Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities - Division on ...

Evaluat<strong>in</strong>g the Acceptability <strong>and</strong> Effectiveness of Family
Assessment Portfolios
Hedda Meadan, James R. Thompson, Mayumi Hagiwara, Julie Herold,
Sarah Hoekstra, <strong>and</strong> Samantha Manser
Ill<strong>in</strong>ois State University
Abstract: The Family Assessment Portfolio (FAP) is a new tool that <strong>in</strong>cludes scrapbooks, web-based profiles, <strong>and</strong>
movies that families create to <strong>in</strong>troduce their children to educators. FAP was developed to promote good
home/school communication <strong>and</strong> collaboration. Although FAPs appear to be a promis<strong>in</strong>g practice for the field
of special education, there is limited <strong>in</strong>formation about its social validity; the social importance of FAPs’ goals,
procedures, <strong>and</strong> outcomes. To evaluate the acceptability <strong>and</strong> effectiveness of the FAPs, data were collected,
through <strong>in</strong>terviews <strong>and</strong> questionnaires, from three groups of stakeholders: parents, FAP facilitators, <strong>and</strong>
educators. Participants reported that the goals of the FAPs are important for both families <strong>and</strong> educators. The
procedures for develop<strong>in</strong>g the FAP were considered to be appropriate <strong>and</strong> acceptable, <strong>and</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>al product was
evaluated as very useful <strong>and</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>gful. Participants also shared their perceived challenges related to the FAPs
<strong>and</strong> had suggestions for improvement. Implications for future research <strong>and</strong> practice are discussed.
In the field of special education there is widespread
consensus regard<strong>in</strong>g the merits of a
family-centered approach to provid<strong>in</strong>g services
<strong>and</strong> supports. Decades of research have
documented positive outcomes from family
participation <strong>in</strong> a child’s school<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> federal
special education legislation strongly encourages
parental <strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>in</strong> educational
plann<strong>in</strong>g (Turnbull, Turnbull, Erw<strong>in</strong>, &
Soodak, 2006). However, barriers to effective
family/school partnerships persist (Lake &
Bill<strong>in</strong>gsly, 2000).
A new tool, the Family Assessment Portfolio
(FAP), was developed to promote successful
home/school collaboration. FAPs <strong>in</strong>clude
scrapbooks, web-based profiles, <strong>and</strong> movies
that families create to <strong>in</strong>troduce their children
to educators. “Although FAPs are not a
panacea for all of the challenges associated
with home/school communication <strong>and</strong> collaboration,
FAPs can be used to (a) empower
The research reported here was supported <strong>in</strong> part
by fund<strong>in</strong>g from The Autism Program of Ill<strong>in</strong>ois
<strong>and</strong> the Ill<strong>in</strong>ois Council on <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>.
Correspondence concern<strong>in</strong>g this article
should be addressed to Hedda Meadan, Department
of Special <strong>Education</strong>, Ill<strong>in</strong>ois State University,
MC 5910, Normal, IL 61790-5910.
<strong>Education</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>, 2009, 44(3), 421–430
© <strong>Division</strong> on <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>
families by <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g them <strong>in</strong> the assessment
process; (b) enhance opportunities for families
to communicate the <strong>in</strong>formation they
most want schools to know; (c) familiarize
future educators with students (e.g., likes, dislikes,
strengths, needs, <strong>and</strong> communication
skills); <strong>and</strong> (d) <strong>in</strong>crease the likelihood that
special education services <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>terventions
will truly address a child’s most important
needs” (Thompson, Meadan, Fansler, Alber,
& Balogh, 2007, p. 19).
The idea for develop<strong>in</strong>g FAPs orig<strong>in</strong>ally
came from parents <strong>in</strong> central Ill<strong>in</strong>ois who
wanted to encourage local schools to <strong>in</strong>clude
their children <strong>in</strong> general education classrooms.
They began creat<strong>in</strong>g materials (e.g.,
scrapbooks, student profiles) that provided <strong>in</strong>formation
about their children to future
teachers <strong>and</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istrators prior to the start
of the school year. Although some of the <strong>in</strong>formation
<strong>in</strong> scrapbooks <strong>and</strong> student profiles
paralleled what one would expect to f<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong>
typical assessment reports (e.g., <strong>in</strong>formation
about words known <strong>and</strong> how the child communicates,
functional descriptions of motor
abilities <strong>and</strong> challenges, <strong>and</strong> descriptions of
specialized equipment used), such <strong>in</strong>formation
was presented <strong>in</strong> an accessible, personal,
<strong>and</strong> “user friendly” format. Parents, teachers,
Family Assessment Portfolios / 421