testing
•    School social worker — a social-developmental history
•    School educational specialist – supportive cognitive and other learning testing
•    Speech/language professional — communication skills
•    Occupational and Physical therapist – gross and fine motor abilities
•    Classroom teacher – evaluation of classroom performance

When parents make a private evaluation available to the school, Illinois school law dictates that this independent educational evaluation must be considered by the district in any decision made with respect to the provision of a free, appropriate public education. Upon reviewing the evaluation(s), the district can decide if the findings are relevant to the child’s ability to access the school curriculum. The school team determines if they will accept any part of the information in the private report, within the relevant domains, in lieu of conducting a school evaluation. For example, if the parent provides a private report from a psychologist presenting general intelligence and academic scores, the team might accept these results from a private source and determine that no further testing is needed in these domains.

The designated recorder at the meeting will complete the Parent/Guardian Consent for Evaluation Form for each domain, describing the assessments determined as necessary and explaining why, in certain areas, assessments are not mandated. At the conclusion of the meeting, parents are asked to sign a consent form enabling the district to conduct the evaluations stated in the Domain Review and agreeing that no further information is necessary. (A Domain Review meeting is also convened when a child who is currently receiving special education services is up for his/her triennial review.)

Next Steps
Upon completion of the assessments identified in the Domain Review, but no later than 60 school days following the date of written consent, the determination of eligibility shall be made as part of the IEP (Individual Educational Plan) meeting. Part II of this discussion, appearing in the next newsletter, will examine procedures for an IEP meeting or a 504 plan meeting, including a discussion about the sections of an IEP and the information included in that document.

About the author: as an RNBC Educational Services Department team member, Barbara Resnick, M.S. has worked as Educational Specialist at RNBC for five years. Before coming to Rush, Barbara was a Learning Disability Specialist in the Evanston School System. Barbara has worked with many families to help them better understand their child’s educational differences as they pertain to the school setting and how to work effectively with the schools to secure the appropriate supports.

Contact the Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois for a copy of The Parent’s Guide to Response to Intervention, which was referenced for this article, by phone at (708) 430-7LDA or by email at LDAofIL@ameritech.net