The ARD committee determining eligibility for special education should...

• A. To determine eligibility based on medical diagnosis alone
• B. To decide placement without evaluating the student
• C. To administer the same assessment to all students in the district
• D. To use information from multiple sources of data to determine impact on the student's education

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that eligibility decisions are based on a thorough, data-driven view of how a student’s identified challenges affect their learning in the school environment and what services they need. An educational evaluation team looks at information from many sources—formal and informal assessments, classroom performance, progress monitoring, teacher observations, parent input, and relevant health or psychological data—to form a complete picture of the student’s functioning. This helps determine not only that a disability exists, but that it creates an educational need that requires special education and related services to provide a free appropriate public education.

Relying on a medical diagnosis alone isn’t sufficient because it doesn’t specify how learning, behavior, or academic progress is impaired in school or what supports will help. Placement decisions aren’t made without evaluating the student’s needs and how they impact education. And using the same assessment for every student ignores the individualized nature of each learner’s profile. The emphasis is on how the disability affects educational performance and what interventions or supports will address those needs.