When assessing a student for special education eligibility under IDEA, what must the educational diagnostician consider?

In the process of assessing a student for special education eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it is essential for the educational diagnostician to consider both achievement tests and intelligence tests. These assessments provide critical quantitative data that help determine the student's academic performance levels and cognitive abilities.

Achievement tests measure what a student has learned in specific academic areas, such as reading, writing, and mathematics, while intelligence tests assess the student's cognitive capacity and potential for learning. By evaluating the results from both types of tests, the educational diagnostician can gain a comprehensive understanding of the student's learning profile. This allows for more informed decisions regarding eligibility for special education services, ensuring that the assessment is based on robust evidence of the student's academic and developmental needs.

In contrast, considering factors such as social background, teacher feedback, or extracurricular involvement alone may provide useful context, but they do not yield the objective data required by IDEA to establish the need for special education services. Hence, achievement and intelligence tests form the foundation of the eligibility determination process.