Professional Development Course on Catering for Diversity in English Language Teaching ENG5316 Assessing Diversity in English Language Learning Session 6 Assessing progress, learning plans and statements Prepared by YANG, Chi Cheung Ruby, Department of English, HKIEd

Assessment 2 “Assessment is more than merely testing students. Rather, it involves collecting data to form a holistic picture of a student so that the teacher can plan instruction and promote student progress” (Meese, 2001, p. 130). In combination, the various forms of assessment give teachers the needed documentation by which to make informed educational decisions to promote student achievement.

Steps in the Assessment Process 3 Identification and Referral Program Implementation and Evaluation Program Planning

4 Identification and Referral Identification of students with possible disabilities Involve the largest number of students Not necessarily result in referral When a disability is suspected, the assessment process involves a multidimentional evaluation.

5 Screening and Teacher Identification Complete checklists or rating forms to identify students with potential problems Conferences with students and parents Review of school records Changes in instruction

Checklists and Rating Scales 6 Checklists are sequential lists of skills that the teacher completes for a particular student. Rating scales are instruments by which the teacher judges a student’s performance or behavior. The rating is often completed using a Likert scale measure.

7 Program Planning Design of the Individualized Education Program (IEP)

8 Design of the IEP Developed before the student begins to receive special services A meeting must be held to examine the appropriateness of the IEP and revise it, if necessary

9 Program Implementation and Evaluation To determine whether the educational program is effective or not Modify the program, if necessary

10 What should be included in the IEP ? Student’s present levels of educational performance A statement of measurable annual goals & short-term objectives Needed special education, supplementary aids, & program modifications and supports The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications, and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications A statement of how the student’s progress toward the annual goals will be measured

11 Ongoing Monitoring of Progress Analysis of work samples Criterion-referenced test Observation

Informal Assessment in the Classroom 12 Informal assessment procedures make use of any data the teacher collects to monitor the progress of students and make instructional decisions. Informal assessment methods often employ the specific curricular materials used when teaching students.

Curriculum-Based Assessment 13 When assessment involves the actual curricular materials that students are using, the procedure is called curriculum-based assessment. Frequent and direct assessment, when used to evaluate student objectives, helps teachers determine the effectiveness of instruction.

Curriculum-Based Assessment 14 APPLY as a framework A = ____________ the curriculum Determine the foundational skills, important competencies and ultimate outcomes for students. P = __________ items to meet curriculum objectives P = __________ frequently Give the CBA several times across the days in order to make decisions about student learning. L = __________ data on a graph Use a graph to plot daily performance data. Y = __________ to results Make decisions regarding student progress and revise instruction accordingly.

Authentic Assessment & Performance- Based Assessment 15 Authentic assessment and performance assessment are two terms often used interchangeably to refer to testing a student’s ability to produce an answer or product that demonstrates his or her knowledge or skills. Results on students’ class assignments, anecdotal records, writing samples, and observational data on behavior are all examples of authentic assessments (Bryant, et al., 2008).

Portfolios 16 Portfolios are a form of performance assessment. With teacher guidance, students select various items to place in their portfolio to document their learning and progress across curricular areas. A portfolio can serve as a vehicle for measuring a child’s current level of functioning and his or her progress toward annual goals and objectives on the IEP. It is an excellent tool to facilitate communication between parents and teachers about student progress.

Criterion-Referenced Assessment 17 How will the teacher determine that a student has mastered an objective? A criterion-referenced test compares a student’s performance to a preset criterion. The criterion is often an objective that states that a student can perform a particular task to a specified level.

Observation 18 Another common method used for informal assessment of both academic and behavioral performance is direct observation. Procedures: anecdotal recording, event recording, duration recording, or time-sampling

19 Review of the IEP Evaluate the student’s progress toward the IEP goals Evaluate the effectiveness of services or supports

20 Task 1 Form in groups of 3-4. Identify a student who is suspected to have learning difficulties. Try to design an individualized education program (IEP) for that student.

Assessment of SEN in Hong Kong 21 Special Educational NeedsProfessional Assessment Specific Learning Difficulties (dyslexia) To be confirmed by educational psychologists (EP) or clinical psychologists (CP) Intellectual DisabilityTo be confirmed by EPs, CPs, or Child Assessment Service of the Department of Health/Hospital Authority Autism Spectrum DisordersTo be confirmed by psychiatrists or Child Assessment Service of the Department of Health/Hospital Authority Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders To be confirmed by psychiatrists Physical DisabilityTo be confirmed by medical doctors as having significant disability Visual ImpairmentTo be confirmed by ophthalmologists, or General Eye and Low Vision Centre of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind Hearing ImpairmentTo be confirmed by audiologists Speech and Language ImpairmentTo be confirmed by speech therapist as having moderate to severe speech and language difficulty or having fluency disorder of any severity

Principles and Strategies for Assessment 22 Flexible assessment arrangements can be made according to students’ special learning needs (Education and Manpower Bureau, 2004). special design for the format of examination papers and answer sheets, arrangement for appropriate examination venues, adaptation of examination time, etc.

Principles and Strategies for Assessment 23 Taking into account students’ learning difficulties, they should be assessed according to their situations (Education and Manpower Bureau, 2004). For instance, Students with serious and profound hearing impairment can be exempted from listening examinations Dictation marks of the students with dyslexia are not counted in the calculation of the total scores in language subject examinations

Some Special Arrangements for SEN Students 24 Large print examination papers Extra 5-15 minutes can be given to mildly visually impaired students for each hour of examination time A 5-10 minutes break can be arranged halfway during the examination when necessary Assessment instructions must be simple, direct and clear with concrete examples Leave enough space for answers Avoid the use of separate answer sheets

Some Special Arrangements for SEN Students 25 Flexibly reduce the use of copying for answering questions, e.g., circle or underline the correct answers in the passage for reading comprehension An additional time allowance of up to 25% for finishing test or examination papers Allow using computers as a tool for writing for students who demonstrate extreme writing difficulties Reduce the amount required for dictation Teachers may consider using “fill in the blanks” instead of dictating the whole paragraph Schools may adopt the system of giving marks for the right answers instead of deducting marks for errors

Case Study: Support for SEN Students in XXX Secondary School 26 Whole-school Approach to Catering for Student Diversity Write up an Individual Education Profile (IEPro) for each student with special educational needs (SEN). Conduct diagnostic tests of Chinese, English and Mathematics. Conduct Chinese and English handwriting tests to assess students’ writing speed. Set up Chinese, English and Mathematics resource classes for SEN students and have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) written for each student in the classes by the subject teachers. Implement Differentiated Instruction. Implement the One Student One Mentor Scheme.

Differentiated Instruction 27 Graded teaching materials and exam papers Low level / SEN students Copying sentences Answering factual questions Main points are highlighted Keywords are bolded / represented with pictures Greater line spacing Simpler and clearer layout Middle level Copying and constructing sentences Answering factual and inferential questions High level Constructing sentences Answering inferential and reflective questions

Task 2 Based on the short story provided, see if you can set some factual, inferential, and reflective questions for students of low, middle, and high levels. Prepared by YANG, Chi Cheung Ruby, Department of English, HKIEd 28

Support for SEN Students 29 Is there any special support for SEN students at your teaching school? If yes, share with other participants.

Evaluation 30 To conduct self-evaluation on SEN support. To develop an annual plan for the following school year.

Self-Evaluation Process 31 Planning SWOT analysis Implementation Evaluation Year-end Evaluation Form for Individual Student Year-end Evaluation Form at School Level

Whole School Approach 32 Think about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats at your teaching school that may affect its implementation of the Whole School Approach to Integrated Education.

References 33 Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2009). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive classrooms. Boston, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon. Education and Manpower Bureau. (2004). Whole school approach: Principles and strategies for assessment. Retrieved May 14, 2009, from Education Bureau Website: Meese, R. L. (2001). Teaching learners with mild disabilities: Integrating research and practice (2 nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Spinelli, C. G. (2006). Classroom assessment for students in special and general education (2 nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.