Individual Assessment FAQs

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Individual Assessment Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of individual assessment is offered by the Learning Project?
What is the difference between a psychological, neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluation?
What is the approach/philosophy of individual assessments done by the Learning Project?
What are the steps involved with an individual assessment?
How do I know when/if my student needs an individual evaluation?
Does an evaluation through the Learning Project have a fee?
Can I have my student evaluated by a psychologist outside of Park Tudor?
Can I elect not to give permission for my student to be evaluated?
I've had my student evaluated recently. What is the best time to evaluate my student again?
Can I request that another psychologist at the school evaluate my student?
Are my student's results treated confidentially?
Who else receives feedback about the assessment results?
What is an Individual Learning Plan (ILP)?
How does an ILP differ from the public school Individualized Education Plan (IEP)?
Is there a need to have an IEP through the public schools?

What sort of individual assessment is offered by the Learning Project?
The Learning Project has a staff of three psychologists/school psychologists who are able to provide an individual evaluation of your student. This evaluation is sometimes referred to as “an individual assessment” or “testing.” The purpose of such assessment is to help provide additional information regarding strategies for your student to perform his or her best. The individual assessment is one of the primary job duties for the Learning Project staff.

What is the difference between a psychological evaluation, a neuropsychological evaluation and a psychoeducational evaluation?
These terms are often used interchangeably to describe the individual assessment process. A neuropsychological evaluation typically involves assessment of underlying brain functions, whereas a psychoeducational evaluation may be more focused on academic achievement and general cognitive abilities. A psychological evaluation often focuses on diagnosing a specific mental disorder. The assessments done by the Learning Project are comprehensive. We are able to assess neuropsychological functioning, emotional and behavioral functioning, as well as cognitive and academic abilities. In sum, we are able to offer evaluations that could be considered psychological, neuropsychological or psychoeducational in nature.

What is the approach/philosophy of individual assessments done by the Learning Project?
We use what is sometimes called a “school neuropsychological” approach to evaluating children and adolescents. We use a variety of assessment approaches that help us to identify not only specific academic strengths and weaknesses in your student, but also the underlying brain functions that may be contributing to these difficulties. Examples of such functions include memory, attention, processing speed, higher order thinking, visual-spatial processing, motor functioning, verbal processing and executive functions.

We believe in a “profile” approach to understanding how children and adolescents learn the best. Rather than focusing mainly on a “label” or a diagnosis, we prefer to provide a profile of your student’s unique strengths and weaknesses. We are just as interested in knowing what is going right with your student as we are with what is presenting difficulty for him/her. To this end, we attempt to “normalize” that all of us have strengths and weaknesses; this approach reduces student stigma and shame about learning challenges. We make recommendations from our evaluations that try to capitalize on the student’s strengths, as well as to improve upon or bypass the student’s difficulties.

What are the steps involved with an individual assessment?
Often, a teacher will make a suggestion to the parents that such an evaluation would be helpful. An assessment can be initiated directly by the parents. Parents can initiate the assessment process by contacting the psychologist/school psychologist in the student’s division (Dr. Scott Hamilton for Hilbert/LS; Dr. Mary Ann Scott for MS; Ms. Lisa Mercurio for US). You will then participate in an “intake interview,” which will last about an hour. At this interview, the psychologist/school psychologist will ask you questions about your student’s developmental history, as well as your impressions about what you are seeing in the student at home. The purpose of this intake session is to help plan the proper course of assessment for your student. Sometimes you will be given some parent rating scales to complete, on which you evaluate your student’s behavior in a variety of contexts. The teacher(s) will typically fill out similar rating scales that the parents do, in order to provide a comparison of what you see at home vis-à-vis what the teachers are seeing in the classroom.

The second step is the assessment itself. This may include measures of cognitive functioning (how we gain knowledge and comprehension), academic achievement, neuropsychological functioning (understanding behavior from the perspective of brain structure and function), and social-emotional functioning. These assessments can be performed in a number of ways, including interviewing, individual testing, direct behavior observation, review of previous records, consultation with the student’s teachers, and checklists and rating scales completed by the student or others. Often, a complete assessment will include several of these techniques. Individual assessments typically occur over one to four sessions, and meetings and can vary in length from one hour to several hours at a time, depending on the age of the student and the type of assessment being completed. The psychologist/school psychologist will coordinate with your student’s teachers to schedule assessment times that are best for everyone and which will interrupt the student's schedule as little as possible.

Once the assessment is done, the psychologist/school psychologist will schedule a feedback session with you and provide you with a written summary of the results of the assessment. This feedback session will give you the opportunity to ask questions about the assessment itself as well as to review recommendations based on the results.

How do I know when/if my student needs an individual evaluation through the Learning Project?
In many cases, your student’s teachers are able to understand how your student learns best, as well as his or her unique profile of strengths and weaknesses. In addition, all students at Park Tudor will have the opportunity to receive at least one group-administered “learning styles” assessment in Lower School, Middle School and Upper School, which provides additional data regarding your student’s learning profile.

An individual evaluation is usually most helpful when teachers or parents have specific questions about a student’s learning profile which are not so easily answered through teacher-student interaction in the classroom, group learning styles assessments, and/or if the parents are concerned about the student’s behavior at home. Parents are encouraged to consult with their student’s teachers and/or the Learning Project psychologist/school psychologist to discuss whether an individual assessment is indicated.

Does an evaluation through the Learning Project have a fee involved?
No, evaluations are completed free of charge for all current Park Tudor students.

Can I have my student evaluated by a psychologist outside of Park Tudor?
You are welcome to have an outside provider or the public schools provide an evaluation of your student. However, you should know that the type of evaluation we do at Park Tudor often uses the exact same instruments. In many cases, we are able to provide a much more in depth assessment of your student than you would receive from an outside provider or through the public schools. Also, assessment through an outside provider may end up being very expensive, whereas assessment through the Learning Project is always free of charge. Furthermore, the advantage of having the evaluating psychologist/school psychologist being on campus and in direct contact with your student’s teachers is substantial. That being said, some parents feel more comfortable having an assessment done off campus. We are happy to facilitate such assessments and to provide a referral for you to an outside provider, or to guide you on how to request an evaluation through the public school system. If you do choose to have an outside provider evaluate your student, we do request that you share the results of that assessment with the psychologist/school psychologist in your student’s division, so that we may coordinate appropriate recommendations for your student at school.

Can I elect not to give permission for my student to be evaluated?
Parents must consent for their student to be evaluated. If you do not wish for your student to participate in an individual evaluation, you can inform the psychologist/school psychologist that you do not wish for an evaluation to be conducted.

I’ve had my student evaluated recently. What is the best time to evaluate my student again?
There is no absolute guideline for how frequently a student can be evaluated, but a good rule of thumb is that a three-year span is an appropriate interval for reassessment. However, there are many reasons why re-evaluation in a shorter time frame may be appropriate. You are advised to consult with your division psychologist/school psychologist with regards to a recommendation for re-evaluation.

Can I request that another psychologist/school psychologist at the school evaluate my student?
Yes. Sometimes a psychologist from a division different than your student’s may be a better fit. For example, your student may work better with a male or female for the evaluation. Or, sometimes a psychologist/school psychologist previously evaluated your student and you would like for that psychologist/school psychologist to complete the re-evaluation.

Are my student’s results treated confidentially?
Certain laws and regulations require us to maintain the confidentiality of the students' records. It is the intent of The Learning Project to maintain the confidentiality of student information in accordance with those laws. All Learning Project assessment results are maintained on the Park Tudor campus in student files stored in a locking cabinet and on a password-protected computer database. Unauthorized individuals are not permitted access to these files. Assessment reports and results are not to be put in your student’s official permanent file, unless you request that they be placed there. In most situations, we can only release information about your student’s assessment to others outside of Park Tudor School if you sign a written authorization form that meets certain requirements imposed by law. However, there are a few special situations in which a Provider is not required to get an authorization before he or she may release a student's information, which your psychologist/school psychologist can review with you prior to the assessment.

Who else receives feedback about the assessment results?
With your consent, your student may also receive feedback regarding the assessment, depending on the age of student, at a level that is developmentally appropriate for his or her age. Young children often do not have the self-awareness to benefit as much from this sort of feedback as much as older students do. Consult with your division psychologist/school psychologist regarding a recommended approach to providing feedback to your student.

Also, the Learning Project staff encourages sharing the results of the assessment with the student’s teachers, but this is up to you. We find it most helpful when teachers have as much information as possible with regards to your student’s learning strengths and weaknesses.

What is an Individual Learning Plan (ILP)?
An ILP is a Park Tudor School document that briefly summarizes the results of your student’s evaluation, outlining your student’s profile of strengths and weaknesses, along with recommendations for intervention and accommodation strategies. ILPs are used in the Middle and Upper schools. For Middle and Upper school students to receive accommodations such as extended time testing, use of a computer for testing or use of assistive technology, they must have a current ILP which documents the need for such accommodations. ILPs are reviewed and revised on at least an annual basis.

How does an ILP differ from the public school Individualized Education Plan (IEP)?
The Park Tudor ILP described above is an internal document that is mainly used for Park Tudor, whereas IEPs are legally binding documents generated through public school IEP meetings. They are written in a prescribed manner to meet federal and state law and state department of education guidelines. IEPs include special education classification, placement, services, goals, percentage of time in regular education, etc. They are only written when it is determined that a student is “eligible” to receive special education services based on having a qualifying “disability.”

Is there a need to have an IEP through the public schools?
In certain circumstances, it is helpful to have an IEP through the public school. For example, an IEP would allow your student to receive services through the public schools (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology) if your student qualifies as having a disability under state or federal law. However, sometimes the IEP plan is unnecessary.