Chapter 7 School Performance

Purposes for Assessing School Performance Evaluate the achievement status of an entire school population Determine the need for extraordinary instructional services Provide information for instructional decisions Provide information about the effectiveness of special education programs

Historical Trends 1970s – Back to basics movement 1980s – Traditional content area subjects 1990s – National education goals, national performance standards, and a national achievement test resulting in Goals 2000: Educate America Act of 1994

Current Trends School restructuring movements signal a change in the governance structure of education Curricular reforms include a shift to higher- order thinking skills and alternative assessment focused on authentic tasks Movement toward greater inclusion of students with disabilities in general education while other placement options remain available

Current Practices Assessment of academic achievement is routine Individual norm-referenced test are preferred for students with disabilities Norm-referenced tests are the most commonly used for eligibility Criterion-referenced tests and informal measures are typically used to provide detailed descriptions of students’ needs

Sources of Information About School Performance School records provide educational history School grades Retentions Special services Attendance records Group achievement test results

Sources of Information About School Performance Student involvement in evaluation Individual achievement tests yield final scores and opportunities for behavior observations Observation of the student in class and analysis of work samples Academic goals, viewpoints, and attitudes may be obtained by questionnaires or interviews

Sources of Information About School Performance Teachers provide information regarding classroom functioning Reason for referral may come from general education teacher Past classroom performance may document learning difficulties Current teachers describe present academic performance Instructional modifications can be examined

Sources of Information About School Performance Parents provide family and community information Parents may have initiated the referral Parents may provide academic history Parents can describe current use of academic skills at home and in the community

Group Tests of Achievement Group achievement tests are usually administered in the general education program Group tests are not preferred for special education students Group tests can be used for screening and to evaluate progress of mainstreamed students

Individual Tests of Achievement Peabody Individual Achievement Test– Revised/Normative Update (PIAT–R/NU) Wide Range Achievement Test–Revision 3 (WRAT–3) Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ III) Wechsler Individual Achievement Test– Second Edition (WIAT–II)

Individual Tests of Achievement Kauffman Test of Educational Achievement/Normative Update (K-TEA/NU) Diagnostic Achievement Battery (3rd edition) (DAB–3) Hammill Multiability Achievment Test (HAMAT)

PIAT–R/NU

WRAT–3

Woodcock-Johnson III

WIAT–II

Criterion-Referenced Tests Evaluate student performance in reference to instructional objectives Most popular is the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills– Revised (CIB–R) Includes inventories based on instructional objectives in readiness, oral language, reading, and mathematics

Curriculum-Based Measurement Strategies Evaluate student performance in relation to local school curriculum Most useful for gathering data for instructional decisions and documenting student progress Also suggested for use in eligibility decisions establishing classroom norms

Procedures Produce Different Results Group tests underestimate abilities of students with special needs. Individual tests are more accurate. Norm-referenced measures help determine the existence and severity of a school performance problem while criterion-referenced measures are best for instructional planning School records, classroom observations, and analyses of student work yield descriptive data

Nature of Assessment Tasks Comprehensiveness refers to the number of academic skills assessed and the breadth of coverage within each skill Test tasks differ from measure to measure and may or may not approximate classroom tasks Motivational factors include the presentation style and requirements for failure

Documentation of School Performance Is there a school performance problem? The answer will be determined by review of school records and assessment procedures