As the end of the year approaches many of my kiddos will be transitioning into school-aged programs. For my district, that means a wide range of educational setting options. There are many factors that the team looks at (yes this includes parents and guardians too!) that go into deciding what type of classroom setting the student will progress into. The biggest factor is data. Data drives everything.
The main data points we look at the ones listed on their evaluation reports. This typically means opening re-evaluations for my kiddos to get current data. Evaluation reports include slandered-based tests scored that were administered by myself, the school psychologist, as well as any related service provider (OT, PT, SLP). The main ones we use are ADAS and Vineland.
Here’s the thing, test scores don’t mean everything. Test scores tell us where our students are currently, what areas they need some help with, and what they are successful in. They do not determine a student’s worth or value. I say this because many times parents and even teachers will see these scores and automatically see this as a negative, loss of hope, or disappointment. They are just numbers! Numbers that students can increase over time given the proper educational setting and instructional model. Now those numbers may increase 5% or 50% in one year one five years but progress is progress.