Stefan C. Dombrowski - Psychoeducational Assessment and Report Writing

Rider University School Psychology Program, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

It is important to define psychoeduational assessment and distinguish it from psychological assessment. The term psychoeducational assessment may be defined as a type of assessment that is used to understand an individuals cognitive, academic, social, emotional, behavioral, communicative, and adaptive functioning within an educational setting. Psychoeducational assessment may extend downward to the preschool age time period or upward to the college and adult time period. The majority of psychoeducational assessments are conducted on the kindergarten to grade 12 populations. Psychoeducational assessment addresses whether the child is eligible for services and what those services might look like in a school setting. It places primary emphasis upon impairment that occurs in the educational setting rather than in environments outside of the educational context that is customary in clinical classification. Psychoeducational assessment frequently involves an evaluation of a childs learning and academic needs. However, it can also include the evaluation of intellectual, behavioral, social, emotional, communication, and adaptive areas if those areas are suspected to adversely impact educational functioning. As a result, individuals conducting psychoeducational evaluations must have a thorough understanding of what may be considered clinical conditions. This includes but is not limited to autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), disorders of mood (e.g., anxiety, depression, bipolar), disorders of conduct, and medical conditions that may come to bear on educational functioning. Keep in mind, however, that IDEA, not DSM, drives classification decisions in U.S. schools so respective state special education classification categories should be referenced.

Psychoeducational assessment is distinguished from psychological assessment by its narrower scope and focus on an individuals (i.e., childrens) functioning in an educational setting. Psychological assessment is broader and may address questions of custody in divorce proceedings, fitness to stand trial, qualification for social security benefits, or qualification for additional support and services under a diagnosis of intellectual disability. Psychoeducational assessment deals primarily with educationally based classification and services. The vast majority of psychoeducational assessments are conducted on primary school (K to 12) populations although psychoeducational evaluations may also be conducted in university settings. Within the USA, questions typically addressed include whether a child qualifies for additional support under a specific IDEA classification and what school-based accommodations and services are appropriate. The focus is on how the suspected disability impacts the childs educational functioning within a school setting and what recommendations are appropriate to support the childs educational functioning.

Although precise data is unavailable, it is likely safe to assume that psychologists working in the schools conduct the vast majority of psychoeducational evaluations. These psychologists (i.e., masters, Ed.S., or doctoral level) are employed by the school district and receive their school psychologist certification most commonly through a state department of education. The school psychologist may also be a licensed psychologist who can hang up a shingle and work in private practice. However, in most states with few exceptions (e.g., Wyoming) only certified school psychologists may be employed by a school district for purpose of completing a psychoeducational evaluation.

Licensed psychologists working in private practice may also be involved in the completion of psychoeducational reports. Many times parents seeking questions about their childs functioning may wish to obtain an outside opinion. In these instances, and for a cost, the outside psychologist may be able to devote the time and energy to completing a thorough evaluation. Of course, the parent should be warned that the outside psychological/psychoeducational evaluation must be considered, but need not be accepted, by the receiving school district. The outside psychoeducational evaluation may provide valuable information but it sometimes lacks alignment with the customs and nuances of psychoeducational evaluations written by psychologists in the schools. This may limit the utility of such evaluations for classification and educational planning within the school.

For graduate students in clinical child psychology who may wish to pursue a private psychoeducational evaluation practice this book will be useful. At times, a parent or legal guardian may wish to challenge the results of the school-based evaluation. When this occurs, the legal guardian is permitted to obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). An IEE is generally high stakes and anxiety-evoking because it could involve a due process hearing or litigation. However, if psychologists follow the guidance within this book then the potential due process hearing is likely to be less contentious because assessment will be comprehensive and the subsequent report thorough, well-organized, and of high quality.

Psychoeducational assessment and report writing has areas of overlap and distinction from psychological assessment report writing.