“This book focuses on how to write a psychological report that is first and foremost helpful to consumers, while also being technically and legally defensible. Like the reports the authors describe, the book is carefully organized, beautifully written, and accessible to practitioners as well as graduate students. It is a brilliant accomplishment that should be required reading for every school psychologist.” —Brent Duncan, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata CA PRACTICAL GUIDANCE ON WRITING USEFUL, ACCESSIBLE, AND LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL REPORTS From clearly identifying reasons for referral to making recommendations based on assessment results, Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports offers practical guidance for creating reports that enhance the understanding of children and their strengths and challenges in order to better meet their educational and functional needs. The authors offer step-by-step guidelines for developing an assessment plan in a collaborative process with parents, teachers, and other professionals, choosing appropriate assessment and data collection tools, gathering relevant information, and providing clear and feasible individualized recommendations that directly respond to referral concerns in a format easily understood by parents and teachers. Ideal for graduate students in school psychology, school psychologists, and other professionals in related fields who work with children in a school setting, Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports: Provides specific suggestions for increasing the usefulness and accessibility of reports including readability, positive phrasing, and vocabulary Illustrates how to develop well-formed questions and how to choose assessment tools to answer referral questions Reviews the legal mandates of report writing and discusses what must be included Demonstrates how to accurately document and integrate data from record review, interviews, observations, and tests Discusses how the use of the referral-based consultative assessment and report writing model can promote more active involvement in collaboration, prevention, and intervention Features numerous real-world cases, helpful checklists, examples of question-driven referral reports, and a model interview protocol

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE ON WRITING USEFUL, ACCESSIBLE, AND LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL REPORTS From clearly identifying reasons for referral to making recommendations based on assessment results, Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports offers practical guidance for creating reports that enhance the understanding of children and their strengths and challenges in order to better meet their educational and functional needs. The authors offer step-by-step guidelines for developing an assessment plan in a collaborative process with parents, teachers, and other professionals, choosing appropriate assessment and data collection tools, gathering relevant information, and providing clear and feasible individualized recommendations that directly respond to referral concerns in a format easily understood by parents and teachers. Ideal for graduate students in school psychology, school psychologists, and other professionals in related fields who work with children in a school setting, Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports: Provides specific suggestions for increasing the usefulness and accessibility of reports including readability, positive phrasing, and vocabulary Illustrates how to develop well-formed questions and how to choose assessment tools to answer referral questions Reviews the legal mandates of report writing and discusses what must be included Demonstrates how to accurately document and integrate data from record review, interviews, observations, and tests Discusses how the use of the referral-based consultative assessment and report writing model can promote more active involvement in collaboration, prevention, and intervention Features numerous real-world cases, helpful checklists, examples of question-driven referral reports, and a model interview protocol

A practical and accessible guide for helping school psychologists meet their everyday challenges In this newest addition to the Jossey-Bass "Survival Guide" series, popular blogger Rebecca Branstetter offers help for school psychologists who must often travel to multiple school sites, deal with students with severe disabilities, meet with concerned parents, and manage school crises. The book is filled with practical advice, proven strategies, and useful tools, complete with reproducible forms, letters, and checklists for busy professionals. Filled with the tools, strategies, and ideas for school psychologists who must deal with the myriad challenges of working with a diverse group of students, often in multiple locations Another book in the popular Jossey-Bass "Survival Guide" Series Rebecca Branstetter is an experienced school psychologist and popular blogger ("Notes from the School Psychologist": studentsgrow.blogspot.com) This vital resource offers a down-to-earth guide for both novice and seasoned school psychologists.

This textbook provides in-depth instruction for conducting psychoeducational assessments of children in grades K-12 and conveying results through detailed, well-written reports. It takes readers step by step through the assessment process – collecting data, writing reports, and communicating conclusions – for students with conditions spanning the range of IDEA classifications such as autism, learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, and conditions covered by Section 504. The book offers not only a broad understanding of assessment and communication skills, but also of the ethical, legal, cultural, and professional considerations that come with psychoeducational evaluation. And its sample reports model clear, well-organized results accessible to parents and caregivers as well as teachers and colleagues. Key areas of coverage include: • Assessment basics: the testing environment and protocols, interviewing, and observation. • Report writing section by section, from reason for referral to summary and recommendations. • Guidelines for oral reporting, with case examples. • Special issues in psychoeducational assessment and report writing. • Sample psychoeducational reports using this framework. Psychoeducational Assessment and Report Writing is an essential text for graduate students, researchers, professors, and professionals in child and school psychology; assessment, testing, and evaluation; social work; and psychological methods/evaluation.

The most up-to-date resource of comprehensive information for conducting cross-battery assessments The Cross-Battery assessment approach—also referred to as the XBA approach—is a time-efficient assessment method grounded solidly in contemporary theory and research. The XBA approach systematically integrates data across cognitive, achievement, and neuropsychological batteries, enabling practitioners to expand their traditional assessments to more comprehensively address referral concerns. This approach also includes guidelines for identification of specific learning disabilities and assessment of cognitive strengths and weaknesses in individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, Third Edition is designed to help busy practitioners quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make optimal use of psychological assessment instruments. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you to gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered. Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, Third Edition is updated to include the latest editions of cognitive ability test batteries , such as the WISC-IV, WAIS-IV, and WJ III COG, and special purpose cognitive tests including the WMS-IV and TOMAL-II. This book now also overs many neuropsychological batteries such as the NEPSY-II and D-KEFS and provides extensive coverage of achievement batteries and special purpose tests, including the WIAT-III, KM-3, WRMT-3 and TOWL-4. In all, this book includes over 100 psychological batteries and 750 subtests, all of which are classified according to CHC (and many according to neuropsychlogical theory. This useful guide includes a timesaving CD-ROM, Essential Tools for Cross-Battery Assessment (XBA) Applications and Interpretation, which allows users to enter data and review results and interpretive statements that may be included in psychological reports. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

To help improve social and academic outcomes for all students, school psychologists must be ready to accurately identify, assess, and support students with emotional disturbance. This essential resource gives them the clear information, practical guidance, and up-to-date research they need. Ideal for use as a supplemental textbook or a key reference for in-service school psychologists, this book will clarify what constitutes emotional disturbance in educational settings, how it differs from the clinical definition, and how to assess and intervene effectively so students learn and thrive. PREPARE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS TO: Differentiate social maladjustment from emotional disturbance (includes clear coverage of the exclusionary clause) Understand the RTI model as it relates to identification of behavioral and emotional issues Meet the legal requirements for assessment procedures Determine eligibility for the "emotional disturbance" identification Help ensure meaningful individualized educational programs for students Help teachers develop classroom supports that address the needs of students with emotional disturbance PRACTICAL FEATURES: Brief vignettes and excerpts from federal- and state-level court findings help illuminate the educational definition of emotional disturbance, and practical tables and charts aid with the assessment process and determining eligibility.