EMPOWE RIN G STUDEN TS. IN SPIRIN G A CTION .

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY EVALUATION REPORT

-CONFIDENTIAL-

STUDENT INFORMATION
Student Name: Franklin Hawkins Date of Birth: 8/23/2011
Age: 12 Grade: 6th
Parent/Guardian: Thomas Hawkins & Yanping Gui School: Riverside Intermediate
Report Date: 10/2023 Type of Evaluation: Initial

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM INFORMATION

School Psychologist: Jeff Foutty, Ed.S Dates Evaluated: 9/7/23
Resource Teacher: Christina Spittler 10/6/23 10/23/23

REASON FOR REFERRAL

Franklin was referred for a psycho-educational evaluation by his parents due to his lack of progress on both NWEA
and progress monitoring measures. In addition, there are concerns about his social skills, focus, and attention to
task. Franklin’s parents would like to determine if Franklin would qualify for special education services in the area
of a Specific Learning Disability.

CURRENT EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Social and Developmental History
Record Review
Classroom Observations
Testing Observations
Woodcock-Johnson, 4th Edition Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-IV COG)
Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Third Edition (KTEA-3)
Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd Edition (BASC-3)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY

The following information was submitted by the School Psychologist:
Franklin’s parents completed the Social and Developmental History form to gain more information about his
developmental history and background information. A summary is as follows. Franklin lives with his father, mother,
younger brother, and maternal grandparents. His parents would like Franklin to be happy, healthy, responsible,
and independent. They indicated that he is behind in reading and his attention to task is poor. They would like
to see what additional supports would be available to help him academically. He was born via cesarean section
weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces and it was indicated that he started to talk late, and he didn't talk in sentences until
he was around four years of age. As a result, he received speech services in preschool. His early temperament is
described as sensitive, and his parents have noticed that he could only focus for short periods of time and would
get frustrated easily. There were no serious hospitalizations, surgeries, significant injuries, or seizures noted. There
was no medical diagnosis or medications reported at the time of the referral. His relationship with his parents is
described as good and he seems immature for his age when he is around his peers, although he is described as
getting along well with his peers. He attended kindergarten through part of 2nd grade in Omaha NE and the

Department of Exceptional Learners | Hamilton Southeastern Schools | 13485 Cumberland Road, Fishers, IN 46038 | 317.594.4100
remainder of 2nd through the 6th grades in Fishers, Indiana. He has not repeated any grades and never been
evaluated except by the speech pathologist due to his late talking. His parents listed their concerns as reading,
writing, and math, listening skills, being easily frustrated, having low attention and poor focus, being shy, and
having difficulty expressing himself. Regarding adaptive behaviors, his parents indicated that he lacks
communication skills such as listening, looking at the other person in the eyes, and asking relating questions.
Patterns of emotional adjustment indicated as being a concern included the following, poor concentration,
difficulty following instructions, immature compared to peers, blaming others for his own mistakes, and his
tentative and shy temperament. Unusual or atypical behaviors noted as occurring included a preoccupation
with specific subjects, objects or topics that are atypical in intensity or focus. His parents indicated that he is very
preoccupied with screens and seems to be addicted to games and TV.

ACADEMIC & FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE HISTORY

The following information was submitted by the School Psychologist:
School Records indicated that Franklin moved to Fishers, IN during his second-grade school year and has been
educated here ever since. He was in Tier 2 for reading at his elementary school, but no records were found
detailing his interventions. His oral reading fluency skills were monitored in 3rd grade using AIMSweb+ Oral
Reading Fluency (ORF) measures. In third grade, he earned scores of 100, 98, 87, 86, and 105 from March
through May with an average of 3.5 errors. The end of the year 3rd grade expectation was 111 with no more
than two errors. In fourth grade he was monitored using Silent Reading Fluency (SRF) measures. His score at the
beginning of the year was a 155 (77th percentile) and his score at the end of the year was 130 (41st percentile).
In fifth grade, he was monitored using ORF measures and he earned scores of 92, 100, 101, 44, 85, 111, 95, 102,
93, 109, 112, 94, and 107 with an average of 6 errors. The end of the year expectation was 137 with no more
than two errors. He was also monitored using the SRF measure and his score at the beginning of the year was
109 (34th percentile) and his score at the end of the year was 112 (20th percentile). In 6th grade his SRF score at
the beginning of the year was a 95 (16th percentile) and his score at the time of this writing was a 97 (10th
percentile). Since 8/1/22 he has logged 2288 minutes in the Lexia Learning online program (CORE5) and had
the most difficulty decoding and dividing multi-syllable words and discriminating initial position hard and soft
consonants. In 5th grade, he started the year receiving additional reading support on classroom work and then
was switched in January of that school year to a reading small group using LLI materials that focused on
fluency and comprehension. In 6th grade, he has been receiving a daily reading small group at using LLI and
Scholastic materials focused on fluency and comprehension.

Franklin’s Humanities teacher completed the Teacher Input form as part of this evaluation. A summary of this
form is as follows. Franklin is described as a kind student who enjoys playing games on his iPad. His academic
skills in the areas of English language arts are considered a weakness, especially reading comprehension and
fluency. His concentration, foundational academic skills, and work completion were listed as the potential
reasons for his academic challenges. His social emotional skills are also listed as a weakness specifically his
social skills and lack of interest in relating to other students. His language and communication skills were also
listed as a weakness as he rarely speaks. His gross and fine motor skills were listed as typical as was his response
to sensory experiences. His adaptive skills were listed as a weakness as he needs constant help and attention
from adults. He often stares blankly or looks like he doesn't understand both in academic and social situations.
His attendance is listed as regular, and his grades should be all F’S although they are modified due to him being
an ENL student. He is regularly pulled by an ENL staff member for small group and one-on-one assistance.
Franklin’s percentiles on the NWEA, a computer-based school wide assessment that measures a student’s
growth in reading and math over the years, are listed on the table below. Percentiles from 25-84 are
considered average.

NWEA Winter 2023 Spring 2023 Fall 2023

Math 226, 76th 222, 58th 209, 38th
Reading 197, 22nd 201, 27th 197, 23rd

OBSERVATION REPORTS

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OBSERVATIONS

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The following observation was made by the Christina Spittler (TOR)

Date: 10/13/2023 Time: 1:30 Setting: STEM Classroom

Write up of M-Team Observations: Franklin was observed during Block 2 of his school day. He was preparing for
a math test. The class was directed to clear their area and place privacy folders on their desk. Franklin was able
to accurately place his privacy folder but needed individual reminders to clear his desk of other materials. It was
also noted that his materials / folders seemed overfilled and unorganized. When getting started on his assessment,
Franklin had difficulty initiating the task and seemed unsure of the academic process. He required prompts to
actively work on the test and use multiple strategies. The teacher offered him a multiplication chart to assist as
needed. During testing, Franklin seemed very anxious – patting his head, keeping fingers near mouth, constant
fidgeting with privacy folder, and playing with his ear, were behaviors that were noted. The testing environment
was quiet. In addition, his teacher checked in with him frequently, which he was responsive to. When talking with
his classroom teacher, this is an accurate reflection of Franklin’s daily performance in the classroom.

TESTING OBSERVATIONS
Franklin presented as quiet and reserved but demonstrated a fairly constant smile that often looked strained.
Upon first meeting he did not respond to the examiners attempts at social chatting, and as a result questions with
a yes or no answer or choices were initially provided. After a while, he realized the examiner was not going to
stop asking questions, so he did respond to open ended questions, often with additional prompting and he never
added to the conversation beyond that. He appeared anxious and often would not maintain eye gaze, did not
always answer the questions asked during social chatting, and at times was unintelligible when responding. He
never asked any questions of the examiner or examination process. When he was called down to the examiner’s
office for the second session, the first thing he said was, “What am I doing here?”. He did not appear comfortable
with social chatting or the testing process during the second session as well. During a formal interview, Franklin
indicated an interest in school, especially band and orchestra. He reported using a visual learning style and
preferred to learn alone as it is hard to concentrate in a group. Franklin indicated his easiest subject as math
and science and did not have a difficult subject. When older Franklin indicated that he would like to be a
paleontologist. When asked about his friends, he was not able to provide any names. He gave an immature
definition of friendship and wasn’t able to say what made someone a good or best friend. When pressed he
stated that they play gaga ball with him. If given the opportunity to wish for anything, Franklin would wish for a
clone of himself and that they could play gaga ball together. Franklin denied taking any medications on a
regular basis or having any difficulties sleeping, hearing, or seeing. During the testing, he often gave responses
that didn’t fit the context or question, made comments about noises outside the room, and would look at the
clock on the wall, was constantly scanning the room, zoned out several times on the timed tasks as well as
untimed tasks and at one point looked like he was having a conversation with himself or playing out some story
in his head. During a task where he had to listen to stories and then repeat what he heard he reached for a pen
from the pen jar. He did not appear to always monitor directions or questions as he frequently answered as if he
did not hear the question and would zone out and stare off during the middle of tasks. Several of the questions
were asked again after the task was completed and he was able to get them correct. On the writing task, he
asked multiple times when he would be done and he needed multiple prompts to complete that task. The results
of this evaluation were a valid estimate of Franklin’s current abilities and skills and likely impacted by the behaviors
described above.

PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
The following information was submitted by the School Psychologist:
Franklin participated in standardized tests that are used to compare him to a sample of students of the same
age from the general population in the United States. The following chart is provided to help readers
understand what the test scores mean. Some tests may utilize slightly different descriptive classifications of
scores; in such cases, these differences will be noted.

Descriptive Classification Standard Score T-Score Scaled Score Percentile Rank

Well Above Average ≥130 ≥70 ≥16 ≥98
Above Average 115-129 60-69 14-15 85-97
Average 85-114 40-59 7-13 16-84
Below Average 70-84 30-39 4-6 2-15

Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 3

 Well Below Average ≤69 ≤29 ≤3 ≤2

COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING
Crystallized Knowledge (Gc) refers to a person’s knowledge base or general fund of information that has been
accumulated over time. Crystallized abilities are those used in language development, vocabulary knowledge
and listening skills. Crystallized intelligence is highly correlated with all areas due to the importance of language
within the school setting. The Oral Vocabulary subtest from the WJ-IV Cog and the Listening Comprehension
subtest from the KTEA-3 were used to measure this area. Franklin performed within the below average range
on these tasks and struggled to provide antonyms and synonyms and listen to stories and then answer questions
about them. On the latter task, he frequently gave responses that fit the context, but were not related to the
story. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the below average range and considered to be a cognitive
deficit.
Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score
Oral Vocabulary (WJ-IV) 78
Listening Comprehension (KTEA3) 73

Fluid Reasoning (Gf) is the ability to use and engage in various mental operations when faced with a new task
that cannot be performed automatically. This type of ability is thought of as a problem-solving type of
intelligence. The skills of inductive and sequential reasoning are important for discovering underlying
characteristics that guide problem solving and formulating the necessary steps to problem solve. For example,
figuring out how to set up math problems by using information in a word problem is important for math
reasoning. Fluid Reasoning is also associated with reading comprehension. The ability to determine sequences,
patterns, and use reasoning is important for understanding reading material. The Number Series subtest from
the WJ-IV Cog and the Math Application subtest from the KTEA-3 were used to measure this area. Franklin
performed within the average range when asked to find the missing number based on number patterns and
when solving math application/story problems. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the average
range and considered to be a cognitive strength.

Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score

Number Series (WJ-IV Cog) 95
Math Application (KTEA-3) 99

Short-Term Memory (Gsm) is the ability to hold information in one’s mind and then use it within a few seconds.
Short-term memory is correlated with academic achievement in all areas. Difficulties with working memory and
memory span are related to struggles with rote memorization of facts, decoding longer words, reading
comprehension, and remembering procedures and rules for solving problems. The Verbal Attention subtest
from the WJ-IV Cog was used to measure this area. On this task, Franklin earned a score in the average range
when he was required to listen to a series numbers and animals and then to recall specific items and in specific
order. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the average range and considered to be a cognitive
strength.

Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score

Verbal Attention (WJ-IV Cog) 91

Visual Processing (Gv) is an individual’s ability to think about visual patterns and visual stimuli. It is the ability to
understand spatial relations and is used to interpret graphs, charts, and diagrams. Visual processing is mostly
correlated to academic achievement in math. It is important in higher-level mathematics such as geometry,
algebra, and calculus. It is also related to math problem solving, which requires abstract reasoning skills. These
tasks typically minimize the use and understanding of language the most. The Visualization subtest from the WJ-
IV Cog was used to measure this area. Franklin earned a score in the average range asked to look at individual
shapes and determine which pieces made up a completed shape as well as look at a block design and then
find the same design in a rotated position. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the average range and
considered to be a cognitive strength.

Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score

Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 4

 Visualization (WJ-IV Cog) 90

Long-Term Retrieval (Glr) refers to an individual’s ability to take in and store a variety of information in one’s
mind and retrieve it quickly and easily later (typically longer than four seconds) using association or cues. This
ability area does not represent what is stored in long-term memory, but the process of storing and retrieving
information. Long-term retrieval skills are highly correlated to reading and writing achievement. The Story Recall
and Visual-Auditory Learning subtests from the WJ-IV Cog were used to measure this area. Franklin struggled
when he was required to listen to a story and then repeat the story aloud (Story Recall). On the second task,
Franklin also struggled when pairing labels with visual images and then reading those images as a “sentence”
(Visual-Auditory Learning). He did not benefit from teaching or corrective feedback and did not use context to
help monitor his errors. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the well below average range and
considered to be a cognitive deficit.

Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score

Long-Term Retrieval 69
Story Recall (WJ-IV Cog) 79
Visual-Auditory Learning (WJ-IV Cog) 70

Auditory Processing (Ga) refers to the ability to perceive, analyze and synthesize a variety of auditory stimuli. It
can include the ability to process sounds such as breaking apart words into individual sounds or blending
sounds into whole words. It also includes hearing and making rhyming words. Auditory Processing is highly
correlated with academic achievement in reading and writing. It does not appear to have a significant effect
on math achievement. The Phonological Processing subtest from the WJ-IV Cog and the Phonological
Processing subtest from the KTEA-3 were used to measure this area. On the WJ-Cog task he was asked to
provide words with specific beginning, middle, and ending sounds, quickly provide words with given beginning
sounds, and substitute sounds to make new words. He struggled to recall words when given specific initial
sounds and substitute sounds to make new words. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the below
average range and considered to be a cognitive deficit.

Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score

Phonological Processing (WJ-IV Cog) 78
Phonological Processing (K-TEA-3) 80

Processing Speed (Gs) is the ability to perform cognitive tasks fluently and automatically, especially when under
pressure to maintain focused attention and concentration. Processing speed is correlated to all areas of
academic achievement. When information is processed slowly, competing stimuli in immediate awareness
may cause stress on other cognitive areas such as short-term memory, focus or attention. Completing tasks
within time limits may also be difficult for a student who has processing speed problems. In relation to math,
slow processing speed leads to a lack of automaticity in basic math operations. The Letter-Pattern Matching
and Pair Cancellation subtests from the WJ-IV Cog were used to measure this area. The Letter-Pattern task is a
visual discrimination task under a time pressure as it requires Franklin to identify two letters or letter pairs among
a row of six and mark the two that are the same. The Pair Cancellation task is a visual perception attention task
where Franklin must circle a target pair of objects every time they are grouped together amidst an array of
distractor images. He demonstrated some inattentive behaviors during the former task but was engaged and
focused on the latter task. Franklin’s overall score in this area was within the well below average range and
considered to be a cognitive deficit.

Broad Ability/Subtests Standard Score

Cognitive Processing Speed 60
Letter-Pattern Matching (WJ-IV Cog) 51
Pair Cancellation (WJ-IV Cog) 78

ACADEMIC FUNCTIONING
The KTEA-3 is a valid and reliable test of academic achievement and is designed to evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses Franklin displays in such areas as reading, mathematics, and oral and written language. Most
Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 5
students earn standard scores from 85-115. Franklin’s scores based on age norms are depicted on the following
table:

Standard
Subtest Description
Score
Reading Composite Overall reading skills 81
Letter/Word Recognition recognizing letters and words 86
Reading Comprehension comprehending read information 78
Sound-Symbol Composite associate sound with specific letter 77
Nonsense Word Decoding reading made up words 82
Phonological Processing transforming printed letters into sounds 80
Decoding Composite Decoding real and made-up words 82
Nonsense Word Decoding reading made up words 82
Letter/Word Recognition recognizing letters and words 86
Reading Fluency Composite Speed and accuracy of reading 75
Silent Reading Fluency requiring silent reading fluency and literal comprehension 76
Word Recognition Fluency speed of word recognition 88
Decoding Fluency Rapidly transforming printed letters into sounds 70
visualize and recall letters and then code them into sounds 81
Orthographic Composite
and words
Spelling spelling words presented orally 76
Letter Naming Facility quickly naming upper and lowercase letters 91
Word Recognition Fluency speed of word recognition 88
Math Composite Overall math skills 98
Math Concepts & Applications applying math concepts to meaningful problem solving 99
Math Computation solving basic paper and pencil math 98
Written Language Composite Overall writing skills 77
Written Expression writing letters, simple sentences, and an essay with prompts 78
Spelling spelling words presented orally 76
Oral Language Overall oral language skills na
Listening Comprehension understanding of spoken language 73
Associational Fluency fluently retrieve words belonging to a given category 93

READING
When compared to peers of the same age, Franklin demonstrated delayed basic reading skills considered to
be within the below average range. Foundationally, Franklin’s phonological processing (ability to use and
understand rhyme and blend, delete, and segment sounds to make words) was delayed. He struggled to
match ending sounds, rhyme, and blend and segment words. At times it appeared his attention to task
impacted his performance. Regardless, he struggled to connect sounds to symbols, and this was glaring when
trying to read nonsense words. He struggled even more on this task when a time pressure was introduced. He
performed better when reading a list of sight words, although his score was still below that of his grade level
peers. As a result of these challenges, his reading fluency and reading comprehension skills were significantly
impacted, earning scores on both tasks in the below average range. His performance on the Letter Naming
Fluency task was average. Rapid naming tasks, such as this one, are often associated with reading fluency
skills.

MATHEMATICS
When compared to peers of the same age, Franklin demonstrated average overall math skills on this
assessment, with his computation and application skills being equally well developed. This was an area of
relative strength for Franklin. It should be noted that he did not always follow the directions and at times gave
answers unrelated to what was asked.

Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 6

WRITTEN LANGUAGE
When compared to peers of the same age, Franklin demonstrated below average overall writing skills on this
assessment. He struggled to combine multiple sentences and thoughts into one succinct sentence, edit text,
and write a summary of a story he was told. His sentences on the essay portion were simple sentences and run-
ons. In addition, his thoughts did not flow and appeared disjointed. He got sidetracked multiple times during
this task, needed over eight prompts to keep working, got distracted multiple times, and asked when he could
be done five times. At one point, it appeared he was playing out a story in his head instead of writing.

ORAL LANGUAGE
When compared to peers of the same age, Franklin demonstrated average skills when he was asked to quickly
recall items when given a specific category (Association Fluency). When he was asked to listen to stories and
answer factual and inferential questions about what he heard his performance dropped significantly. On this
latter task, he often gave answers that fit the context but not the story and therefore did not get credit for his
answer.

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL & ADAPTIVE FUNCTIONING

Franklin’s teachers and parents were asked to complete the BASC, a comprehensive rating scale that assesses
Franklin’s social, emotional and behavioral state. The validity scales were in the appropriate range and
therefore can be considered for interpretation. High scores generally represent negative or undesirable
characteristics that are often problematic and cause impaired functioning in home, school, peer relationships,
or community settings. Scores in the 40-59 range are considered typical, 60-69 range “at-risk” and scores 70 or
higher significantly elevated. Franklin’s scores on the BASC based on combined gender norms and are
depicted on the following table:

Behavior Assessment System for Children – Third Edition (BASC-3)

Teacher Report

Indexes and Subscales STEM Teacher ELA Teacher T-

T-Score Score
Hyperactivity: The tendency to be overly active, rush through work/activities, 57 48
and act without thinking
Aggression: The tendency to act in a hostile manner (either verbal/physical) 64 45
that’s threatening to others
Conduct Problems: The tendency to engage in antisocial and rule-breaking 69 61
behavior
Externalizing Problems 64 51
Anxiety: The tendency to be nervous, fearful, or worried about real or imagined 58 45
problems
Depression: Feelings of unhappiness, sadness, and stress that may result in an 56 65
inability to carry out everyday activities
Somatization: The tendency to be overly sensitive to and complain about 48 48
relatively minor physical problems and discomforts
Internalizing Problems 55 53
Attention Problems: Tendency to be easily distracted/unable to concentrate 72 75
more than momentarily
Learning Problems: academic difficulties, particularly in 81 81
understanding/completing schoolwork
School Problems 79 80
Atypicality: The tendency to behave in ways that immature 79 71
Withdrawal: The tendency to evade others to avoid social contact 80 69
Behavioral Symptoms Index 73 66
Adaptability: The ability to adapt readily to changes in the environment 31 27
Social Skills: The skills necessary for interacting successfully with peers and adults 33 33
in home, school, and community settings

Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 7

Leadership: The skills associated with accomplishing academic, social, or 30 28
community goals, including the ability to work with others
Study Skills: The skills that conducive to strong academic performance, 33 35
including organizational skills and good study habits
Functional Communication: Ability to express ideas/communicate in a way 14 38
other can easily understand
Adaptive Skills 25 30

Behavior Assessment System for Children – Third Edition (BASC-3)

Parent Report
Indexes and Subscales T-Score
Hyperactivity: The tendency to be overly active, rush through work/activities, & act without 49
thinking
Aggression: The tendency to act in a hostile manner (verbal or physical) that is threatening to 43
others
Conduct Problems: The tendency to engage in antisocial and rule-breaking behavior 48
Externalizing Problems 46
Anxiety: The tendency to be nervous, fearful, or worried about real or imagined problems 55
Depression: Feelings of unhappiness, sadness, and stress that may result in an inability to carry out 55
everyday activities
Somatization: The tendency to be overly sensitive to and complain about relatively minor physical 52
problems and discomforts
Internalizing Problems 55
Atypicality: The tendency to behave in ways that immature 46
Withdrawal: The tendency to evade others to avoid social contact 58
Attention Problems: Tendency to be easily distracted/unable to concentrate more than 65
momentarily
Behavioral Symptoms Index 54
Adaptability: The ability to adapt readily to changes in the environment 34
Social Skills: The skills necessary for interacting successfully with peers and adults in home, school, 41
and community settings
Leadership: The skills associated with accomplishing academic, social, or community goals, 33
including the ability to work with others
Activities of Daily Living: The skills associated with performing basic, everyday tasks in an 55
acceptable and safe manner
Functional Communication: The ability to express ideas and communicate in a way other can 31
easily understand
Adaptive Skills 37

Franklin’s teachers rated the BASC 3 in such a way to indicate that Franklin is demonstrating overall problem
behaviors much more so than others his age as indicated by the Behavior Symptoms Index Composite T Score.
The School Composite, which is only on the teacher scale and reflects academic difficulties related to
motivation, attention, learning and cognition, was very elevated, suggesting significant concerns in this area.
Specifically, his teachers reported that he is exhibiting behaviors related to attention problems, learning
problems, atypicality and withdrawal much more than others his age. Elevations in these areas are common
among those on the autism spectrum. The Content Scales revealed significant elevations on the
developmental social disorders and executive functioning indexes suggesting that he is having difficulty with
social skills and communication and controlling and maintaining his mood and behavior. In addition, they
reported significant levels of functional impairment, suggesting that Franklin is having much difficulty engaging
in appropriate behavior across a variety of situations including interactions with others, performing age-
appropriate tasks, regulating mood, and performing school-related tasks. In addition, his resiliency score was
elevated suggesting that he may be struggling to overcome the stress and adversity in his life.

Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 8

Franklin’s parents rated the BASC 3 in such a way to indicate that Franklin is demonstrating average
skills/behaviors in all areas on the clinical scale except for attention problems, which was somewhat elevated
(SS-65). His overall adaptive skills were reported to be delayed (SS-37), specifically the areas of adaptability,
leadership, and functional communication. On the Content Scales, he earned scores considered slightly
elevated in the areas of social disorders and executive functioning, specifically attentional control. In addition,
his resiliency score was elevated.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Franklin was referred for a psycho-educational evaluation by his parents due to his lack of progress on both NWEA
and progress monitoring measures. In addition, there are concerns about his social skills, focus, and attention to
task. Franklin’s parents would like to determine if he would qualify for special education services in the area of a
Specific Learning Disability. The results of the evaluation indicated that Franklin is demonstrating a pattern of
cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses consistent with students that have a profile of a specific
learning disability in the areas of listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skills, reading fluency,
and reading comprehension. Compounding those challenges are reports by his teachers and parents that his
ability to focus and attend to relevant stimuli and complete work are impaired when compared to others his
age. Complicating this are his secondary struggles with social interactions and communication, anxious type
behaviors, and executive function difficulties (difficulties monitoring, organizing his thoughts and things, starting
and completing tasks, and advocating for his needs). Reports and observations of “odd” or atypical behaviors,
withdrawal behaviors, and social challenges, limited communication, and preoccupations reported by his
parents are possible characteristics of an autism spectrum disorder that may need to be examined further.

Results of this multidisciplinary educational evaluation are used to determine whether Franklin’s profile meets
Article 7 definition of a specific learning disability. Given findings, it appears that his profile may meet the Article
7 definition of a specific learning disability, specifically in the areas of basic reading skills, reading fluency, reading
comprehension, listening comprehension, and written expression. The multidisciplinary team presents this report
to the Case Conference Committee for eligibility considerations. Further discussion of eligibility criteria will be held
at the case conference. Decisions regarding Adverse Impact, need for Specially Designed Instruction, and
overall eligibility for special education services will be made by the entire Case Conference Committee at the
case conference.

Thank you for the opportunity to work with Franklin! Please reach out to us with questions or concerns.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jeff Foutty, Ed.S

Jeff Foutty, School Psychologist

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on this evaluation, the multidisciplinary team has provided the following recommendations.
1. Franklin struggled significantly to code sounds to symbols and as a result his decoding skills were very
delayed resulting in slow inaccurate reading. As a result, this deficit negatively impacted his spelling,
ability to read fluently, and comprehend what he read. Reading Interventions should include explicit,
direct instruction that is systematic, sequential, cumulative, and follows a logical plan of presenting the
alphabetic principle that targets his specific needs that also uses a multi-sensory approach.
2. He would benefit from the following accommodations:
Hawkins, Franklin| 8/23/11 9
 1. He performed poorly on the listening comprehension and auditory recall tasks and at times
appeared as if he did not hear the question asked based on his answer. Making sure you have
his attention (can see him looking at you) before directions are given and have him repeat back
what he heard will ensure he understands the task requirements. Frequent check-ins will help you
gauge what he understood or heard.
2. He performed poorly on when he had to process information quickly and then act on it
(Processing Speed). He would benefit from directions given in multiple modes (visual, auditory,
graphic, etc.) and additional time as appropriate to complete tasks.
3. He did not appear comfortable with open ended tasks, communication, or social chatting.
Providing structure, predictability and clarity to these tasks can ease apprehension and increase
success.
4. School staff report, and this was observed during testing, that Franklin struggles to initiate,
monitor, and attend to relevant information, and organize his thoughts and his things. Help
navigating the transitions and organizational challenges of school through prompts and
warnings when things will be changing and providing tools to help him stay organized (e.g.,
binder, keep materials in a box in the classroom, “to do” checklists for common routines or
expectations, editing checklists, vocabulary notebook, frequent sight word list, and other
“anchor” charts or tools that he can quickly reference when he is “stuck”.
5. He struggled with task initiation and task persistence and often wanted to know when he was
done. Using a visual timer or other similar tools to help him understand time can minimize stress.
He would also benefit from having large tasks or multiple step problems broken down into
manageable parts.
3. He struggled with the nuances and rules of social interactions, specifically in social chatting. He may
benefit from being taught and then practicing social skills related to engaging in social chatting, how to
greet a stranger or friend, how to end a conversation or task, and any others that are reported to be a
concern.
4. He was easily distracted by extraneous noises and constantly scanning his environment. Seating away
from distractions, experimenting with ear buds or headphones, and having a quiet place to work in the
classroom might alleviate some of this distraction and associated stress.
5. His vocabulary was a weakness and will only get weaker if he does not read at school and for pleasure.
Using books on tape or websites such as Learning Ally for audiobooks and tools such as co-writer and
Snap and Read will alleviate the stress when reading and writing as well. He will have to be explicitly
taught how to use these tools.
6. His math skills were a relative strength and should continue to be bolstered to give him some academic
success.

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