Assessing Learners With Special Needs Chapter 1 Introduction Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Basic Concepts Testing versus Assessment Assessment to measure progress Assessment to measure achievement Assessment for determining strengths and weaknesses - academic - behavioral Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Describing people with differences Labeling - used to identify people who differ from the accepted norm. –Disability- a loss of physical, academic, or social functioning that interferes with typical growth and development. –Handicap- a limitation imposed on the individual by environmental demands; an ability to adapt or adjust to these demands. –Exceptional - an individual who substantially deviates, either higher or lower, from the norm

Why are labels still used? To distinguish those who are eligible for services from those who are not. –Funding may be dependant upon the number and types of individuals who are deemed eligible. Labels help professionals communicate

Who Receives Special Education? Visual impairment Traumatic brain injuryOther health impairments Specific learning disability Speech or language impairment Orthopedic impairmentMultiple disabilities Mental retardationHearing impaired Emotional disturbanceDevelopmental delay (3-9) Deaf-blindnessAutism

Traditional Assessment Model General Education Classroom Instruction Student Not Progressing As Expected Student Referred to Multidisciplinary Team Team Completes Assessment Team Meeting Determines Student Found Eligible for Services Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Difficulties With Traditional Assessment Practices Lack of Prereferral Interventions Lack of Integrity of Prereferral Interventions Bias in Referral Process Bias in Assessment Process Lack of Consistency in Eligibility Decisions Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Contemporary Assessment Model General Classroom Instruction with Frequent Measurements And Statewide Assessments Student Not Making Progress General Education Teacher Assesses Skill/Task Using Frequent Measurements, Probes, Error Analysis of Student Products and Performance Interventions Implemented by Classroom Teacher Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Interventions Not Successful General Classroom Teacher Meets with Problem-Solving Team Team Members Analyze Data and Generate Hypotheses Teacher and Team Design Additional Interventions Interventions Implemented and Monitored for Integrity Teacher Takes Frequent Measurements and/or Observations Interventions Successful Student Continues in General Classroom Student Continues to Have Difficulty with Academic Progress and/or Behavior Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Team Meets to Analyze Data Team Determines if Additional Assessment is Needed or Additional Interventions Implemented and Monitored for Integrity Team Designs Assessment Plan Interventions Successful Student Remains in General Classroom Student Receives Comprehensive Evaluation Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Team Meets to Determine Student’s Needs Student Receives Accommodations for Educational and/or Behavioral Needs Interventions Monitored for Success Student Found Eligible for Special Education Support Receives Services in General Education Classroom or Special Education Setting Interventions Monitored for Success Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Types of Assessment Ecological Assessment-Evaluation of classroom variables to determine possible classroom environmental influences of learning or behavior Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Norm-referenced Assessment- Tests designed to compare a specific student’s ability with the ability with that of same age students in national sample. Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Standardized Assessment- Tests given with specific instructions and procedures, often norm-referenced. Error Analysis-Evaluation student work to determine a pattern of errors or specific type of errors Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Curriculum-Based Assessment- To determine how student is performing using actual content of curriculum such as chapter tests or teacher made tests. Curriculum-Based Measurement- Specific techniques to measure progress of a specific skill against an aim line. Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Dynamic Assessment-Interactive assessment to determine of student has potential to learn a new skill. Portfolio Assessment-Using a variety of student products to evaluate progress over time in specific area. Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Criterion-referenced Tests- To assess a student's progress in skill mastery against specific standards Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Checklists, Rating Scales, Observations- A variety of measures used to determine student's skill level or behavioral functioning. Terry Overton Assessing Learners with Special Needs, 5e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.