special education evaluations
Psycho-Educational Evaluation
WHAT – Combines psychological (see below) and academic achievement testing. Academic achievement testing measures a student’s current academic levels in areas such as reading, writing, math and listening comprehension. Common achievement tests include the Wechsler Individual Achievement Tests (WIAT-2) and Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement (WJ-3).
WHY – The DOE usually combines psychological and achievement testing into a ‘psycho-educational’ evaluation. Results are compared to identify discrepancies between a child’s cognitive scores and his or her current academic levels. For example, if a student has average cognitive potential but below average academics, this may be evidence of a learning disability.
WHEN –Typically occur as part of the initial special education evaluation and should be updated at least every three years (triennual) lto monitor a student’s progress.*