Evaluation Report Documentation of Eligibility South Carolina Public Charter School District Evaluation Report and Documentation of Eligibility CONFIDENTIAL Name: Violet Crawley Date of Birth: 3/31/2004 Age: 6 years, 10 months Date Evaluation Completed: 4/1/2011 Date of Evaluation Planning Meeting: 1/31/2011 Grade: 1st School: Downton Abbey Date of Eligibility Determination: 4/18/2011 This report reflects information that existed at the time of evaluation planning, as well as any new information gathered during the evaluation process, including any and all information presented by the parent. Section I: Review of existing information: Listed below is each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report this team has reviewed and used in determining whether additional information is necessary in order to conduct the evaluation. REASON FOR REFERRAL AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND VIOLET was referred for evaluation due to concerns about her progress in reading, written expression, and oral language. Teachers have also noted concerns about VIOLET’s ability to maintain concentration and to complete work. VIOLET has difficulty with changes in her schedule and routine, both at school and at home. She becomes somewhat anxious and fidgety. Ms. Crawley, VIOLET’s mother, reported that VIOLET is able to read at home when she can limit noise and other distractions for VIOLET, but that VIOLET has difficulty in larger group settings. Math is an area of relative strength for VIOLET. VIOLET attended a private preschool/daycare from ages 2 through 4. She attended School ABC School for 5K and is currently in the 1st grade there. SUMMARY OF RESEARCH-BASED ACCOMMODATIONS AND/OR INTERVENTIONS VIOLET has received the following interventions to address her difficulties in reading, written expression, and oral language: small group, differentiated instruction; use of kindergarten instruction in core curriculum to teach missing skills; and use of “Listening through Learning”. Her parents also provide additional support, practice, and drill at home. VIOLET has responded well to the use of a timer both at school and home to help her complete tasks in a timely fashion. Teachers and parents try to preview schedule changes whenever possible to help VIOLET transition better. DEMOGRAPHIC, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND MEDICAL/HEALTH HISTORY VIOLET’s father provided information concerning her birth, developmental history, and family situation. VIOLET was born following a pregnancy characterized by gestational diabetes. She was born breech. VIOLET achieved developmental milestones within normal limits. She has had no significant accidents or illnesses. VIOLET’s parents are divorced and have joint custody. VIOLET has a younger half-sister. She has a great imagination and is very curious about how things work. VIOLET is sweet natured and gets along well with others. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey English is VIOLET’s primary language. VISION Based on teacher’s and parents’ observations, VIOLET appears to have functional vision. No concerns in this area were noted. HEARING Based on teacher’s and parents’ observations, VIOLET appears to have functional hearing. No concerns in this area were noted. SPEECH / LANGUAGE / COMMUNICATION VIOLET is able to express her knowledge verbally, but has difficulty following directions at times. The team has asked for additional information in this area. COGNITIVE / INTELLECTUAL VIOLET appears to have good abstract reasoning ability, but difficulty processing verbal information. The team has asked for additional information in this area. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Math is an area of strength for VIOLET while reading and writing are areas of difficulty. VIOLET is able to give back information much better verbally than on paper. Additional information is needed in order to determine what skills VIOLET has mastered and where her strengths and weaknesses are. ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR Additional information about VIOLET’s socialization and communication skills is needed. SOCIAL / EMOTIONAL / BEHAVIORAL VIOLET has difficulty remaining focused and is quickly overstimulated at home. She is easily distracted and tends to attend to everything around her rather than on the task at hand. Mr. Y described VIOLET as being “manic hyperactive” at times. She is able to calm down if she can be refocused on something else like her blanket to which she is very attached or her Nintendo game system. Mr. Y reported that holding her close also helps her calm her activity level. Mr. Y reported that VIOLET does not like changes in her schedule or routine. She reacts to sudden noises such as an announcement over the loud speaker or a toilet flushing by putting her hands over her ears. Additional information is needed in this area. Section II: Determination of need for additional information: After reviewing existing information, this team has determined that: 2 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey No additional information is needed in order to conduct an evaluation. Existing information will be used to complete the evaluation and to determine eligibility and educational needs. Proceed to Section VI. If no additional information is needed, the parents have the right to request an assessment to determine whether the child continues to be a child with a disability, and to determine the educational needs of the child (34 CFR §300.305(d)). The LEA is not required to conduct the assessment unless requested to do so by the child’s parents. Addition information is needed in order to determine eligibility and educational needs. Proceed to Section III. Section III: Additional Information Needed for Evaluation Plan: Need X Evaluation Component / Area of Evaluation Observation: instructional settings X X X Speech-language screening Cognitive Processing (problem solving and processing) Behavior rating scales (social, emotional, behavioral functioning): ADHD Preacademic, academic, or functional academic achievement OR developmental skills assessment Areas: ___ Preacademic skills ___Functional academic skills ___Developmental skills assessment _x_Oral expression x__Listening comprehension __x_Written expression _x__Basic reading skill __x_Reading fluency skills _x__Reading comprehension ___Mathematics calculation ___Mathematics problem solving ___Other: Autism rating scale Adaptive Behavior X X X Title of Team Member Responsible for Obtaining School Psychologist/School Staff Speech therapist School Psychologist Parents/School Staff Parents/School Staff Parents/School Staff Section IV: Evaluation Schedule: This is an initial evaluation and will be completed within 60 calendar days of receipt of written parental consent to evaluate. Section V: Review of Additional Data Collected: Areas Current Levels of Performance (based on additional data) Cognitive Processing VIOLET was administered ten subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) on 2/9/2011. The Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) is derived from a combination of ten subtest scores and is considered the most representative estimate of global intellectual functioning. VIOLET’s general cognitive ability is within the Low Average range of intellectual functioning, as measured by the FSIQ. Her overall thinking and reasoning abilities exceed those of approximately 23% of children her age (FSIQ = 89; 95% confidence interval = 84-94). Her ability to think with words is comparable to her ability to reason without the use of words. Both VIOLET's verbal and nonverbal reasoning abilities are in the Average range. She performed slightly better on verbal than on nonverbal reasoning tasks, but there is no significant meaningful difference between VIOLET's ability to reason with and without the use of words. VIOLET’s verbal reasoning abilities as measured by the Verbal Comprehension Index are 3 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey in the Average range and above those of approximately 50% of her peers (VCI = 100; 95% confidence interval = 93-107). The Verbal Comprehension Index is designed to measure verbal reasoning and concept formation. VIOLET’s performance on the verbal subtests contributing to the VCI is somewhat variable although it is not especially unusual. Examination of VIOLET’s performance on individual subtests provides additional information regarding her specific verbal abilities. VIOLET’s nonverbal reasoning abilities as measured by the Perceptual Reasoning Index are in the Average range and above those of approximately 34% of her peers (PRI = 94; 95% confidence interval = 87-102). The Perceptual Reasoning Index is designed to measure fluid reasoning in the perceptual domain with tasks that assess nonverbal concept formation, visual perception and organization, simultaneous processing, visual-motor coordination, learning, and the ability to separate figure and ground in visual stimuli. VIOLET performed comparably on the perceptual reasoning subtests contributing to the PRI, suggesting that her visual-spatial reasoning and perceptual-organizational skills are similarly developed. VIOLET performed much better on tasks that require abstract concept formation and categorical reasoning that must be verbally expressed (Similarities = 12), than tasks requiring abstract categorical reasoning without verbal expression required (Picture Concepts = 8). VIOLET's ability to sustain attention, concentrate, and exert mental control is in the Average range. She performed better than approximately 27% of her age-mates in this area (Working Memory Index = 91; 95% confidence interval 84-99). VIOLET's ability in processing simple or routine visual material without making errors is in the Borderline range when compared to her peers. She performed better than approximately 7% of her peers on the processing speed tasks (Processing Speed Index = 78; 95% confidence interval 72-90). Processing visual material quickly is an ability that VIOLET performs poorly as compared to her verbal and nonverbal reasoning ability. Processing speed is an indication of the rapidity with which VIOLET can mentally process simple or routine information without making errors. Academic Achievement Personal Strengths and Weakness VIOLET achieved her best performance among the verbal reasoning tasks on the Similarities subtest. On the Similarities subtest VIOLET was required to respond orally to a series of word pairs by explaining how the words of each pair are alike. This subtest examines her ability to abstract meaningful concepts and relationships from verbally presented material; (Similarities scaled score = 12). VIOLET’s levels of academic achievement were assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III (WJ III) on 2/9/2011, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test IV (WIAT IV) on 2/25/2011, and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) on 2/9/2011. VIOLET’s scores across academic areas showed significant scatter, ranging from average to borderline. Math appeared to be an area of relative strength for VIOLET. Her scores on the WIAT III Numerical Operations and Math Problem Solving subtests were within the average range (100 and 93, respectively). She was able to add and subtract single-digit numbers and to 4 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey identify mathematical symbols. She was able to recognize, compare, and order numerals. She used simple graphs to solve orally-presented word problems and used pictures to solve orally-presented simple addition and subtraction problems. VIOLET demonstrated knowledge of simple number lines and was able to read a calendar. She had difficulty with basic money and time concepts. In the area of Written Expression, VIOLET demonstrated scatter among subtest scores (WIAT III Alphabet Writing Fluency – 97; Sentence Composition – 77; Sentence Combining – 79; Sentence Building – 77; and Spelling – 93). VIOLET’s overall Written Expression composite score was within the low average range (86). VIOLET was able to spell basic phonetically-regular CVC words. She had difficulty with more complex phonetically-regular words such as VCE words. She also had difficulty spelling sight words. VIOLET’s short attention span interfered with her ability to combine simple sentences into one complete thought. She was also unable to write a complete sentence with a target word. Functional Behavior VIOLET’s scores in the area of reading were also scattered across the average to borderline ranges. Although early reading skills (WIAT III Early Reading – 97; Pseudoword Decoding – 93; CTOPP Phonological Memory – 94; Phonological Awareness - 89) were an area of relative strength for VIOLET, she had difficulty applying those skills to the task of reading and comprehension. Although she attempted to sound out unknown words, she had difficulty reading words in isolation and in a passage fluently. She had difficulty focusing on reading tasks for any length of time. She tended to guess at unknown words and to be inattentive to medial vowels and final consonants even in phonetically-regular CVC words. This also interfered with her ability to read and comprehend simple passages. After struggling with the first grade reading passage and having most of the words prompted, VIOLET would not attempt the second passage; therefore, no score was obtained. VIOLET’s skills in the areas of self-help, daily living skills, attention, concentration, and social skills were rated using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale 2 (CARS 2), the Conners 3, and classroom observation. VIOLET’s parents and teacher completed the rating scales. According to the results of the Conners 3 completed by VIOLET’s teacher and mother, VIOLET displays behaviors that are similar to behavior displayed by children who have been diagnosed as having Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Behaviors related to inattention that were rated by both her mother and teacher as occurring often or very often included not paying attention to details; making careless errors; having trouble keeping her mind on activities or play for long; having difficulty organizing tasks and activities; avoiding/disliking things that take a lot of effort or are not fun; and being easily distracted by sights and sounds. Behaviors related to impulsivity that were rated by all as occurring often or very often included fidgeting and squirming in her seat; leaving her seat when she should stay seated; being restless and overactive; running or climbing when she is not supposed to; being noisy or loud when playing; constantly moving; talking too much; having difficulty waiting her turn; and interrupting others. These same behaviors were noted during the inclass observation on 2/9/2011 and during the evaluation sessions. VIOLET’s father provided information to describe her adaptive behaviors in the areas of 5 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey communication, socialization, and daily living skills. VIOLET’s scores ranged from low average (Socialization domain-87) to borderline (Communication-72, Daily Living Skills-78, and Adaptive Behavior Composite-77). An area of relative strength for VIOLET was her domestic skills (such as helping with chores around the house and helping prepare food). VIOLET dresses herself, but still has difficulty with buttons, snaps, and laces. Attention and concentration difficulties impact VIOLET’s communication and socialization skills. She had difficulty attending to directions and refraining from interrupting others. VIOLET also has difficulty maintaining a comfortable distance from others in a social situation as well as demonstrating an appropriate level of emotion for situations. VIOLET tends to either react too strongly or not at all. Information from interviews with VIOLET’s parents and teacher was used to complete the CARS 2 rating scales. VIOLET’s behavior fell within the mild-to-moderate symptoms of autism spectrum disorder range. Areas of concern included the following: Social-emotional understanding (VIOLET has difficulty reading emotions in others and taking others’ perspectives at times) Emotional response (VIOLET focuses on topics of special interest and sometimes has difficulty regulating her emotional response; she becomes easily overstimulated and has “melt downs” at home Adaptation to change/restricted interests (VIOLET has definite special likes and dislikes; she has difficulty switching from topics that she likes and needs firm redirection to attempt tasks in which she has no interest, such as writing) Listening response (VIOLET is very easily distracted; she shows marked reaction to some sounds (covers her ears, is extremely sensitive) Level and consistency of intellectual response (Although VIOLET’s intellectual/processing skills are predominately within the average range, her adaptive behavior scores are significantly below age and ability expectancy) During an observation during a seatwork activity, VIOLET demonstrated inconsistent attention to instruction. She was able to answer some questions about her activity and seemed to attend to the one-one-one assistance from Ms. Cotter, although her eye contact was fleeting. VIOLET needed prompting to follow directions to put her scissors up and to start the activity. She interrupted her work to introduce several girls in her class. VIOLET’s difficulties attending and remaining focused were noted in the one-on-one evaluation sessions as well. She frequently interrupted her performance even on timed tasks to talk about off-subject topics. VIOLET tended to come back to the same topic over and over (Food Network shows). She answered impulsively, sometimes even before questions were completed. At times she was able to self-correct once she heard the entire question. On two tasks, VIOLET’s initial response was “I don’t know how to do that” for a reading task and “I don’t want to do this” for a writing task. When encouraged to try, VIOLET made minimal attempts. Other than these two tasks, VIOLET’s effort and persistence were adequate. Section VI: Eligibility Determination: 6 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey Are this student’s difficulties primarily due to: 1. a lack of appropriate instruction in reading, including the essential components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral reading skills, and reading comprehension strategies?) Yes No 2. a lack of appropriate instruction in math? Yes No 3. limited English proficiency? Yes No Does the child meet disability-specific eligibility according to South Carolina State Board of Education regulations 43-243 and 43-243.1? Yes No If Yes, does the child, by reason thereof, need specially designed instruction in order to receive a free appropriate public education? Yes No If Yes, which disability category/categories: Specific Learning Disability Mild Moderate Severe Mental Disability Emotional Disability Developmental Delay Speech or Language Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury Autism Other Health Impairment Orthopedic Impairment Vision Impairment Deaf and Hard of Hearing Deafblindness Multiple Disabilities (Also check above all disabilities for which the child qualifies) Not Eligible for services under IDEA Additional Criteria for Initial Determination of a Specific Learning Disability Not applicable for reevaluation or other disability category 1. Does the child achieve adequately for his or her age or to meet state-approved, grade-level standards in one or more of the following areas, when provided with learning experiences and instruction appropriate for the child’s age or state-approved gradelevel standards? If no, indicate in which areas the child does not meet standards. Listening comprehension Oral expression Written expression Basic reading skill Reading fluency skills Reading comprehension Mathematics calculation Mathematics problem solving. Yes No 2. Does the child make sufficient progress to meet age or state-approved, grade-level Yes No standards in one or more of the following areas when using a process based on the child’s response to scientific, research-based interventions; or, does the child exhibit a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, state-approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development, that is determined to be relevant to the identification of a specific learning disability, using appropriate assessments? If no, indicate the areas below. Listening comprehension Oral expression Written expression Basic reading skill Reading fluency skills Reading comprehension 7 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey Mathematics calculation Mathematics problem solving. Indicate which method(s) was used to make this determination: Response to Intervention Strengths and weaknesses 3. Are the evaluation findings primarily the result of a visual, hearing, or motor disability; mental retardation; emotional disturbance; cultural factors; or environmental or economic disadvantage. Yes No Section VII: Educational Needs for all Eligible Students (initial evaluation and reevaluation): Description of Educational Needs (an analysis of the educational relevance of the evaluation results, strengths and weaknesses, and a description of the adverse educational impact, including how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (or for preschool children, in appropriate activities)): Areas of relative strength for VIOLET include her math calculation and reasoning skills, her ability to abstract meaningful concepts and relationships from verbally presented material, and her early reading skills (phonological awareness and phonics). Areas of relative weakness for VIOLET include her ability to process simple or routine visual material without making errors, her basic reading skills (word recognition), reading fluency, and read comprehension. Although VIOLET’s spelling skills are an area of relative strength, she has difficulty expressing her knowledge in writing (writing simple sentences with target words and combining simple sentences). Because learning often involves a combination of routine information processing (such as reading) and complex information processing (such as reasoning), a weakness in the speed of processing routine information may make the task of comprehending novel information more time-consuming and difficult for VIOLET. Thus, this weakness in simple visual scanning and tracking may impact her ability to process the complex task of understanding new material. VIOLET’s difficulty maintaining focused attention and completing tasks independently, as well as her impulsivity interfere with her ability to access and progress in the general education curriculum since she often misses instruction due to inattention and frequently distracts others with off-topic talk. She is unable to complete grade-level tasks that require her to sequence information and to process and retain verbally-presented information. Recommended Specially Designed Instruction (recommendations to the IEP team to assist in the development of the IEP’s present levels of performance and annual goals. Specify the areas in which the child requires specially designed instruction (i.e. math, gross motor, social skills, etc.)): Areas needing specialized instruction include basic reading, reading comprehension, reading fluency, and maintaining attention/concentration. Necessary Related Services (specify the related services needed in order for the child to benefit from special education (i.e. occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, audiology services, interpreting services, etc.)): None Other Information Needed to Develop the IEP (determined through the evaluation process and from parental input, including any recommended supplementary aids and services for the child and program modifications or supports for school personnel, if needed): None 8 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey QUANTITATIVE RESULTS WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE TEST FOR CHILDREN- fourth edition (WISC IV) Composite Scores Summary Scale Verbal Comprehension (VCI) Perceptual Reasoning (PRI) Working Memory (WMI) Processing Speed (PSI) Full Scale (FSIQ) Sum of Scaled Scores Composite Score Percentile Rank 95% Confidence Interval Qualitative Description 31 27 17 12 87 100 94 91 78 89 50 34 27 7 23 93-107 87-102 84-99 72-90 84-94 Average Average Average Borderline Low Average Verbal Comprehension Subtest Score Summary (Total Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversions) Subtest Similarities Vocabulary Comprehension Raw Score Scaled Score Percentile Rank 15 17 13 12 9 10 75 37 50 Perceptual Reasoning Subtest Score Summary (Total Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversions) Subtests Raw Score Scaled Score Percentile Rank Block Design 14 10 50 Picture Concepts 8 8 25 MatriViolet Reasoning 10 9 37 Working Memory Subtest Score Summary (Total Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversions) Subtests Raw Score Scaled Score Percentile Rank Digit Span 11 9 37 Letter-Number Sequencing 8 8 25 Processing Speed Subtest Scores Summary (Total Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversions) Raw Score Scaled Score Percentile Rank Coding Subtests 24 6 9 Symbol Search 9 6 9 9 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey WECHSLER INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVMENT TEST III (WIAT III) Subtest Score Summary 95% Normal Raw Standard Confidence Percentile Curve Score Score Interval Rank Equiv. Stanine Subtest Early Reading Skills 30 97 88–106 42 46 Reading Comprehension 1* 77 69–85 6 18 Math Problem Solving 29 93 84–102 32 40 Alphabet Writing Fluency 8 97 81–113 42 46 Sentence Composition — 77 67–87 6 18 Word Reading 4 84 79–89 14 28 Pseudoword Decoding 5 93 87–99 32 40 Numerical Operations 15 100 92–108 50 50 Spelling 8 93 86–100 32 40 – Indicates a subtest with multiple raw scores (shown in the Subtest Component Score Summary). * Indicates a raw score that is converted to a weighted raw score (not shown). † Indicates that a raw score is based on a below grade level item set. 5 2 4 5 2 3 4 5 4 Grade Equiv. 1.2 <1.0 1.2 1.2 <1.0 <1.0 1.2 1.5 1.0 Age Equiv. 6:4 <6:0 6:0 6:4 <6:0 <6:0 6:4 6:8 6:0 Subtest Component Score Summary Normal Raw Standard Percentile Curve Score Score Rank Equivalent Stanine Subtest Component Qualitative Description Sentence Composition Sentence Combining 0 79 8 21 2 Below Average Sentence Building 0 77 6 18 2 Below Average Composite Score Summary Sum of Subtest 95% Normal Standard Standard Confidence Percentile Curve Scores Score Interval Rank Equiv. Stanine Composite Qualitative Description Total Reading 254 81 77–85 10 23 2 Below Average Basic Reading 177 88 84–92 21 33 3 Average Written EVioletpression 267 86 77–95 18 30 3 Average Mathematics 193 96 89–103 39 44 4 Average WOODCOCK-JOHNSON TESTS OF ACHIEVEMENT III (WJ III) CLUSTER/Test Raw W Letter-Word Identification AE 21 Function 396 RPI SS (68% Band) GE 6-5 mild imp'd 10 54/90 92 (90-95) 1.1 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey CONNERS 3 Summary of Results Summary of Elevated Scores The following section summarizes areas of concern for VIOLET Y based on ratings on the Conners 3. Ms. Y, VIOLET’s mother, and Kirsten Cotter, VIOLET’s teacher, rated her behavior using this scale. Note that areas that are not a concern are not reported in this summary. Conners 3 Content Scales Inattention: The T-scores were very elevated for 2 raters (Parent = 90, Teacher = 83). Hyperactivity/Impulsivity: The T-scores were very elevated for 2 raters (Parent = 90, Teacher = 89). Learning Problems/Executive Functioning (Teacher form only): The T-score was very elevated for 1 rater (Teacher = 73). Learning Problems: The T-scores were elevated for 2 raters (Parent = 68, Teacher = 69). Executive Functioning: The T-scores were very elevated for 2 raters (Parent = 73, Teacher = 77). Defiance/Aggression: The T-score was very elevated for 1 rater (Teacher = 90). Peer Relations: The T-score was very elevated for 1 rater (Teacher = 70). The Conner’s ratings indicated: VIOLET's problems seriously affect her functioning in the Academic setting: very frequently (rating = 3), according to 2 raters (Parent, Teacher). VIOLET's problems seriously affect her functioning in the Social setting: occasionally (rating = 1), according to 1 rater (Parent). often (rating = 2), according to 1 rater (Teacher). VIOLET's problems seriously affect her functioning in the Home setting: often (rating = 2), according to 1 rater (Parent). 11 Violet Crawley, Downton Abbey VINELAND ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR SCALES-second edition Parent Rating Form-G. Y, VIOLET’s father Domain/ Subdomain Receptive Expressive Written COMMUNICATION Personal Domestic Community DAILY LIVING SKILLS Interpersonal Relationships Play and Leisure Time Coping Skills SOCIALIZATION ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR COMPOSITE v-Scale Score Standard Score %ile Rank 10 9 11 72 3 78 7 11 13 10 Adaptive Level Moderately Low Low Moderately Low Moderately Low Moderately Low Adequate Moderately Low Moderately Low 12 Moderately Low 13 Adequate 13 87 77 19 6 12 Adequate Adequate Moderately Low Age Equivalent