AOTA

Patricia Laverdure, OTD, OTR/L, BCP

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy

Virginia Commonwealth University

Pamela Stephenson, OTD, MS, OTR/L

Assistant Professor of Doctor of Occupational Therapy program

Mary Baldwin University

MaKenzie McDonald, OTDS

Occupational Therapy Student

Virginia Commonwealth University

Abstract
Federal legislation, contemporary teaching and learning practices, professional guidance, and scientific evidence influence the ways in which occupational therapists design and implement evaluation in school settings. Evaluation is a key role of occupational therapy practitioners in school settings, and one of the central purposes of evaluation is to determine whether a student has a disability; whether that disability adversely affects the student’s participation, performance, and progress in the general education curriculum; and whether the student requires specially designed instruction to access and make progress in their educational program (Jackson, 2007).

The domain of occupational therapy as defined in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd. ed.; Framework; American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014) provides an effective tool to guide the evaluation process and make assessment choices for school-based practitioners.

­­­Learning Objectives

1.  Recognize the influence of legislative requirements, professional guidance, and scientific evidence on the design of evaluation processes and the choice of assessment measures and tools in school practice

2.  Apply the Framework to guide clinical decision making for client-centered and occupation-focused evaluation

3.  Examine informal, formal, and standardized assessment measures and tools that address client factors, occupational engagement, performance patterns, and contexts and environments

4.  Appraise and select assessment measures and tools that best support educational and clinical relevance, data-based decision making, and evidence-based practices in school-based evaluation