Effective Assessment for Students with Special Needs : A Practical Guide for Every Teacher

by Jim Ysseldyke

• ISBN13: 9781412939430
• ISBN10: 1412939437
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-21
• Publisher: Corwin Pr

Summary

Discover what assessment methods you should be using, and how, when, and where they should be administered to ensure appropriate services are selected for all exceptional students.

Table of Contents

About A Practical Approach to Special Education for Every Teacher	ix
Acknowledgments	x
About the Authors	xiii
Self-Assessment 1	1	(4)
Introduction to Effective Assessment for Students With Special Needs	5	(78)
What Should Every Teacher Know About Assessment for Decision-Making Purposes?	7	(12)
Screening Decisions	7	(3)
Early Screening	8	(1)
Later Screening	9	(1)
Decisions to Provide Special Help or Enrichment	10	(1)
Referral to an Intervention Assistance Team	10	(1)
Decisions to Provide Intervention Assistance	11	(1)
Decisions to Refer for Evaluation	11	(1)
Exceptionality Decisions	12	(1)
Decisions About Special Learning Needs	13	(1)
Decisions About Eligibility or Entitlement	14	(1)
Instructional Planning Decisions	15	(1)
Progress Evaluation Decisions	15	(1)
Program Evaluation Decisions	16	(1)
Large-Scale Program Evaluation	16	(1)
Teachers' Own Evaluations	17	(1)
Accountability Decisions	17	(2)
What Are the Most Common Assessment Practices?	19	(6)
Curriculum-Based Assessment	19	(2)
Curriculum-Based Measurement	21	(1)
Instructional Diagnosis	22	(1)
Academic Time Analysis	22	(1)
Assessment of Instructional Environments	23	(1)
Outcomes-Based Accountability	23	(1)
Performance Assessment	24	(1)
How Are Assessment Data Collected?	25	(8)
Methods for Collecting Data	25	(1)
Tests	26	(3)
Formal and Informal Measures	27	(1)
Group and Individual Tests	27	(1)
Test Formats	27	(1)
Screening and Diagnostics	28	(1)
Norm- and Criterion-Referenced Tests	28	(1)
Test Content	29	(1)
Observations	29	(1)
Interviews	30	(1)
Work Portfolios	31	(2)
Which Methods of Assessment Should Be Used to Sample Certain Behaviors and Abilities?	33	(16)
Intellectual Abilities	34	(3)
Testing Intelligence	34	(1)
Observing Intelligence	34	(2)
Intelligence Interviews	36	(1)
Academic Achievement	37	(2)
Achievement Tests	37	(1)
Observations of Achievement	38	(1)
Achievement Interviews	38	(1)
Achievement and Portfolios	39	(1)
Sensory Acuity	39	(2)
Testing Vision and Hearing	40	(1)
Observations of Sensory Acuity	40	(1)
Adaptive Behavior	41	(2)
Adaptive Behavior Scales	42	(1)
Environments and Adaptive Behavior	42	(1)
Language Development	43	(2)
Tests of Language	43	(1)
Observations of Language	44	(1)
Language Interviews	44	(1)
Psychological Development	45	(2)
Personality Tests	45	(1)
Psychological Observations	45	(1)
Psychological Interviews	46	(1)
Perceptual-Motor Development	47	(2)
Perceptual-Motor Tests	47	(1)
Perceptual-Motor Observations	48	(1)
Perceptual-Motor Interviews	48	(1)
What Standards Must Be Met to Ensure the Accuracy of an Assessment?	49	(6)
Reliability: Is Performance Consistent?	49	(1)
Representativeness: Does the Instrument Adequately Sample the Behavior?	50	(1)
Validity: Does a Procedure Measure What It Is Supposed to Measure?	51	(4)
What Concerns Do Parents, Students, and the General Public Have About Assessments?	55	(4)
Test Fairness	55	(1)
Acceptability	56	(1)
Consequences	57	(2)
What Are the Assumptions Underlying Assessment Practices?	59	(6)
The Examiner Is Skilled	59	(2)
Establishing Rapport	60	(1)
Training to Administer Tests	60	(1)
Scoring	61	(1)
Interpreting Results	61	(1)
Future Behavior Can Be Inferred From Present Behavior	61	(1)
Assessment Is Relatively Free From Error	62	(1)
Students Have Comparable Acculturation	63	(2)
What Guidelines Should Be Followed for Appropriate Assessment?	65	(8)
There Is No One Way to Do It Right	66	(1)
There Is No One Cause of School Problems	66	(1)
Assessment Must Do More Than Describe Problems	67	(2)
Assessment Must Be Directed at Improving Instruction	69	(1)
Assessment Should Occur Often During Teaching	69	(1)
Assessment Should Concentrate on Relevant Variables	70	(1)
Assessment Should Occur Where the Behavior Occurs	70	(1)
Tests Should Be Adapted to Accommodate Students	71	(2)
Assessment in Perspective	73	(2)
Assessment in the Classroom	73	(1)
The Effects of Assessment	74	(1)
What Have We Learned?	75	(8)
Key Points	75	(1)
Key Vocabulary	76	(7)
Self-Assessment 2	83	(4)
Answer Key for Self-Assessments	87	(2)
On Your Own	89	(2)
Resources	91	(4)
Books	91	(1)
Journals and Articles	92	(1)
Organizations	93	(2)
References	95	(2)
Index	97