Assessment Practices
The Assessment Exemplar Lead provides assessment tool models and practices as well as a deep knowledge of the assessments that are utilized for gathering information and determining special education eligibility for the preschool aged child. This Exemplar Lead exhibits exceptional practices for assessing the preschool child across disabilities, assessing preschool children who are English language learners, and in utilizing a range of assessment tools. The Assessment Exemplar Lead is also highly knowledgeable and may also utilize an innovative assessment model such as (but not limited to) a diagnostic assessment classroom.
Exemplar Leads for Assessment Practices
Piedmont Unified School District
Carrie Rodrigues is a School Psychologist and Preschool Program Specialist who is passionate about early childhood special education and inclusion. She currently works for both Piedmont Unified School District and for the CalECSE as a member of its leadership team. Ms. Rodrigues was selected as CalECSE Exemplar Lead for Assessment Practices in 2022. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP), a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) (CA License #3780), and is highly skilled at conducting comprehensive assessments in all areas of suspected disability to determine special education eligibility. Carrie holds particular expertise in Autism assessment, identification, and support and previously served as California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) cadre member and trained countless educators in evidenced-based practices for Autism. Carrie often guest lectures in graduate school programs of school psychology on Early Childhood topics and has given presentations to thousands around California on behalf of CalECSE on best practices in Early Childhood assessments. She is mother to two wonderful neurodivergent children and is an ardent supporter of the neurodiversity movement.
Assessment Practices Resources
Learn best practices for conducting thorough preschool assessments including:
How Are Early Childhood Assessments Are Different, Making Sure It’s Comprehensive, How to Know Typical Preschooler Development, Team Approach, Diagnostic Preschool Approach, The Importance of Naturalistic Observations, Incorporating Caregivers, Conducting Play-Based Assessments, Standardized Measures for Use with Young Children, Bilingual Assessments, & Determining Ed Code Criteria
Learn in-depth information on:
Why Comprehensive and Accurate Autism and Intellectual Disability assessments Are So Important, Autism Assessments Under Ed Code, Ed Code vs. Medical Diagnosis, Intellectual Disability Assessments Under Ed Code, Special Cases, African American Children, What to Do if a Child Cannot Participate in Cognitive Testing, & Delivering Hard News
Learn about:
Typical Speech & Language Development, Components of a Comprehensive Assessments, Gathering Parent Input, Play-Based Assessment and Collecting Language Samples, Observations: Clinical & Naturalistic, Oral Motor Examination, Speech Sound Production Assessment, Receptive & Expressive Language Assessments, Pragmatic Language and Social Skills, Voice & Fluency, Assessing English Language Learners, Ed Code & Educational Impact for Early Childhood
Support Materials
Sign up today for this no-cost training on how to conduct an autism specific assessment with preschool aged children.
Learn about the essential components for conducting comprehensive, legally defensible initial early childhood assessments for English Language Learners. When a student is multilingual, it is required that assessors determine if a student has a true disability versus a language difference. CalECSE has partnered with the Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs (MUSE) to provide this training on how to administer cross-cultural non-discriminatory assessments, including using a variety of methods to collect data and the hierarchy of options when assessments in a child’s primary language are not available.
Support Materials
This one page resource provides a quick, at-a-glance look at the difference between a medical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and an educational eligibility of autism under the California Education Code, 5 CCR § 3030(b).
