Guidelines for the Assessment and
Educational Evaluation of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
Children in Indiana
Ba sed on 511 IAC Artic le 7, 2008
Effe c tive D a t e : Augu s t 13, 2008 Re v i se d D a t e : Augu s t 31, 2010 U p da t e d Date : Nove mbe r 15, 2013
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This doc ument is dedic a ted to a ll dea f a nd ha rd-ofhea ring c hildren in India na a nd their fa milies. Sinc e 1843, dea f a nd ha rd-of-hea ring c hildren ha ve been educ a ted in this sta te a nd ma ny lea ve our sc hools, go out into the world, a nd bec ome produc tive c itizens. Some c hildren in the pa st ha ve not been so fortuna te a nd ma y not ha ve left the educ a tiona l system with the knowledge a nd tools to ma ximize their potentia l. This guide wa s developed to help educ a tors use a ssessment informa tion a nd eva lua tions to a ssist pa rents a nd the c a se c onferenc e c ommittees in determining how a c hild c a n rea c h their full potentia l. Adva nc es in tec hnology, a s well a s grea ter knowledge of how the bra in func tions a nd how la ngua ge is a c quired, ha ve helped the professiona ls who work with this popula tion provide informa tion tha t will lea d to informed dec ision ma king.
This guide wa s ma de possible by the tea mwork a nd c olla bora tion of a udiologists, psyc hologists, speec h pa thologists, la ngua ge spec ia lists, soc ia l workers, a nd pa rents. Spec ia l gra titude is extended to Linda C ha rlebois a nd Terri Wa ddell-Motter who took the lea d in a ssembling this informa tion. We a lso tha nk a dditiona l c ontributors, inc luding (a nd not limited to) C a rolyn Pimentel, Lorinda Ba rtlett, Pa m Burc hett, Debra Liebric h, Louise Fitzpa tric k, Sheryl Whitema n, C a rol Wild, Sha nnon Sta fford, Ja c kie Ka tter, Ja net Fuller, a nd Joyc e C onner.
Guidelines for the Assessment and Educational Evaluation of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children in Indiana, based on the
Article 7 changes of 2008, was developed by Outreach Services for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children. The staff includes diverse professionals and parents including those who are Deaf, hearing, and hard-of-hearing; those raised in environments using spoken English; and others, who grew up as proficient users of American Sign Language (ASL) in the Deaf community. This guide represents a consensus of this diverse population. Comments or questions regarding these guidelines may be addressed to Cindy Lawrence, Assessment Coordinator, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education, 2 North Meridian (mailing address) or 1200 E 42nd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46205, 317-232-0899, [email protected].
Notice
The guidance in Guidelines for the Assessment and Educational Evaluation of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children in
Indiana, Based on 511 IAC Article 7, 2008, is not binding on local educational agencies or other entities. Except for the statutes, regulations, and court decisions that are referenced herein, the document is exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory.
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Contents
- Prefa c e
- 4
- 8
- Educ a tiona l Evalua tion G uidelines
Persons C onduc ting the Educ a tiona l Evalua tion Area s Tha t Ma y Be Educ a tiona lly Evalua ted
Auditory Abilities a nd Skills
9
10 10 11 16 17 17 18
Determina tion of C ommunic a tion Mode Pre-a c a demic Skills Ac a demic Skills Motor Skills Area s of Psyc hologic al Evalua tion
Tests Administered in the Prima ry La ngua ge a nd Preferred
- La ngua ge Mode
- 20
Sta tewide Resourc es a nd Servic es for D/HOH Students in
- India na
- 21
23 23 24 36 37
Appendic es
Ma king Progress: The One-for-One Rule G lossa ry Selec ted Referenc es C hec klist of Eva lua tion Proc edures
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PREFACE
All c hildren ha ve the right to a fr e e app r o p r i a t e p ub l ic e d u c at i o n
(FAPE) in their l e a s t r e s tric ti v e env i r o nment (LRE) in order to ha ve the
opportunity to suc c eed. An educ a tiona l eva lua tion of a c hild’s strengths a nd a rea s needing improvement provide professiona ls with the insight needed to a llow for tha t suc c ess.
In July of 2008, G overnor Mitc h Da niels signed into la w revisions in
India na Sta te Boa rd of Educ a tion Spec ia l Educ a tion Rules Title 511Artic le 7, the sta te a genc y version of India na 's spec ial educ a tion rules promulga ted in the India na Administra tive C ode a t 511 IAC 7-17 through 7-31. C ha nges were ma de in the eligibility requirements in order to look a t eva lua tion da ta most impa c ted by the c hild’s “disa bility.” C ognitive eva lua tions a re no longer required for the over 2000 dea f or ha rd-ofhea ring students in the sta te of India na . It is genera lly known tha t a bsenc e of hea ring does not c a use c ognitive dela ys. However, professiona ls a nd families must keep in mind tha t a la c k of exposure to la ngua ge ea rly in life c a n effec t c ognitive func tioning.
The Universa l Newborn Hea ring Sc reening (UNHS) legisla tion ena c ted in 2000 a lso c rea ted the opportunity for very ea rly identific a tion of hea ring loss in infa nts, lea ding to ea rlier opportunities for pa rent support a nd the development of c ommunic a tion a nd la ngua ge. C hildren who were identified a nd rec eived a ppropria te ea rly intervention a re a rriving in our sc hools with la ngua ge a nd c ommunic a tion c ommensura te with their hea ring peers. Prior to 2000, the a vera ge a ge of dia gnosis wa s 2.5 yea rs of a ge, leading most educ a tors to spend the ea rly yea rs foc using on c losing a huge la ngua ge ga p. While not every c hild is identified ea rly a nd begins rec eiving ea rly intervention, tha t is our goa l for all c hildren.
For pa rents a nd l o c al educ a t i o n agenc i e s (LEAs) of some c hildren,
the good news is tha t there is now a c erta in degree of flexibility in meeting the needs of individual students. No longer will a c hild who is performing well a c a demic ally be subjec ted to unnec essa ry testing.
The c a vea t is tha t ma ny students do not perform a s well a s we would a ntic ipa te, a nd they will c ontinue to need a c omprehensive eva lua tion in order to develop spec ific , a ppropria te a c a demic goals tha t a re unique to ea c h student. Perha ps a n a dditiona l c onc ern, suc h a s a lea rning disa bility or emotiona l c hallenges, interferes with the c hild’s lea rning. Without looking a t the c hild a s a whole, a c a demic a nd methodology dec isions c ould ea sily be ba sed solely on a c hild’s a udiogra m a nd c ommunic a tion skills. Pa rents a nd professiona ls need to
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remember to inc lude a c hild’s c ognitive potentia l, thinking skills, preferred mode of c ommunic a tion, lea rning style, a nd a c a demic a bilities when ma king these c ritic a l dec isions. The c hild’s c ultural ba c kground must a lso be c onsidered. It is in this wa y tha t we c a n ra ise the ba r for a c a demic suc c ess, a nd the c hild c a n be expec ted to meet their full potentia l.
The changes in Article 7 do not mean that the educational evaluation is limited to what CAN be done, rather just what is REQUIRED to be done.
The following definitions of a ssessment a nd educ a tiona l evalua tion a re ta ken from the newest version of Artic le 7.
Assessment defined (511 IAC 7-32-6, Sec tion 6):
a ) Assessment refers to the proc ess of gathering and interpreting information rega rding some a spec t of a student’s:
1) c ognitive, 2) a c a demic , 3) soc ial, 4) emotiona l, 5) beha viora l, or 6) func tiona l performa nc e
b) Norm-referenced assessments a re sta nda rdized on a c lea rly
defined group a nd sc aled so tha t the sc ore reflec ts the student’s performa nc e when c ompa red to the norma tive group.
c ) Criterion-referenced assessments a re:
1) designed to determine whether a student ha s rea c hed a preesta blished level or sta nda rd of performa nc e; a nd
2) a re genera lly developed with a hiera rc hy of skills.
d) Other assessment procedures inc lude, but a re not limited to, the
following: 1) sa mples of a c a demic skills 2) beha viora l c ha rts 3) informal tests 4) interviews 5) observa tions
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Educational Evaluation (511 IAC 7-32-30, Sec tion 30) defined: a ) Educational evaluation mea ns proc edures used in a c c orda nc e
with 511 IAC 7-40 a nd 511 IAC 7-41 to provide informa tion a bout a student’s disa bility or suspec ted disa bility for the student’s c a se c onferenc e c ommittee to determine the following: 1) whether a student is eligible for spec ial educ a tion a nd rela ted servic es
2) if eligible, the na ture a nd extent of the spec ial educ a tion a nd rela ted servic es tha t the student needs
b) Ba sed on the suspec ted disa bility or disa bilities, the educ a tional eva lua tion ma y a ddress the following: 1) development 2) c ognition 3) a c a demic a c hievement 4) func tiona l performa nc e or a da ptive beha vior 5) c ommunic a tion skills 6) motor skills a nd sensory responses 7) a va ila ble medic al a nd menta l health informa tion tha t is educ a tiona lly releva nt
8) soc ial a nd developmenta l history 9) a na lysis of other fa c tors 10)other a ssessments or informa tion nec essa ry to determine eligibility a nd inform the student’s c a se c onferenc e c ommittee.
Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (511 IAC 7-41-4) defined:
a ) “Dea f or ha rd-of-hea ring,” whic h ma y be referred to a s a hea ring impa irment, mea ns the following: 1) a disa bility tha t, with or without a mplific a tion, a dversely a ffec ts the student’s: A) a bility to use hea ring for developing la ngua ge a nd lea rning, B) educ a tiona l performa nc e C ) developmenta l progress
2) the hea ring loss ma y be:
A) perma nent or fluc tua ting B) mild to profound C ) unila tera l or bila tera l
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3) students who a re dea f or ha rd-of-hea ring ma y use:
A) spoken la ngua ge, B) sign la ngua ge C ) a c ombina tion of spoken la ngua ge a nd signed systems
Ac c ording to Rule 26, c erta in eligibility c omponents a re minimally required to be synthesized in a n educ a tiona l evalua tion for ea c h suspec ted a rea of eligibility. For a c hild with a hea ring loss, the following is required:
• a ssessment of a c a demic a c hievement, defined by 511 IAC 7-32-6 • eva lua tion of func tional skills or a da ptive beha vior a c ross va rious environments a nd from multiple sourc es
• eva lua tion of c ommunic a tion skills • c ompletion of a soc ial a nd developmental history • written report from a n educ a tiona l or c linic al a udiologist, otologist, or otola ryngologist
• a ny other educ a tional evalua tions or informa tion nec essa ry to determine eligibility a nd inform the c a se c onferenc e c ommittee
The first five c omponents a re inc luded with the initia l eligibility determina tion. The la st c omponent ma y be the most overlooked, a s well a s the most c ritic a l. This provides for the educ a tiona l evalua tion of a rea s tha t a re most relevant for students who a re dea f or ha rd-of-hea ring, suc h a s development, c ognition, motor, a nd sensory a bilities, a nd obta ining releva nt medic al informa tion. In order to determine if the la ngua ge a nd c ommunic a tion skills a re c ommensura te with their c ognitive a bilities, espec ially for c hildren identified ea rly, informa tion rega rding c ognitive potentia l is importa nt. Bec a use of the pa rtic ula rly high inc idenc e (40 to 50 perc ent) of a c c ompa nying exc eptionalities, it is espec ia lly importa nt tha t a ttention be given to these a rea s a s well.
The informa tion tha t follows is a c ollec tion of suggestions for pa rents a nd LEAs to use in determining wha t should be inc luded in an educ a tiona l evalua tion proc edure a nd how it should be c ompleted for their c hildren who a re dea f or ha rd-of-hea ring.
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EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION GUIDELINES
Assessment does not nec essa rily mea n testing. It c a n mea n reviewing the da ta tha t is a lrea dy a va ilable, suc h a s results from ISTEP, ISTAR, SAT-10, a nd the NWEA, a s well as c urric ulum-ba sed a ssessments a nd c urric ulum-ba sed mea surements to determine wha t informa tion is alrea dy a va ila ble a nd wha t a dditiona l informa tion, if a ny, might be needed.
In looking a t ea c h student a s a whole a nd a ttempting to meet their
unique needs a s a n individual, their i n d i v i d u a l iz e d ed u c a t i o n p l a n (IEP) is
developed following the determina tion of their present level of func tioning. As pa rt of this educ a tiona l eva lua tion proc ess, the following a rea s should be rec ognized, a s well a s how they intera c t with ea c h other:
• prima ry la ngua ge a nd preferred mode of c ommunic a tion • fa mily history, inc luding home la ngua ge, c ultura l fa c tors, a nd hea ring sta tus of fa mily members
• health a nd developmenta l history, inc luding etiology of the hea ring loss
• a ge of onset a nd a ge of dia gnosis • a ge of full-time a mplific a tion • type a nd severity of hea ring loss • effec tiveness of a mplific a tion • a uditory skills a nd use of residual hea ring • psyc hosoc ia l beha viors • visual skills • educ a tiona l history • a dditiona l spec ial educ a tion eligibilities • pa rent knowledge a nd support • a ttitude a nd motiva tion level of the student
The importa nc e of pa renta l involvement during the educ a tional eva lua tion proc ess is c ritic a l. La ngua ge use is a family dec ision a nd drives c ommunic a tion c hoic es in Pa rt C (First Steps). It is c ruc ial in obta ining both the qua ntity a nd quality of informa tion required to ma ke the best educ a tiona l a nd c ommunic a tion dec isions for c hildren who a re dea f or ha rd-of-hea ring.
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The younger the c hild is, the more instrumenta l the pa rents a re in the proc ess. Therefore, pa rents should be inc luded in the following c omponents:
• ga thering educ a tional informa tion • desc ribing the c hild’s strengths, wea knesses. a nd interests • providing insight into the c hild’s tempera ment • beha viora l observa tions • interviews • medic al a nd a udiologic al histories • pla y-ba sed eva lua tions • developmenta l sc ales • situa tiona l educ a tional evalua tions for tra nsition (e.g., work experienc e a nd educ a tion)
• independent living skills educ a tiona l evalua tion • a ssistive tec hnology educ a tiona l evalua tions • c ollec ting other informa tion (e.g., gra des a nd portfolios)
PERSONS CONDUCTING THE EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION
In a ddition to pa rental input, the educ a tiona l evalua tion of dea f a nd ha rd-of-hea ring students must be c onduc ted by personnel who understa nd the unique na ture of hea ring loss a nd a re spec ific ally tra ined to work with dea f a nd ha rd-of-hea ring students. Ba c kground knowledge inc ludes resea rc h, tec hnologic al innova tions, la ngua ge a nd c hild development, diversity within the Dea f c ommunity, a nd resourc es for fa milies a nd professiona ls. Personnel should be skilled in a dministering the educ a tiona l evalua tion tools a nd in interpreting the results to ensure nondisc rimina tory testing; they should ha ve the requisite c ommunic a tion skills. Personnel a dministering eva lua tion tools must be a ble to c ommunic a te in the c hild’s na tive la ngua ge or mode of c ommunic a tion. This is essentia l in making c olla bora tive a nd informed dec isions a bout the educ a tiona l needs for students with hea ring loss.
