IEP Assessments

I recently wrote an article on Understanding IEP Assessments for Bright Hub and thought I'd put some comments here as well. I've always found the assessment score portion of Gus's IEP to be more complicated than deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I've come to gain a little better understanding of them. They're not quite as complicated as I thought (very close, but not quite). The odd thing is that the keys to understanding these things seem to be some nationally guarded secret – none of our service providers could ever give me a solid explanation for what it all meant. So here's my attempt at demystifying the matter.

The first things you need to understand are the terms and acronyms. Most of the assessment scores will be expressed as one or more of the following:

• SS – standard or scaled score. This is the score of the assessment itself. For instance, the SAT has a different scale (200-800) than the AP exams which are score on a scale of 1-5.
  
• Percentile – the percentile shows where your child falls within the range of other students being tested. A score in the 98^th percentile means your child scored in the top 2 percent of students tested, or better than 98 percent.
  
• AE/GE – age or grade equivalents tell where your child's skills are in comparison to kids of different age groups or in different academic grades.
  
• Raw Score – I've never seen this on our IEP, but it's useful to know just in case it comes up. The raw score is the actually number of successes your child has on each of the different test components. For example, your child might get 8 correct responses on one test out of a possible 10.
  

Many assessments use similar scales, but some have their own (just to keep parents hopping and guessing, I'd imagine). If you find out what assessment tool was used for your child in each area, you can try to find out what the scale is and take it from there. Some common tests are:

• General or Comprehensive
  
  • The Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills (CIBS)
    
• Speech/Language
  
  • Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS – they're not just for wizards anymore)
    
  • Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT)
    
  • Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT)
    
  • Educational – Woodcock Johnson III
    
• Motor/Physical Skills
  
  • Bruininsky-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency
    
  • Peabody Developmental Motor Scales
    
• Behavior
  
  • Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales
    

The article goes into a little more detail about scoring and interpretation, so if this is a topic that tends to confuse you (like it did me) by all means, check it out! And if you know of any assessments that I can add to the list, by all means, please share! Have a great day!

Thursday Thankfulness

I'm a little late today, but two more walls have been given two fresh coats of paint, so please forgive me! Today's thankfulness:

1. I am thankful that Gus will be getting the appropriate and needed services in a great environment next year. Our annual review went better than I'd hoped because I was expecting a real fight on our hands.

2. I am thankful for the wonderful support from Gus's teachers, aides, therapists, counselor, and peers. Knowing that he's in a good place makes it easier to feel hopeful about his future.

3. I am thankful that I only have one small wall and the foyer left to paint, and I give kudos to people who do this for a living. I never knew how difficult a job painting a living room could be. However, as tough as it is right now, I'm going to feel damned good about myself when it's done!

What are you grateful for today?

Annual Review: Win!

Today was Gus's ever-stressful, anxiety-provoking annual review. I've been mentally preparing myself for weeks now, preparing for an epic battle. I anticipated that there would be fists banging on tables and possibly threats to call lawyers or to remove Gus from the school system. (Okay, so my imagination can get a little overactive, and I'm a sucker for a worst case scenario.)

DH took the day off to attend the meeting, and just prior to the meeting we made our last pre-battle preparations: We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for a sugar and caffeine boost (French vanilla with extra sugar). If I've learned nothing else today, I've learned that a non-coffee drinker should never drink coffee before a meeting that will last more than 5 minutes.

So there we were, ready for the smackdown, doing mental calisthenics, readying our arguments and rebuttal. The smackdown. Never. Came.

Not that I'm complaining.

Gus will remain in his program next year with the same services (OT reduced by half an hour, but I'm okay with that). Since state testing starts next year, he will have a multitude of accommodations: word processor availability, extra time, separate room, redirection prompts, reading of directions...there may have been more, but I lost count. Summer services are in the package as well. If our luck holds, he may even be able to stay in this program (barring any drastic changes) until the end when he transitions to middle school, but I won't count my chickens just yet. A win all around.

There were some annoying moments, or maybe it was just my caffeine enhanced scrappiness. The minute I was asked about my visit to the other school that had been suggested, I started throwing around the word 'safety.' But there was no rebuttal. The chairperson agreed that it wasn't as appropriate as she thought. I got a little miffed that she mentioned that we might want to eventually consider medication for Gus (that always gets me bristling, even if we happen to be thinking about it). I let DH handle that topic, which he did very tactfully. The psychologist irked me a little when he wondered if Gus was really getting all that he could academically. My response was something along the lines of, "He's performing at grade level or higher; how much more do we need him to get right now?" Low expectations? No. I just don't feel the need to pressure Gus to be a super-genius.

There was one nice moment when the physical therapist gave her recommendations. She mentioned that Gus often runs into the middle of kickball games because he lacks safety awareness. Apparently, the kids know him now, and when they see him coming, they just wait until he's in a safe place and then resume their games. I found that to be sweet, especially when contrasted against the neighborhood kid who was giving him funny looks at the bowling alley. They haven't teased him or been mean - what a nice thing to hear!

I'll admit, I was having a really hard time behaving at the meeting this year. I'm sure the coffee had something to do with it. Maybe it had something to do with knowing that the chairperson had lied in the past regarding my son. She did get a little closer to my good side once I saw that she was being at least somewhat sincere about how much she likes Gus. A few sarcastic comments escaped, but I bit my tongue when standardized testing came up. (Because of course that's an accurate measure of what a kid can do - we all know that. Don't get me started on that one.) When the psychologist asked me to sign a permission form for something, I very nearly said, "no," just to see what he would do, but I controlled myself. However, the guy sitting next to me didn't escape my mischievous streak. He loaned me a pen and when he asked for it back, I said, "What would you do if I said no?" He didn't seem amused by that. The next time he loaned me the pen, I said I wasn't giving it back. No reaction. And they say my son is robotic. Pfft.

By the end of the meeting I was really antsy, but fortunately we had to run out of there or we'd miss the school bus. So that was our day - we were very lucky. I'm very glad to be working with the same team next year. I'll also be very glad when this caffeine buzz wears off - there's a good reason I drink tea.

So fess up, have you ever been tempted to misbehave in one of those meetings for any reason? They're long; they're stressful. It's hard not to crack under the pressure! C'mon, share your story!



P.S. I know at least one teacher friend who really ought to weigh in on the whole question of standardized testing. I threw that in just for you!

Thursday Thankfulness: It's Almost Spring!

It's raining today, and I'm happy about that. Know why? Because it's not snowing! Spring is right around the corner and that's a good time to bask in some springtime gratitude!

1. I am thankful that tomorrow it will officially be spring! In honor of this, I've planned that Sunday I will take a vacation from my computer screen and do some spring cleaning. DH is going to a gaming convention for the day, so I will rally the troops to do massive overhauls of their bedrooms and we're going to start painting the living room. Gus has been asking to help and I figure if I let him help with the priming, it should be pretty harmless. I won't even let myself think about what could possibly be wrong with that theory.

2. I am thankful that I've had lots of work lately. the project I'm working on today is a little insane with a killer deadline, but the paycheck will be beautiful when I get it in my hands. However, I do apologize to all my social-networky pals. I haven't forgotten you and I'll be back soon!

3. I am thankful for my son's 'team.' I'll be going to talk with them tomorrow, and I even if they don't have anything new or spectacular to tell me, I love the fact that they have stuck with him for the past 2 years. Gus is a really good kid, but you have got to be on your toes at all times with him. He's fun and incredibly smart, but also can be exhausting. so, kudos and many thanks to Gus's staff - they rock like the Flintstones!

4. And an extra bit of gratitude because I'm that happy about the spring! I am thankful for Gus's obsession with Pokemon. Yes, I know it's probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but consider the mileage I get out of this fixation.

Getting dressed in the morning: "You can't battle any gym leaders until you get dressed."
Eating breakfast: "All the best Pokemon masters eat breakfast and they feed their Pokemon, too."
Homework: "If you have 3 Pokeballs and 7 Dark Pokemon to capture, how many more Pokeballs do you need?"

See? Everything can have an upside!

Please feel free to share your thoughts and gratitude below and have a great day!

The Annual Review: Related Service Providers

image from Wikimedia Commons

I'm not sure if this applies to everyone, but in our district* (in New York State), if you want your child's related service providers (i.e. speech, occupational or physical therapists) present at his or her annual review, you have to inform the district and request that they be invited. I was unaware of this for our first annual review and was shocked when Gus's old speech teacher was recommending to end services (because she didn't think the district would approve them) but wasn't coming to the meeting to justify her recommendation. Fortunately, the meeting was taking place in the school building, so I was able to talk to the teacher quickly and figure out what was going on. Had we been in another location (like a district office) Gus probably would have lost his speech services.

I make it a point to keep the lines of communication open with anyone who interacts with Gus on a regular basis without breathing down their necks. Now I try to schedule a team meeting sometime prior to the annual review so that I don't get smacked with any surprises and so that everyone is on the same page going in. Hearing about a recommendation for a program change in the meeting doesn't allow you time to think and process the information, which can lead to a rushed and possibly bad decision. In my humble opinion, I think some administrators count on that element of surprise so that the parent will just go along with their plans. This is not to say that all CSE chairpeople are evil and want to harm the poor little special needs children; I'm not saying that at all. But realistically, everyone has their own agenda when they walk into that meeting, and you are probably the only one whose sole concern is your child.

To most administrators (and I say most because I have seen a few who have taken the time to at least put a face to the name on the reports) your child is a name and number on a piece of paper. This is one reason why having those service providers present can be so important. They are the ones who work with and know your child (at least in theory, but if they are clearly not in that category, simply don't invite them to the party). If you think that they will help you advocate for your child, make sure they will be present. Once you get the date for your review, contact your district chairperson and express your wishes for who will be in attendance. If you call, make sure you follow up with an email or letter.

That last bit is important. I just called our district and was told that I didn't need a letter. In the past I've been told something very different. I'll compromise and send an email. That way, no one can say I didn't follow the protocol.

Does your district have different rules for annual reviews? Are your child's service providers automatically included? It would be great to see how other states handle the process.

*edited in 3/18/2009