Evaluation Team Report: A School’s Report on Findings from an Evaluation of Student Needs
What exactly is an ETR?
An ETR is basically a typed report of all of the findings from testing that was done on your child. It is comprised of a planning form, individual summary, team summary and eligibility page. The planning form is a list of areas that the team will check off that have enough information or that will be tested. They should go through each area with you and discuss the plan for it. Example, fine/sensory motor category can be checked as additional testing needed or enough information is available (like if you provided them with an outside evaluation). If they check additional testing needed, they will add who will be doing the testing. In this example, it would be the occupational therapist though sometimes the school psychologist may also look at fine/sensory motor. The planning form will also list the possible disability categories the team are thinking about that may fit your child.
The individual summary is a typed report by each evaluating team member; a school psychologist, occupational, physical and/or speech therapist, teacher, intervention specialist, reading interventionist, vision and hearing specialist are among the list of members that might be included. They will share what assessments they may have used, their observations, data from interventions, data from testing or progress reports and their interpretation of the the results. They will list out what they believe your child’s academic needs are if they believe they may benefit from direct instruction.
The team summary is simply a combined summary of all of the individual reports in a short and condensed format.
The eligibility page lists 3 questions the team has to ask to determine if your child meets the requirements for a disability category. After answering those 3 questions, the team will determine- no they are not eligible or yes they are and what disability category fits best. The choices will be from the ones listed on the planning form. These are not categories the school or team make up, they are specific categories created by the state. Some categories fit better than others and it will be a team discussion with you as the parent as to which category makes the most sense.
As a parent what are the important parts I need to pay attention to?
I think the most important parts of the ETR a parent needs to pay attention to is the summary and list of educational needs each member will present. They are essentially trying to paint a picture of what your child’s strengths and weaknesses are and what they might need to better access their education. The goals on the IEP are what the team will be working on and are made to target the list of educational needs identified in the ETR.
Many parents in my experience are more considered with the category that is chosen which is understandable however in regards to therapy and services your child is to receive, from a therapist perspective it doesn’t really matter. Sure a medical diagnosis may help me in terms of what to expect and maybe things watch out for when working with your child, but overall, each child and their needs are different and I start off the same way with any student. I ask myself, what are their strengths, what area of skill are they missing, where are they at functionally and what prerequisite skills might they need before we start providing interventions that target the missing skill.
The category is NOT a medical diagnosis and it is a fluid “label” that can change several times over the course of your child’s education. I know that the word “label” can also be a trigger word for some. The good news is that, special education has come a long way even in the past couple of years in regards to the treatment and inclusion of children with special educational needs. Don’t get me wrong, its still not perfect but those in the world of special education are continuously attempting to make it better every day. If you have concerns or questions about what the category will impact or what your child’s day will look like once “labeled”, ask your school team, they typically are a great resource.
For more information on ETR processes, check out your state’s department of education website -> search special education