Understanding How Psychoeducation Evaluations Impact Instruction Tools and Practices
Location
Room 3151
Start Date
27-2-2026 11:40 AM
End Date
27-2-2026 12:20 PM
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Ms. Stallworth is the Program Specialist for Academic Programs in the Department of Exceptional Students (DES) for a Georgia school district, supporting Academic Self-Contained programs from Pre-K through 12th grade. With over 10 years of experience serving students with disabilities, she has worked as a teacher and case manager, Lead Teacher for Special Education, and Program Specialist. Ms. Stallworth is passionate about supporting students with diverse exceptionalities and fostering their academic, social, and behavioral growth. Guided by strong leaders throughout her career, she has developed a commitment to building educator capacity and believes deeply in lifelong learning for teachers.
Second Presenter's Brief Biography
Dr. Simon serves as the Director of Learning Support in a local Georgia School district, where she oversees the Special Education department. Dr. Simon has more than 25 years of experience working with students with disabilities and has held the roles of teacher/ case manager, school administrator, compliance specialist, and instructional coordinator for the Department of Exceptional Students. Dr. Simon is a highly skilled and culturally responsive educational leader with a laser-focused commitment to developing staff and enhancing rigorous, innovative, and inclusive learning environments for all students. He is a leader in education among diverse learners, effectively communicating with a wide range of audiences and promoting collaborative programming and initiatives that engage all educational stakeholders.
Third Presenter's Brief Biography
Mrs. Nolberto serves as an Academic Coach in a local Georgia school district, where she supports general education and special education teachers at the elementary level. She brings 20 years of experience serving students and educators in various capacities. Throughout her career, Mrs. Nolberto has worked as a classroom teacher, instructional leader, and mentor, consistently demonstrating a passion for improving instructional practices and fostering student success. Mrs. Nolberto is dedicated to building teacher capacity, strengthening collaborative practices, and creating learning environments where all students can thrive. Mrs. Nolberto remains committed to continuous growth, lifelong learning, and empowering educators to reach their fullest potential.
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Presentation Type
Concurrent Session
Panel Session
Abstract
This session examines the disconnect between interpreting psychoeducational evaluation data and its application to reading comprehension instruction. Participants will explore how accurate data use informs targeted, evidence-based strategies, preventing default generalized support. Emphasis will be placed on improving instructional decision-making to close achievement gaps and enhance outcomes for students with disabilities.
Conference Strands
Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities
Description
Special education teachers are expected to use psychoeducational evaluation data to guide instructional decisions; however, many struggle to translate evaluation results into meaningful, individualized practices that strengthen reading comprehension. This session will explore the disconnect between the interpretation of psychoeducational data and the effective implementation of targeted instructional strategies. When data is misunderstood, students often receive generalized support that fails to address their specific needs. This tends to lead to continued gaps in comprehension and overall academic achievement. Newer special education teachers tend to rely on generic interventions rather than using specific information to plan and deliver individualized instruction (Aceves & Kennedy, 2024). This professional development session will walk participants through common challenges educators face when reading and applying psychoeducational results, such as misinterpreting cognitive profile patterns, overlooking academic subtest implications, or failing to connect evaluation findings to evidence-based instructional methods. By demystifying key assessment components, such as deficits in processing abilities, reading-specific deficits, and instructional implications, participants will gain a clear understanding of how data is used as a foundation for instructional planning. Through interactive examples, case studies, and guided practice, educators will learn how to align psychoeducational results with tailored reading comprehension strategies that support students’ unique learning profiles. The session will highlight how cognitive strengths and deficits can directly inform the selection of interventions and accommodations that are specially designed to improve comprehension for students with disabilities. In addition, practical tools and frameworks will be shared to help educators more confidently interpret evaluation summaries, plan targeted goals, and implement instructional practices that reflect each learner’s needs. Ultimately, this session aims to empower educators to move beyond one-size-fits-all instruction by strengthening their ability to leverage psychoeducational data to drive student growth. By fostering a deeper understanding, participants will be better equipped to close achievement gaps, enhance instructional decision-making, and deliver more effective, individualized comprehension support. When teachers are confident and skilled in interpreting data, students benefit from instruction that is not only research-based but also truly responsive to their unique learning profiles. Reference Aceves, T. C., & Kennedy, M. J. (2024). Special education instructional practices: Effective strategies for diverse learners.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Understanding How Psychoeducation Evaluations Impact Instruction Tools and Practices
Room 3151
This session examines the disconnect between interpreting psychoeducational evaluation data and its application to reading comprehension instruction. Participants will explore how accurate data use informs targeted, evidence-based strategies, preventing default generalized support. Emphasis will be placed on improving instructional decision-making to close achievement gaps and enhance outcomes for students with disabilities.
