What to Expect If Your Child Needs a Learning Evaluation at School

Laws state that every child should be offered the opportunity to learn on his or her own level, if they can't keep up with a particular classroom. That doesn't mean that your child is a special needs child or that he or she will be removed from the classroom and put in special classes. Although that is sometimes the case, in many other instances, the child simply needs extra help.

You have a right, as a parent, to ask the school to evaluate your child if he or she seems to struggle in school or in just one class. On the other hand, if a teacher notices that your child simply can't keep up with the others, the school may ask your permission to evaluate. You don't need to worry about cost - it will not be on you to pay for the evaluation.

There are many aspects to the testing that will be done. You will help evaluate your child and so will the teachers, a child psychologist, or other specialists. The group will likely include a special education teacher, a school administrator, and can include professionals like speech therapists or occupational therapists.

The group will examine your child's school file as well as recent scores on papers and tests. The evaluation usually includes observations by professionals, your child's medial history, and the child's behavior outside of school.

Some things your child may be tested for include how well he or she speaks and comprehends, how well the child adapts to changes, what achievements in school the child has, achievements outside of school settings, the child's aptitude, the child's level of functioning with things like thinking, learning and hearing, and any special problems your child has, such as an unusual fear of something uncommon.

It's the law that the child must be tested in his first language, regardless of what that is. Spanish-speaking children will take the test in Spanish, for example. The child cannot be discriminated against because he is from a different cultural background. Not just anyone can give the tests - they must be given by someone trained in giving that particular test.