NASET Q & A Corner
The NASET Q & A Corner is an e-publication that presents:
(1) some of the most frequently asked questions by members about special education
(2) answers from experts in the field on the questions addressed.
At NASET, we get many questions from our members about certain areas of interest. The NASET Q & A Corner provides all members with the opportunities to have access to these questions, and more importantly, answers to them from professionals in the field.
Latest and Archived Questions
To access the full issue with the associated answers for each question, click on link to the specific issue.
Issue # 1 - NASET Q & A Corner
- I was talking to a parent about her son’s recent referral for an evaluation for a suspected learning disability. She said she gave consent to do it. Is consent just a parental signature or is there more to it? What does it really take to give “consent”?
- I was recently speaking to a parent of an 18 month old boy. She is knowledgeable about signs of autism when children are 2 or 3 years of age but wanted to know what the most common early indicators of autism were. Are there any “early indicators” of autism?
- Recently at an IEP meeting for a child, the child’s foster parent attended. Is this person consider the “parent” under IDEA 2004?
- I’m looking at an educational report of a child and it reports stanines. What is that?
- There is a child in our school that we feel needs to be evaluated for a possible disability. The parents refuse to give consent. Do we need their consent?
- I keep hearing about all the kids with ADHD. Bottom line, how many kids are actually diagnosed with ADHD? Is it really so many more boys than girls?
- What classification of disability has the largest disparity between boys and girls in special education?
- Is it true that African American males are overrepresented in the special education classification of Emotional Disturbance?
- Administrators in our school have been talking about “high risk” students. Yet, there is no such term as a special education category? What does it mean to be a “high risk” student?
- We use the word “hyper” all the time to describe an active child. Yet, I know that a child with ADHD will often have “hyperactivity.” How is “hyperactivity” different from just boys being boys or kids with just more energy than others?
Issue # 2 Questions:
- If a district has determined that a student will take a Locally Developed Alternate Assessment (LDAA) for science, why does a new Individualized Education Program (IEP) have to be written? Why can't the current IEP be used since it contains the entire ARD information about that individual student, including all modifications currently being used by the regular ed. teacher?
- I was recently hired to teach at a special education preschool and one of my students has been diagnosed with Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Can you provide me with some information about this disorder?
- Is DIR (Floor-time) an effective approach to teaching children with autism spectrum disorder?
- In our school, administrators want us to evaluate our students using norm referenced tests and criterion referenced tests. What's the difference?
- What has the research told us about food additives and sugar for students with ADHD?
- Can anyone represent parents at an IEP meeting?
- If a student with a disability is in a substantially separate program or does not have a general education teacher, must a general education teacher attend the student’s IEP team meeting?
- What has been the fastest growing category of special education in the past 30 years?
- Does a School District’s Child Find Obligations Change within RTI Systems?
Issue #3 Questions and Answers about Procedural Safeguards and Due Process
- What are Procedural Safeguards?
- What are Parent/guardians' Rights Regarding Notice?
- What are Parent/guardians' Rights Regarding Consent?
- What are Parent/guardians' Rights for Evaluation, Reevaluation and Independent Educational Evaluation?
- Do Parent/guardians Need to Inform the School District if They Intend to Seek an Independent Educational Evaluation?
- Is the School Required to Accept the Results of an Independent Education Evaluation?
- How Do Parent/guardians Find a Professional or Clinic to Conduct an Independent Educational Evaluation?
- Are a Student's Records Confidential?
- What are Parent/guardian's Rights Regarding Their Student's Records?
- Can Parent/guardians See Their Student’s Educational Records?
- Can Anyone Else See a Student’s School Records Without Parent/guardian Consent?
- Can Parent/guardians Review Their Student’s School Records?
- How Can Parent/guardians Obtain a Copy of Their Student’s School Records?
- Do Parent/guardians Have a Right to Review Their Student’s Record When He or She Becomes an Adult Student?
- What Can Parent/guardians Do When They Disagree with their School District’s Decisions?
- What Options are Available to Parent/guardians When They Disagree with the School District’s Decisions?
- What is Mediation?
- What is Due Process?
- What is a Due Process Hearing?
- What Options are Available to Parent/guardians if They Want to Put Their Student in a Private School?
- What Can the Public Agency Do if Parent/guardians Don't Consent to Their Student's Initial Evaluation, Reevaluation, or Initial Provision of Special Education and Related Services?
Issue #4 Questions and Answers about the Annual Review
- What is the Annual Review?
- When Does the Annual Review Occur?
- How is a Parent/guardian Notified of an Annual Review Meeting?
- What Takes Place at an Annual Review Meeting?
- What Rights are Afforded to the Parent/guardian under Due Process During the Annual Review?
- Who Participates in the Annual Review?
- Is a New IEP Developed at the Annual Review?
- What Might the Parent/guardians be Asked at the Annual Review?
- What Happens if the Parent/guardian Disagrees with the Recommendations Made at the Annual Review?
- What Record Keeping Ideas Should be Suggested to the Parent/guardian(s) During the Annual Review?
Issue #5 Questions and Answers about Transition Services from School Age to Adult Life
- What are Transition Services?
- Who is Entitled to Transition Services?
- What areas are Included under Transitional Services?
- What is the District’s Role in Transition Services?
- What is an Individualized Transition Education Program (ITEP)?
- What is a Vocational Assessment?
- What Concerns should the Parent/guardians be Aware of if Their Student will be Entering a Work Situation After Aging Out?
- What are the Different Types of Work Situations Available to Students with Disabilities?
- What Should a Parent/guardian or Student with a Disability Consider with Post-Secondary Education?
Issue #6 Questions and Answers about Understanding Basic Statistics and Scoring Terminology Used in Assessment
- What is an Age Equivalent?
- What is Alternate Forms Reliability?
- What is Concurrent Validity?
- What is Construct Validity?
- What is Content Validity?
- What is a Correlation?
- What is Criterion Related Validity?
- What is a Grade Equivalent?
- What is Interrater Reliability?
- What is a Mean Score?
- What is a Median Score?
- What is a Mode?
- What is the Range?
- What is a Percentile Rank?
- What is Predictive Validity?
- What are Raw Scores?
- What is Reliability?
- What is a Reliability Coefficient?
- What are Scaled Scores?
- What is Split-Half Reliability or Internal Consistency?
- What is the Standard Deviation?
- What is the Standard Error of Measurement?
- What are Standard Scores?
- What is a Stanine?
- What is Test–Retest Reliability?
- What is a T Score?
- What is Validity?
- What is a z Score?