Formal Case Study

By: Braden Pelly

Background/Case History
Background Information

Background information about Student A was obtained through parental interviews,

medical history records, teacher notes/observation as well as his Functional Behavioral

Assessment. Student A lives with both parents, but suffers from a condition called cerebral palsy,

as well as is deaf in one ear and has hearing in only 50% of his other ear. He also suffers from

Anxiety, OCD, ADHD, Asthma, and is labeled as ID.

Student A has lived in Utah his entire life with both parents. He attended a school that

was specifically for students that suffer from physical limitations before coming to Mill Creek

Elementary. Because of his condition, according to my teacher, Student A came into Mill Creek

not knowing how to do anything related to school or being able to complete school work

independently.

Development, language, and medical history

Student A suffers from multiple conditions that limits his ability to be in a general

education classroom. He spend his entire day in the resource classroom with my mentor teacher.

He was “babied” according to my teacher by his mother and wasn’t capable of doing anything

that involved independence when he first enrolled at Mill Creek. He has a lengthy medical

history that mainly revolves around his cerebral palsy.

Student A currently works with Wasatch Pediatric Neuropsychology and consistently

goes in to be retested and have up to date evaluations. Student A speaks only English, and
according to my teacher, is on grade level with most of his assignments that revolve around

English and Language Arts.

Educational history

Student A attended a private school that centralized around physical limitations as well as

mental disabilities that worked hand-in-hand with parents to better understand how to work with

their child that suffered from whatever disease. His mother was very involved, and according to

my mentor teacher, became too involved and didn’t allow Student A to gain any sort of

independence. He came to Mill Creek not knowing how to dress himself, turn a page, eat with

utensils, and even put on his own shoes.

According to his Academic Achievement and Functional Performance in reading, Student

A was tested with the WCJIV (10/06/2017) and scored 106 red in Basic Reading, 78 in Reading

Comprehension and 74 in Reading Fluency. He scored 37 wpm on fluency progress monitoring

on a 3rd grade level with 95% accuracy.

According to his Academic Achievement and Functional Performance in math, Student A

was tested with the WCJIV (10/06/2017) and scored 65 in Math Calculation and <40 in Math

Problem Solving because of his disability, Student A is unable to access grade level math

curriculum without special education services.

Social, emotional, and behavior

Student A is described by my mentor teacher as a very caring and respectful student

when not distracted by others. According to his IEP, Student A shouts out, makes large

movements in his seat or walks around the room in the general classroom setting instead of doing
his assignments or following the instructions of the adult in charge 80% or more. Student A

follows the directions of the adult in charge in the resource room in a small group setting. This

leads to his success, but time is limited and makes it hard to keep consistent success.

Because of his disability, Student A is unable to access grade level curriculum because of

behavior. Not keeping his hands and feet to himself in a way that doesn’t distract others in the

general classroom setting without special education services.

Achievement/Cognitive
Name:​​ Student A School:​​ Mill Creek
Date of Birth:​​ 12/03/2008 Teacher:​​ Mrs. Jensen
Age:​​ 8 years, 10 months Grade:
Sex:​​ Male ID:
Date of Testing:​​ 10/06/2017 Examiners:​​ Rochelle Clark

Tests Administered
Woodcock-Johnson IV Test of Achievement Form A and Extended (10/06/2017)
Neuropsychological Test (05/11/2017)
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5th Edition (10/10/2017)

Summary
When compared to his overall intellectual ability, Student A’s achievement is significantly lower

than the average 3rd grade student should be. He is labeled as ID, but his teacher believes that this “label”

is wrong. He suffers from cerebral palsy, which may directly relate to his “label”.

Looking at his scores, Student A’s strengths are most definitely around reading. His Basic

Reading Skills in relation to the RPI is 95/90. This is his highest achievement and shows that he is able to

keep up with the skills needed to stay at grade level. Even though the other RPIs are lower than average,

Student A’s strengths still are heavily favored in Reading. He shows the skills necessary to be able to read

words, but when it comes to fluency and reading rate, Student A’s skills are very low. He essentially reads

each word in the sentence as its own word, not as a fluid sentence. His Reading Rate RPI is 0/90, which is

lower than low. That, mixed with his Reading Rate, shows that he lacks the skills necessary to

comprehend sentences while maintaining fluency.

Math is an entirely different story for Student A. When it comes to comparing his scores in

Reading with his scores in Math, Math is his greatest weakness. Out of the four tests administered in the

math portion, Student A didn’t receive higher than a 3/90. His 3/90 came from his Math Calculation

Skills. His most concerning test is his Math Problem Solving. Student A’s RPI read as 0/90 which, in

relation to his SS score, is <40. This is extremely concerning and shows that Student A’s math skills are

well below average.

 On the WISC V, Student A obtained a FSIQ of 54 which falls into the extremely low range.

Composite standard scores are as follows: VCI 65; VSI 53; FRI 51; WMI 65; PSI 56. No significant

strengths or weaknesses were noted suggesting evenly developed cognitive skills. Based on this data,

Student A is extremely low cognitively for his age.

Diagnostic
Student:​​ Student A

Teacher:​​ Rochelle Clark

Class: ​Resource

Communication

During the​ Test of Language Development - Primary 4​​, Student A recorded a Standard Score of
54/100, which is concerning and shows a lack of language development.

During the​ Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - 4th Edition​​, Student A scored a Standard Score of
41/100, which is the most concerning out of the three tests’ data. This may show a lack of ability to
identify and correctly answer questions asked during the PPVT-4.

During the​ Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test,​​ Student A scored a Standard Score of <55,
which, like the other tests, is concerning. This information may be the most important because Student A
didn’t even receive a score that was capable of holding its place, he scored a <55 which is the lowest that
one could score.

Based on this data, Student A is extremely low when it comes to the category of Communication. He
lacks the skills to be considered grade-level and will need additional help to continue on an upward trend.
Observation and Behavior
 Throughout this observational period, Student A’s behavior has fluctuated depending on his

mood. I have been in multiple times where I have observed Student A’s ability to sit quietly, stay

involved throughout the entire session, and work closely with his peers. There have been other times,

where I have seen him become a distraction to both himself and his peers, get frustrated and irritated

quickly, and even throw tantrums and fits that call for him leaving the room. I would not classify Student

A as a “behavior student”, but more of a student that has his days.

I feel different when I say that and I hope the connotation doesn’t come off the wrong way. I feel

like this is one of the biggest hurdles SPED teachers face while their out in the field. Students are going to

respond based on how their feeling, especially when they’re younger. They haven’t developed a sense of

independence yet in some cases, and this allows them to become moody when they seem to not get what

they want. I have seen this in my observational sessions with Student A. When I work with him

individually, I always make sure to start the time off with something that allows me to see what kind of

mood he is in. I may ask about his day, or what he did over the weekend, how classes have been, or even

if he has had a chance to make any new friends that day. This allows me to assess how I will interact with

Student A and what kind of mood he is in.

Student A’s behavior fluctuates from really good and on task to really poor and more of a

distraction. From what I’ve seen, there really is no inbetween. He is an excellent reader and comprehends

words effectively, so the times where he seems to be the most involved are during any sort of reading

exercises or lessons. I specifically wanted the lesson that I taught to be centered around reading and

comprehension because I want to make sure that I involve everyone and everyone seems to be engaged.

Because I know my student, I know that this lesson is going to be effective for him. Student A also loves

to be called on. Whether he has the answer or not, he seems to love being the center of attention. From

what I know about his background, he has always been the center of attention and this partial has affected

his ability to gain independence.

 My mentor teacher has told me many times that his mother is overly involved and worries that

this is going to hurt Student A in the long run because she doesn’t think that the mother is going to ever

allow Student A to make choices on his own. That’s a heavy statement and makes me realize that my

parents allowed me to make mistakes in order to grow as a person. This helped me gain the independence

I needed to develop into the person I am today.

Student A is an exceptional student, especially with his limitations with Cerebral Palsy. For the

most part, Student A’s behavior is positive, with outbursts here and there. He tends to be involved when it

is something he understands, but when he gets bored, that’s when his behavior starts to ramp up.
Formal Report
Name:​​ Student A
Grade:​​ 3
Teacher:​​ Rochelle Clark

Student A was referred to the schools’ referral team due to significant difficulties throughout the

curriculum as well as his complications in the classroom environment due to his diagnosis of

Cerebral Palsy. Documentation shows Student A’s need to be in special education supervision

during a majority of his school day. This will likely be the best option for his success and goals

of reaching grade level work.

Testing:

Student A has been tested by multiple times throughout the course of his educational

history. The tests that have been taken into account throughout the formal report are as followed:

Woodcock-Johnson IV Test of Achievement Form A and Extended (10/06/2017)

Neuropsychological Test (05/11/2017)

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 5th Edition (10/10/2017)

Cognitive Abilities:

When compared to others at Student A’s level, his scores fall in the category of well below

average. Based on the information that his teacher has shared with me, Student A has been labeled ID,

with an IQ score well below the average for his age.

Achievement Abilities:

When compared to others in Student A’s level, his scores fall in the category of well below

average and is in the critical zone. Based on his results, Student A shows a developing understanding of
reading to form complete sentences. He is not yet on the grade level needed to stay within the curriculum

and shows a lack of fluency and comprehension throughout the reading. He reads individual words, but

without any fluency or understanding of what the words are saying.

His math scores are the weakest of any tested. He struggles with basic numbers and the ideas of

addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This is his biggest weakness throughout his curricula.

Diagnostic:

Based on this data, Student A is extremely low when it comes to the category of Communication.

He lacks the skills to be considered grade-level and will need additional help to continue on an upward

trend.

Recommendation:

In considering the data throughout the report, my professional opinion is to keep Student

A in the environment that he is in. I feel this way based on the evidence provided throughout

testing and his below average scores. I would recommend to continue to provide Student A with

small group lessons, individualized communication, as well as continue with the evidence-based

interventions to keep him on an upward learning trend.

Increased exposure to math and basic math problems will improve his overall

understanding of what is being asked and will provide him the opportunity to gain a sense of

confidence with this necessary skill.

Student A is in the best environment for his educational needs and will continue to

improve with exposure to the overall curriculum.