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C-SEP

Core Selective Evaluation Process

Training Opportunities

C-SEP (Core-Selective Evaluation Process) offers on-demand, remote and in-person training to both schools and districts. We can tailor courses to meet your specific needs. Our repertoire includes introductory course for novice C-SEP users as well as advanced course for assessors experienced with the model.


Please contact us via email for more information and/or to schedule training.


Please register using the form below.

Course Ideas for Schools and Districts

Module: 2 Hours each


Manual: The Updated and Revised C-SEP Manual is available for purchase directly from C-SEP for $51.77 with free shipping. See the documents page of this website to register and obtain payment information.


Instructional Module 1: Introduction to the Core-Selective Evaluation Process (C-SEP). Beginner/Refresher


In response to the improvements in test design and the ongoing quest to identify students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in the most efficient and accurate manner, it’s time for evaluators to alter their way of conducting evaluations. This session will discuss the history of SLD evaluation and explore an efficient model for planning and assessing for SLD. The Core-Selective Evaluation Process (C-SEP) was conceptualized and recently introduced into the field.


The C-SEP approach to SLD identification is a third-method pattern of strengths and weakness (PSW) technique rooted in contemporary CHC theory. It leverages professional judgment, integrated data analysis techniques, and statistical considerations to help guide the decision-making process. C-SEP is organized around educational and evaluation practices logically interwoven to provide the most comprehensive, statistically sound, and legally defensible assessment of SLD. This course will describe the organizational framework of C-SEP, distinguish C-SEP from other methods, and provide an illustration of this model through a case study.


The participant will learn to:

● Understand and apply the lessons from the last decade regarding SLD identification.
● Understand best practices for conducting a comprehensive SLD evaluation.
● Define the components of Core-Selective Evaluation Process (C-SEP) (Review, Plan, Assess, & Decide).
● Highlight the 4 P's of C-SEP (Policy, Publisher guidance, best Practices, and Professional judgment)
● Describe the use of C-SEP when looking for patterns of strengths and weaknesses (PSW) for SLD identification.
● Understand the importance of considering multiple sources of data when determining patterns of strengths and weaknesses (PSW).
● Understand the importance of conducting individualized, targeted, purpose driven assessments.
● Understand the evaluator's ethical responsibilities and the legal implications of SLD models of identification.


Module 2: Targeted Assessment: Data Collection, Organization, and Establishing a Focused Referral Question


A key component of conducting a targeted assessment using C-SEP involves gathering, organizing, and analyzing multiple sources of data. This module offers recommendations for organizing data, conducting preliminary analysis of patterns of strengths and weaknesses using the data available, ruling out exclusionary factors, and establishing a focused referral question that leads to a targeted assessment plan.


Module 3: Language: An Integral Part of C-SEP


Module 4: Considering and Ruling Out Exclusionary Factors


Module 5: Pattern Seeking Techniques for SLD Identification: An Integral Part of C-SEP


Pattern seeking techniques are a key aspect of the C-SEP framework. Evaluators must be able to organize, integrate, compare and interpret multiple sources of data in order to establish patterns of strengths and weaknesses. This refresher session centers on pattern seeking techniques, underscoring publisher guidance when analyzing and interpreting standardized tests results through the triangulation of multiple data sources. Finally, a discussion of the role professional judgment plays throughout the process is likewise discussed.


The participant will learn to:

● Understand the implications that advances in CHC Theory and in test design have on test selection and diagnostic precision.
● Examine publisher guidance on analysis and interpretation of standardized testing results.
● Understand the importance of collecting, analyzing, and integrating multiple sources of data when conducting an evaluation.
● Triangulate and analyze the chain of evidence to establish the presence of a PSW and when determining SLD.
● Understand the role professional judgment plays in determining SLD eligibility.


Module 6: Task Demand Analysis


Module 7: Writing a Legally Defensible Report Using C-SEP


Understanding how to organize and present assessment data obtained through the use of the C-SEP framework is important. This session focuses on writing legally defensible reports using the C-SEP framework. The presenter will highlight the organization of a Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) and review its primary components. Sample write-ups will be provided to illustrate how data can be clearly presented in a report. Participants will likewise have the opportunity to practice writing informative student descriptions that go beyond interpreting standard scores. The importance of utilizing task analysis, multiple sources of data and the integration of findings will be demonstrated. Adherence to state and federal policy will equally be addressed.


The participant will learn to:

● Understand the components of the C-SEP framework.
● Examine the importance of writing a legally defensible FIE.
● Understand how to organize and describe data throughout the sections of the FIE.
● Understand the importance of describing student functioning beyond standard scores.
● Understand how to integrate task analysis descriptions into the FIE.
● Understand the importance of integrating policy within the report.


Module 8: Using the C-SEP Framework for Dyslexia Evaluations (full/half day offerings)


These sessions define the Core-Selective Evaluation Process (C-SEP) and explain how it can be used when assessing for dyslexia. Participants explore important considerations when conducting dyslexia assessments and examine the application of the tenets of C-SEP during dyslexia assessment.


Advanced Courses


C-SEP Hands-On Practice (Intermediate) half/full-day offerings


Nothing builds confidence like hands-on practice. We can guide you through an assessment from start to finish using case studies that exercise your skills.


The participant will learn to:

● Understand the steps of the C-SEP framework.
● Demonstrate understanding through the application of C-SEP to specific case studies.
● Demonstrate the ability to triangulate and analyze all data collected on the student.
● Understand the role of professional judgment in the evaluation process.