IMPLEMENTING ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
SPE 410A
Augsburg College Education Department Mission Statement: The Augsburg College Education Department commits itself to developing future educational leaders who foster student learning and well-being by being knowledgeable in their fields, being capable in pedagogy, being ethical in practice, nurturing self-worth, embracing diversity, thinking reflectively, and collaborating effectively.
á Students will gain practical and comprehensive knowledge of formal and informal testing conducted on students labeled EBD (SPE: B.4, 5; SPEEBD: B.2; C.1).
á Students will be able to identify the significance of different assessment tools and analyze the appropriateness of each (specifically culturally and linguistically diverse students) (MSEP: 3.0; SPE: B.8; SPEEBD: B.3).
á Students will develop basic knowledge of key tests used to evaluate students labeled EBD (Woodcock Johnson, WISC-R).
á Students will be exposed to the theoretical practices of strength and performance based assessments.
á Students will gain insight into the pre-referral and referral process and develop skills to identify what makes up a referral (SPE: B.3, C.8; SPEEBD: B.1).
á Students will learn qualitative observational techniques and conduct assessments based on these skills (SPE: C.8).
á Students will gain knowledge of functional assessments through practice and application.
á Students will practice techniques of person centered planning (PCP) and will be encouraged to initiate and facilitate PCP meetings throughout their internship (SPE: B.5. C.8; SPEEBD B.2, 8).
á Students will familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of assessment language
á Students will understand how comprehensive assessment impact student placement and programming (SPEEBD: B.7).
Standards
Special Education (SE)
A. A teacher of special education understans the role of special education as one part of a single educational delivery system. The teacher must understand:
SE A 3. classification of disabilities, their characteristics and continuum of severity, and their educational implications;
B. A teacher of special education understands and applies referral, assessment, team planning, and placement procedures. The teacher must understand:
SE B 4. components of a comprehensive, unbiased assessment;
SE B 5. use, limitations, ethical concerns, and administration of formal and informal assessments and how to effectively communicate the results to the students, families, teachers, and other professionals;
SE B 8. influence of cultural and linguistic diversity on assessment, eligibility, programming, and placement;
C. A teacher of special education understands how to use individualized education program plans to design and A implement developmentally appropriate instruction and how to evaluate the programÕs effectiveness. The teacher must understand how to:
SE C 8. apply systematic procedures for compiling data on a student or a group of students for the purpose of continuous program evaluation and improvement.
Special Education Emotional Behavioral Disabilities (SPEEBD)
B. A teacher of special education: emotional behavioral disorders understands referral, assessment, planning, and placement procedures specific to teaching students with emotional behavioral disorders. The teacher must understand:
SEEBD B 1. referral and intervention procedures;
SEEBD B 2. use, limitations, ethical concerns, administration and interpretation of formal and informal assessments for students with emotional behavioral disorders and how to effectively communicate the results to the students, families, teachers, and other professionals;
SEEBD B 3. how to adapt and modify existing assessment tools and methods to accommodate the unique abilities and needs of students with emotional behavioral disorders;
SEEBD B 7. various educational placement options and the selection of appropriate options based on the needs of the student;
SEEBD B 8. how to integrate assessment results and information generally available from family, school personnel, legal system, department of social and health services, and mental health agencies in developing individual education program plans.
C. A teacher of special education: emotional behavioral disorders understands how to use individual education program plans to design and implement developmentally appropriate instruction for students with emotional behavioral disorders. The teacher must understand how to:
SEEBD C .1 identify target behaviors to be changed and the critical variables affecting the target behavior, including antecedent events and consequences.
Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice (MSEP)
3.0 A teacher must understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with diverse backgrounds and exceptionalities. The teacher must: use information about studentsÕ families, cultures and communities as the basis for connecting instruction to studentsÕ experiences.
Required Texts:
Pierangelo, R. & Giuliani, G. (1998). Special Educators complete guide to 109 diagnostic tests. West Nyack, NY: The Center for Applied Research in Education.
OÕNeill, R.E., Horner, R.H., Albin, R.W., Sprague, J.R., Storey, K., Newton, J.S. (1997). Functional assessment and program development for problem behavior: A practical handbook. Pacific Grove, CA: Brookes/Cole Publishers.
There will be four basic written components to this course:
1) Case Study:
This case study will revolve around the assessment process. For those students continuing with the student from last trimester, you will be asked to do an analysis of the assessments already completed on the individual you have been following. Based on material covered in class, and an analysis of the existing student assessment, describe the referral process that occurred for the student. What criteria were used for the referral? What assessments were conducted that determined referral to the current placement? Focus on the quantitative outcomes and the interpretation of the scores. How do they inform you about the student? Do these assessments inform or support what you know about the student? How do they impact your teaching? Finally, what questions, if any, remain?
Another critical aspect of assessment is a functional assessment. This assessment gives you a process for systematically examining the relationship between the instruction, academics, student behavior, and the social environment. It will provide you with strategies to modify the environment and instruction so as to increase the academic and social success of the student. If you have already been involved in functional analysis data gathering, you may use information you gathered. The elements of the analysis are as follows:
á Observations- In most cases, you have already done a good deal of observing. This aspect of the assessment will help you to fine tune specific issues that need to be targeted. Keep an observational journal and observe the student at least twice a week. The observation period should be between 25-45 minutes, depending on the situation. Journal entries should be descriptive and comprehensive (we will discuss this in critical issues seminar). The first section of each entry will describe the incident you observed. Following the incident, provide your analysis of that incident. This is a place for you to generate your theory and personal reflections. Observations will be handed in twice during the semester.
á Teacher/ parent interview/student - This will allow you to gather additional information for others who interact with the child and to gain alternative interpretations. You will use this information to develop an intervention plan in the course on behavior management. (Completed prior to class 5)
A final summary will consist of a critique of the comprehensive assessment of the student. Include a discussion, when needed, on the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on the assessment process. What might be potential biases of the assessments conducted? From your stance, do you think (or has) diversity impacted program placement?
In a journal format you will describe and discuss your personal knowledge and insight into quantitative and qualitative means of assessing students. You should reflect on which paradigm best addresses the way in which you process information, and which gives YOU (this may vary for each student) the best way of understanding student needs. You will be asked to submit your first journal entry after the quantitative assessment component of the course, the second after the qualitative portion, and the final entry will be your over-all analysis of the two paradigms. Articulate what type of information you gained from each type of assessment.
You will write a complete evaluation summary on a student presented to you in a case study format. Assessment data will be provided throughout the term. You will compile the information and write a summary in accordance with Minnesota guidelines for assessment summary evaluations.
After each class a question will be posted on the Augnet Blackboard. You will need to respond to this question PRIOR TO the Friday of the next class. Your responses need not be long but must indicate reflection on the topic.
SPE identifies Special Education Standards
SPEEBD identifies Special/Education-Emotional/Behavioral Disability Standards
MSEP identifies Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice
Assessment Tool |
Activities/Documents |
Program Standards |
|
Case Study: assessment Analysis, functional assessment and summary |
Written interpretation of results, complete functional assessment, summary analysis |
SPE. B.3, 4,5,8; C.8 SPEEBD: B.1, 2, 3, 7 C.1 MSEP 3.0 |
|
MAPS meeting and written assessment summary |
Conduct meeting, written description |
SPE B.5 SPEEBD: B.2, 7, 8 MSEP 3.0 |
|
Personal journal/analysis |
Papers |
|
Introduction to assessment and information gathering. Intervention Strategies
Assignment: Pierangelo, R. & Giuliani, G. Sections 3 and 4/ Blackboard
Understanding the scope of intelligence testing/ School Psychologist
Pierangelo, R. & Giuliani, G. Section 5/ Blackboard
Psychological, social assessments /Achenbach/Connors/BASC/ Speech
OÕNeill, Horner, Albin, Sprague, Storey, Newton, Chap. 1/ Blackboard/School Nurse/ Journal Assignment part 2
Conducting Functional Assessments/ Observations
OÕNeill, Horner, Albin, Sprague, Storey, Newton Chap 2/ Blackboard/ Case Study
Functional Assessments cont. Case Study due
Assignment
OÕNeill, Horner, Albin, Sprague, Storey
Chapters 3 & 4/ Blackboard/Complete Evaluation Summary
Functional Assessments: Developing Plans
Wrapping up, ?Õs, etc.
Journal Assignment Part 3 due April 11
Case StudyAnalysis of quantitative assessment Functional assessment Teacher /parent interview Final summary |
Total=45 points10 15 10 10
|
Evaluation Summary |
20 points |
Journal Ð 3 parts |
20 points |
Attendance, Blackboard, and participation |
5 points |
4.0= 95%
3.5= 90%
3.0=80%
2.5=75%
2.0=70%
1.5=65%
Student Rights: Students with diagnosed disabilities may have legal rights to course modifications. Please identify yourself to the instructor the first week of class so that I may assist you in reaching your learning goals. All students have the right to use the Augsburg College Counseling Center and Student Development Services, as well as to receive tutoring assistance from the Writing Lab.
Honesty Policy: The Augsburg College policy on academic honesty applies to this course. Unless, otherwise stated, the assignments you hand-in are assumed to be your own individual work. Please refer to the Augsburg Student Guide for further details.