AHEAD Academy

SPRING 2024

Diagnostic Assessment and Professional Judgement for Learning Disabilities and Attention Disabilities

This 8-week course is designed for Disability Resources staff who want to understand key concepts and practices behind diagnostic assessments.

Respected instructor Rhonda Rapp has taken content from her popular AHEAD workshops and expanded it into an accessible online format to allow participants to dive deeply into the material through video presentations, readings, and hands-on assignments. A listserv-style discussion will allow the class to further explore what they learn in each module.

Students should plan 2-3 hours to work on each module. The instructor and AHEAD staff will be available throughout the course to give feedback and support to students as needed.

Concepts covered will include:

Methods for collecting disability-related background information
A history of the development of psycho-educational evaluations and what individual tests and subtests are designed to assess
Exploring the structure and meaning of diagnostic assessments and reports
How to make informed referrals for service or additional assessment
How to conduct and interpret behavioral observations of students
Analyzing student documentation and determining accommodations and services

Short Pre- and Post-tests will help you gauge your knowledge of the material. At the end of class you will receive a certificate of completion equal to 30 hours of class participation.

This class cleared up many of my questions regarding diagnostic testing.

- Fall 2022 Student

Course Instructor – Rhonda Rapp, Ph.D.

I will be your facilitator for this course; my name is Rhonda H. Rapp and I am an educational consultant with a specialty in removing barriers to learning. I have been an Educational Diagnostician since 1979 (in fact, in my practicum, we tested some of the first students for “special education” placement under the new Public Law 94-142 - now known as IDEA); was a diagnostician/prescriptive teacher for the state of Oklahoma (working with both urban schools, rural schools and “institutional” schools); have been a disability services provider at the postsecondary level for over twenty-five years; and continue to provide training focused on diagnostic assessments and working with students with learning disabilities and/or attention disabilities. At the last university I worked at (before I retired), I got the chance to conduct diagnostic assessments for undergraduates, for individuals in our graduate programs, and for our Law School; I also prepared the documentation for the Bar Exam. Over the years, I have had the privilege to conduct in-depth psychoeducational assessments for a widely diverse population of individuals in a variety of settings. My master’s degree is in Educational Counseling Psychology, with post-Master’s certification as a Diagnostician and my doctorate is in Educational Human Resource Development. I have worked in disability services at both a public community college (which was a HBCU & HSI) and at private doctoral-granting universities (which were HSIs).

Registration & Pricing

Registration FULL

Did you register for the course? Access the Course
beginning at 9 am EST on Monday, February 12, 2024

AHEAD Members - $250.00 (Requires sign in with current AHEAD membership information)
Non-Members - $350.00

AHEAD offers a "Pay by Invoice" option for this course and all other products on its eLearning platform. However, to receive access to your purchase and to begin this course, you MUST contact AHEAD and make a full payment if you are paying by check or purchase order BEFORE this course begins. You may also pay your invoice using your credit card by selecting your purchases in your profile on the eLearning platform, or via the Order Number link or View Order link in the Order Confirmation email that will be sent to your email address after registering.

Refunds for registrations/payment are available only by contacting AHEAD before the start of this course. Refunds are only offered in cases of emergency or unforeseen circumstances and only by request sent to AHEAD by email at ahead@ahead.org.

Registration MUST be made in the name and email of the student taking the class. Not supervisor, admin, Purchasing Department, etc.

Did you register for the course? You can access the course beginning at 9 am EST on Monday, February 12.

If you have questions, please contact profdev@ahead.org

Logistics

All video presentations in the course are pre-recorded for asynchronous viewing. They all include captioning.
AHEAD staff are available for additional assistance as needed.
AHEAD will provide a “Teaching Assistant” and technical help to support the class.