Best Practices for Assessment of Young Children: Three-Part Recorded Webinar Series

Author:

Jackie Kilkeary

Description:

The VDOE offered a three-part webinar series titled Best Practices for Assessment of Young Children. The webinar series was previously recorded.

This series delivers targeted technical assistance in determining eligibility for special education and related services for children ages two through five. These webinars are most helpful for school division leaders that are engaged in determining eligibility for special education and related services for children ages 2-5. While they can be viewed individually, it would be helpful to share with other members in the school division that participate in eligibility assessments as well. The webinars are delivered by Marie Ireland, Eligibility and Speech Language Impairment Specialist.

During these three webinars, participants will learn about best practices in assessing young children to ensure informed decisions are made regarding eligibility for special education and related services. The three webinars topics are "The Essentials of Eligibility and Evaluation of Young Children", "Identifying Learning Potential and Eliminating Bias when Evaluating Young Children", and "Making Dynamic Assessment Part of Your Evaluation Process."

Webshops:

  1. “The Essentials of Eligibility and Evaluation of Young Children” is the first of a three part series “Best Practices for Assessment of Young Children.” This webinar reviews the basics of the eligibility process. It is intended for professionals that participate in the evaluation and eligibility process at the early childhood level. Included in the webinar’s materials is the corresponding Power Point, three handouts, and the video’s transcript.

  2.  “Identifying Learning Potential and Eliminating Bias when Evaluating Young Children” is the second of a three part series “Best Practices for Assessment of Young Children.” This webinar addresses the requirement that eligibility cannot be predominantly be based on a lack of instruction or limited English proficient. It discusses the need for evaluation materials to be non-discriminatory on both a racial and/or cultural bias. Included in this webinar’s materials is one handout and a transcript of the video.

  3. “Making Dynamic Assessment Part of Your Evaluation Process” is the last webinar in the “Best Practices for Assessment of Young Children” series. This webinar defines and describes dynamic assessment. It also describes how to integrate it into the evaluation process and the benefits of doing so for both the child and the system, including helping to identify learning potential and eliminate bias for students with cultural and linguistic differences or social-economic risk factors. Included in this webinar’s materials is one handout and a transcript of the video.