Adoption of Intervention-Based Assessment for Special Education

Abstract

The education reform movement in the United States promises to expand the role of school psychologists by reducing psychometric activities in favor of intervention-based assessment (IBA), which involves planning and evaluating intervention services for children with learning and behavior problems. However, to be accepted as a viable alternative to eligibility-focused psychological evaluation, IBA must demonstrate its efficiency in case management. Eighty schools in the state of Ohio supplied survey data describing case management variables associated with the adoption of IBA. Trends revealed initial declines in the number of children served, followed by recovery among schools in their third year of implementation. IBA teams documented successful interventions for a greater proportion of cases than in the year preceding implementation. Results are discussed as supporting gradual adoption of IBA, and in terms of needs for further research.