Comprehensive Independent Psychological-Educational Assessment

A Psychological-Educational Assessment is a comprehensive assessment which includes review of all relevant records; interviews with all relevant individuals, which may include: parents, student, teacher(s), and outside agencies; observations within the testing environment and educational setting; standardized and/or curriculum-based assessments; rating scales from all relevant sources, which may include: parents/guardians, student, and teachers. A trauma-informed lens is used with all children in order to rule out (or in) any underlying adverse experiences which may be impacting a child's learning or behavior.

Psychological-Educational Evaluation areas include:

• Autism
• Emotional Disturbance 
• Intellectual Disability
• Learning Disability 
• Multiple Disabilities
• Other Health Impairment (including ADHD assessment)
• Traumatic Brain Injury

Additional assessment areas include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• ADHD
• Gifted
• Twice-exceptional
• Dyslexia
• Dysgraphia
• Dyscalculia

Assessments may include the following evaluation areas:

Cognitive assessment. These tests measure how well a child thinks, remembers, and solves problems. 

Executive Functioning. These tests measure a child’s ability to plan ahead, use logical thinking, act in accordance with hypotheses, check one’s behavior, and flexibility. 

Cognitive processing. These tests measure how a child receives, perceives, and interprets information received orally, visually, or through touch. 

Academic achievement. These tests measure a child’s reading, spelling, mathematic, and oral and written language skills. 

Social-emotional functioning: These assessments indicate how a child feels about him/herself, gets along with others. 

Adaptive functioning. These tests indicate how a child takes care of personal needs at home, school, and in the community.

*A comprehensive Independent Psychological-Educational Evaluation includes a review of relevant records (including school and medical), interviews with parents, student, teachers, and if relevant, service providers and clinical/medical providers; observations within the testing environment, observations in the school setting; rating scales are distributed and collected from all relevant sources, including student, teachers, parents/guardians; participation in all relevant IEP meetings up to 2 hours. Assessment tools and procedures may be adjusted and are dependent on the suspected areas of disability.

Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) Assessments | Educationally Related Intensive Counseling Services (ERICS) Assessments

*from school referrals only and Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE)

Comprehensive social-emotional assessment to determine a child’s mental health needs as they relate to the educational setting. This assessment includes a review of relevant records, interviews with all school and community-based service providers, interviews with parents, student and teachers, and administration of broad and narrow band rating scales.

This includes participation in all relevant IEP meetings up to 2 hours. Assessment tools and procedures may be adjusted and are dependent on the suspected areas of disability.

Educationally Related Social/Emotional Assessment

*from parent referrals only

Comprehensive social-emotional assessment to determine a child’s mental health needs as they relate to the educational setting. This assessment includes a review of relevant records, interviews with all school and community-based service providers, interviews with parents/guardians, student and teachers, and administration of broad and narrow band rating scales.

This includes participation in all relevant IEP meetings up to 2 hours. Assessment tools and procedures may be adjusted and are dependent on the suspected areas of disability.

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

An FBA is a Behavioral assessment on the behaviors that most impede a child's learning. This includes: a) operationally defining the behavior(s) in question, b) gathering and analyzing the behavior by reviewing school records, c) interviewing school staff who work with the student and interviewing the student and parents in order to determine the settings that the behavior is occurring in, how often and with whom, as well as what happens before the behavior (the antecedent) and what happens after the behavior (the consequence). This information can lead to determining the reason, or the function, of the behavior and what is maintaining or reinforcing this behavior. From this, a plan is created for the adults who interact with the child to teach and reinforce the appropriate behaviors, while extinguishing or appropriately intervening with the inappropriate behaviors. This behavior intervention plan (BIP) can be modified as the child's team learns more about the behavior.

This includes participation in all relevant IEP meetings up to 2 hours. Procedures may be adjusted and are dependent on the behaviors in question.

Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)

An Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) is a comprehensive assessment that is typically requested by a school district, an attorney, or a parent/guardian requesting an assessment at district expense. An IEE is provided by a licensed psychologist who does not work for the child's school district, public charter school, or intermediate unit (IU). IEEs include review of all relevant records, including: comprehensive review of relevant educational records; interviews with all relevant parties, including: parents/guardians, student, teacher(s), and outside agencies; multiple observations within the testing environment and within the educational setting; standardized and/or curriculum-based assessments; rating scales from all relevant sources, which may include: parents/guardians, student, and teachers; participation in all relevant IEP meetings (maximum 2 hours). Any additional time required to participate in additional IEP meetings or a due process hearing will be billed at an hourly rate.

In comparison to a psycho-educational assessment, an IEE usually requires an extensive amount of time reviewing school records, travel, and interaction with IEP teams, attorneys, and attendance in Due Process hearings.

If a parent of a child with a disability or suspected disability, does not agree with the results of the psycho-educational evaluation conducted by the school system, the parent has the right to obtain an IEE (§300.502). This means that the parent may ask a professional, competent evaluator (i.e., Licensed Educational Psychologist) who is not employed by the school system to conduct another evaluation of the child. If the parent requests for an IEE, the school must provide the parent with information about where he/she can obtain such an evaluation. If the district agrees with the IEE request, the IEE is paid for by the district. Parents can also independently aquire an independent evaluation at their own expense.

Gifted Assessment

A gifted assessment evaluates a child's cognitive functioning, which is commonly known as an Intelligence Test. It provides a child's overall Intelligence Quotient (IQ). This assessment will reveal how well a child thinks using words (verbal), how well a child thinks with pictures, puzzles, and blocks (nonverbal), how quickly a child processes information, and how well a child retains information (memory skills).