The terms evaluation and assessment have frequently been used interchangeably. They both refer to an information gathering and testing procedure regarding a child’s development and academic performance, but each has a different meaning. Bowe (2007) defines the difference between evaluation and assessment in terms of the people who conduct them, their frequency and their purpose.

An evaluation is only conducted by a team of licensed professionals and is done through a mix of tests, observations and parent interviews. Under Part B of IDEA, evaluation is referred as a formal process that determines if a child is eligible to receive special education services. The process begins after the identification process has been completed. A diagnosis is made to determine the need of a child to receive specific types of services. After the diagnosis an evaluation is conducted every three years to determine if the child is eligible to continue receiving services.

Under Part C of IDEA, and evaluation determines the eligibility for infants and toddlers to receive services by documenting the level of delays and functioning in five areas: cognitive, language, social-emotional, adaptive and and motor development. IDEA requires that an evaluation by an Early Intervention program include an assessment of the family needs and their resources.

Assessment is a broad term that can be seen as a flexible, collaborative, decision making process in which teams comprised of families and professionals repeatedly revise their judgement and make decisions (Bagnato and Neisworth).

In early childhood especial education, assessment is designed to be an experience through which professionals and family members work together and exchange information to benefit the child’s growth and development (Division for Early Childhood, 2007).