Q.3 How can students and parents be a part of the assessment and evaluation process? Explain with examples?
Course: Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices
Course Code 8611
Topics
Students and parents be a part of the assessment and evaluation process
- What are Assessment
- Group Intelligence Tests, Skill Evaluations, Developmental and Social History, Observation Record
- Why so many Assessments
AIOU Solved Assignment |Semester: Autumn/Spring | B.Ed/Bachelors in Education /Masters in Education / PhD in Education | BEd / MEd / M Phil Education | ASSIGNMENT Course Code 8611| Course: Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices
Answer:
All effective educators use ongoing
assessments to determine their students’ ability levels in various academic
areas and to guide their instruction. In the realm of special education, the
assessment process is absolutely essential. Parents, teachers, specialists, and
counselors depend on multiple assessments to identify a student’s strengths, weaknesses, and progress.
What Are Assessments?
Assessments often include various
tests, both standardized and criterion-referenced, but testing is not the only
way that educators measure students’ aptitude. Assessments are evaluations and
might consist of anything from simple observations that a teacher or aide jots
down while a student works on an assignment to complex, multi-stage procedures
such as a group of teachers assembling a large portfolio of student work.
Then some assessments are required
by individual schools, districts, or states that help educators determine
whether or not a student qualifies for special education and, if so, the types
and frequency of services that will best support a student’s success.
Common assessments in special education include:
Individual Intelligence Tests: As the
name suggests, individual intelligence tests are administered to a student one-on-one.
• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC):
The school psychologist usually
administers this test, which measures a student’s intelligence in a variety of
areas, including linguistic and spatial intelligence. This is a norm-based
test, meaning that student performance is measured against the performance of
students at various grade levels.
• Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale (derived from the Binet-Simon Test):
The school psychologist or special
education team administers this test, which, like the WISC, is also
norm-referenced. The questions are designed to help educators differentiate
between students performing below grade level because of cognitive disabilities
and those who do so for other reasons.
Group Intelligence Tests:
Group intelligence and achievement tests are often
administered in the general education classroom. It is through these types of
tests that a teacher might first suspect that a student has a learning
disability. These tests have two functions, measuring academic ability as well
as a child’s cognitive level.
Skill Evaluations:
Specialists such as the school speech
pathologist and the child’s general practitioner use certain diagnostic
measures for determining a child’s gross motor skills, fine manipulative skills, and hearing, sight speech, and language abilities. Teachers typically refer parents
to a pediatrician or specialist so that the student can receive a full physical evaluation as part of the process of gathering the evidence necessary to
develop an individual education program (IEP).
Developmental and Social History:
The child’s classroom teacher, parents,
pediatrician, and school specialists help formulate this narrative assessment.
They may fill out checklists, answer questions, participate in an interview, or
write a report addressing a child’s strengths, challenges, and development (or
lack thereof) over time. The focus here is on issues such as the child’s health
history, developmental milestones, genetic factors, friendships, family
relationships, hobbies, behavioral issues, and academic performance.
Observational Records:
Anyone who works with the child can
provide information about the child’s academic performance and behavioral issues.
Daily, weekly, and monthly observational records that show a child’s performance
over time typically fall into the domain of the general education teacher, as
he or she is the individual working most closely with the child regularly. The general education teacher also typically has a firm notion of how a
child’s work and behavior compares to that of other students of the same age
and grade level.
Samples of Student Work:
The general classroom teacher also
provides most of the evidence in this domain. A folder of assignments, tests, homework, and projects can provide a snapshot of a child’s abilities and challenges in
performing grade-level work. A more nuanced portfolio, which may include a
research project, a writing assignment with several drafts, or samples of work
throughout a thematic unit, affords the materials for an in-depth investigation
of a child’s learning style, thought process, and ability to engage in critical
thinking tasks.
Who and What is Involved?
1. Anyone involved in the child’s
life and education might suspect a learning disability or similar issue and ask
specialists to explore it further.
2. The first person to conduct an
informal assessment is typically the classroom teacher, though a guardian or
pediatrician might start the assessment process. At this point, the teacher
should review student work and conduct more formal observations of student
behavior and performance to note any issues.
3. A classroom teacher or
pediatrician might request a referral to a medical specialist, therapist,
psychologist, or other specialist to focus on a particular area of concern.
These individuals keep written records of findings, and should also write
descriptions of any discussions concerning the child.
4. The school’s special education
department or student study team begins informal and formal evaluations. They
will request that the classroom teacher and other individuals working with the
child submit any evidence gathered.
Why So Many Assessments?
In the world of education, quantity
is not always quality. However, educators require multiple measures to ensure
that they gain an accurate picture of a student’s performance compared with
others at the same grade level. This process is essential because a student
might not do well on a specific assessment due to performance anxiety or a learning
disability, but an alternate measure might demonstrate that the student can
function at grade level given certain conditions. For example, some students
perform poorly on standardized tests but do well in authentic assessments
(those that mirror the usage of skills in the real world) such as hands-on
projects.
What Does It All Mean?
No single test or evaluation can
capture a child’s full spectrum of strengths and challenges. Assessments give
educators guidance as to how to provide the best services and support for
children, but they are not everything. As a parent or teacher, you will provide
multiple assessments on an ongoing basis. From there, you can create short-term
and long-term goals for the child.
For example, if you find that the
child has trouble meeting grade-level benchmarks in writing, you might focus on
broadening the contexts in which the child writes, providing multiple
opportunities for engaging, authentic practice. The child might write lists,
label maps, keep a dream journal, sing songs and record the lyrics, try
different forms of poetry, or start a blog.
In the course of practicing and
refining skills, the child should be given time for self-assessment.
Student-led activities such as reviewing work and choosing items for a
portfolio allow met cognition (thinking about thinking) to happen. This process
is underscored by the fact that a student’s work need not look identical to the
work of grade-level peers, but that the child should instead focus on
improvement over time.
