Evaluation

Initial Evaluations*

The evaluation person(s) completes the full and individual evaluation, including a written report, within the 45 school day timeframe from the date the district receives parental consent. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine whether the child has a disability and the child’s educational needs. If the district receives consent for the evaluation from the child’s parents at least 35, but no less than 45 school days before the last instructional day of the school year: a) the evaluation report must be provided to the parent not later than June 30th of that year OR b) if the child was absent from school 3 or more days between the time that the district received written consent and the last instructional day of the school year, the evaluation report must be completed no later than the 45th school day following the date the district received written consent, plus the number of school days the child was absent.

Reevaluations*

No less than once every three years following initial evaluation, an ARD committee reviews existing evaluation data on each student to consider the need for collecting additional evaluation data for purposes of determining: whether the student continues to have a disability, present performance levels and educational needs of the student, continued need for special education and related services, any additions or modifications to the services received to enable the student to meet IEP goals and participate in the general curriculum. The ARD committee identifies additional data to be collected as necessary and specifies a timeline for completion of evaluation.

If no additional evaluation data is deemed necessary to determine whether the student continues to have a disability, the committee will notify the student's parents (or adult student):

• of the reasons the committee decided no additional data is necessary,
• of the parent's right to request additional evaluation to determine whether the student continues to have a disability,
• and that the AISD will not be required to conduct such an evaluation unless requested to do so by the parent or teacher.

Reevaluations should be completed on or before the anniversary date of the previous full and individual evaluation.

Evaluation Requirements

Amarillo ISD shall ensure tests and other evaluation materials used to evaluate the child must: 34 CFR Section 300.532

(a) be validated for the specific purpose for which they are used. 34 CFR Section 300.532(c)(1)(i); TAC Section 89.1230

(b) be administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel in accordance with any instructions provided by the producer of the tests. 34 CFR Section 300.532(c)(1)(ii)

(c) include those tailored to assess specific areas of educational need and not merely those that are designed to provide a single general intelligence quotient. 34 CFR Section 300.532(d)

(d) select and administer tests so as to best ensure that when a test is administered to a child with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the child's aptitude or achievement levels, or whatever other factors the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the child's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (unless those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure). 34 CFR Section 300.532(e)

(e) have no single procedure used as the sole criterion for determining whether a child has a disability and for determining an appropriate educational program for the child. 34 CFR Section 300.532(f)

(f) A variety of assessment tools and strategies are used to gather relevant functional and developmental information about the child, including information provided by the parent and information related to enabling the child to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum or for a preschool child, to participate in appropriate activities that may assist in determining whether the child is a child with a disability under Section 300.7 and the content of the child's IEP. 34 CFR Section 300.532(b)

(g) There is written evaluation data indicating the student's need for each related service listed in the IEP and documentation that the service will enable the student to benefit from special education. 34 CFR Section 300.24; 19 TAC Section Section 89.1060; 89.115(1)(G)

(h) The evaluation implements assessment procedures that differentiate between language proficiency and disability. 19 TAC Section 89.1230

(i) The evaluation is sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the child's special education and related services needs, whether or not commonly linked to a disability category in which the child has been classified. 34 CFR Section 300.532(h)

(j) The child is assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities. 34 CFR Section 300.532(g)

(k) The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility must include, but is not limited to, a licensed specialist in school psychology (LSSP), an educational diagnostician, or other appropriate certified or licensed practitioner with experience and training in the area of the disability, and the student's parent(s). 19 TAC Section 89.1040(b)

(l) For students served on a homebound or hospital bedside basis, there is verification that a licensed physician has determined the need for a minimum of four consecutive weeks of confinement or, for chronically ill students, any period of time totaling at least four weeks throughout the school year. 19 TAC Section 89.63(c)(2)(A)

Functional Vocational Evaluation

Vocational needs will be considered for each student at each ARD meeting. If the ARD determines that formal vocational evaluation is needed, the diagnostician and appropriate teacher will complete parent, student, and teacher interviews and checklists. The diagnostician will review all previous testing and conduct any other evaluation needed.

Eligibility Categories for Special Ed in Texas

Auditory Impairment
Autism
Deaf-Blindness
Emotional Disturbance
Intellectual Disability
Multiple Disabilities
Noncategorical Early Childhood
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Visual Impairment

Notice and Consent for Evaluation

1. The law states that parents must be notified and consent must be obtained whenever an initial evaluation is conducted to determine if a child is a child with a disability and to identify the educational needs of the child.
2. If the evaluation is for purposes of measuring student progress (Brigance, etc.), no consent is required.
3. If an ARD committee or a parent requests a complete reevaluation at any time, formal notice should be given and Consent for Individual evaluation should be obtained regardless of the date on the previous consent.

* The appropriateness of evaluation instruments including reliability, validity, and technical characteristics is the responsibility of the trained and licensed professional conducting the evaluation and is subject to review by district evaluation personnel and ARD committees.

* To the extent feasible, the person conducting the evaluation will insure that the results of evaluations considered to be part of a full and individual evaluation will be provided to parents and appropriate school personnel before any meeting to discuss the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of FAPE to the child.