METHODS OF ASSESSMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

1. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION DR. GEORGE GIULIANI HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY SPED 242

2. Definition of Assessment • Definition of Assessment: Assessment in special education is a process that involves collecting information about a student for the purpose of making decisions. • Assessment is primarily a problem-solving process • Process: A series of actions that bringing about a result. • e.g., the “process” of becoming a teacher; the “process” of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

3. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT USED IN SPECIAL EDUCATION • OBSERVATIONS • Observation: An assessment technique whereby one observes the student in his or her natural environments. • Observing the student and his or her environment is an important part of any assessment process.

4. Observations • Observations in the classroom and in other settings where the student operates can provide valuable information about: • Academic skills • Motor/Physical skills • Communication skills • Social skills • Management skills

5. Two Types of Observations • 1. Nonsystematic observation: Observer simply watches the observer in his or environment and notes the behaviors, characteristics, and personal interactions that seem significant. (see slides on anecdotal recording) • 2. Systematic Observation: Here, the observer sets out to observe one or more precisely defined behaviors. The observer specifies observable events that define the behavior and then measures the behavior in a certain way. (see slides on event recording and duration recording)

6. Common Observational Techniques • 1. Anecdotal Recording:The observer describes incidents or behaviors observed in a particular setting in concrete, narrative terms (as opposed to drawing inferences about feelings or motives). • This type of record allows insight into cause and effect by detailing what occurred before a behavior took place, the behavior itself, and consequences or events that occurred after the behavior.

7. Anecdotal Recording • Anecdotal Recording allows us to look at the: A-B-C • A = Antecedent • B = Behavior • C = Consequence

8. Common Observational Techniques • 2. Event Recording:The observer is interested in recording the number of times a specific behavioral event occurred (such as how many times the student hits or gets out of his or her seat). • A tally sheet listing the behaviors to be observed and counted is useful; when the observer sees the behavior of interest, he or she can simply make a tick mark on the sheet. • 3. Duration Recording:This method requires a watch or clock, so that a precise measurement of how much time a student spends doing something of concern to the teacher or assessment team (e.g., talking to others, tapping, rocking) can be recorded.

9. Observations • Advantages-Get to see spontaneous behavior • Disadvantages- • (1) No control over the situations • (2) Observer Bias

10. Observation Bias • One source of error may come from the observer -- he or she must record accurately, systematically, and without bias. • If his or her general impression of the student influences how he or she rates that student in regards to specific characteristics, the data will be misleading and inaccurate. • This can be especially true if the student comes from a background that is different from the majority culture. • In such cases, it is important that the observer have an understanding of, and a lack of bias regarding, the student's cultural or language group.

11. ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT • When observing the child in many different environments, you are conducting an Ecological Assessment • Ecological assessment involves directly observing and assessing the child in the many environments in which he or she routinely operates. • The purpose of conducting such an assessment is to probe how the different environments influence the student and his or her school performance.

12. INTERVIEWS • Interview: An assessment technique conducted face to face (or by telephone) between an interviewer and an interviewee where recorded responses to questions are obtained.

13. Two Types of Interviews • Structured Interview:Interview whereby a predetermined set of questions is asked • Unstructured Interview:Interview where no predetermined questions are asked • Most interviews combine both structured and unstructured interview questions

14. Advantages of an Interview • Personal • Emotional • Flexible

15. Disadvantages of an Interview • Time consuming • “Costly” • Rapport between interviewer and interviewee • Concerns with student’s language ability

16. INTERVIEWS • Interviewing the student in question, his or her parents, teachers, and other adults or peers can provide a great deal of useful information about the student. • Ultimately, an interview should be a conversation with a purpose with questions designed to collect information that relates to the observed or suspected disability of the child

17. PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENTS • Often, an initial part of the assessment process includes examining a student's work, either by selecting work samples that can be analyzed to identify academic skills and deficits, or by conducting a portfolio assessment, where folders of the student's work are examined.

18. PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENTS • Perhaps the most important type of assessment for the classroom teacher is the portfolio assessment. • A portfolio is “a purposeful collection of student works that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievement in one or more areas.”

19. Three General Types of Portfolios • 1. Working portfolio- Teacher, student, and parents all contribute to the portfolio. Both works-in-progress and final product pieces are included.

20. Three General Types of Portfolios • 2. Showcase portfolio- The portfolio houses only the student’s best work and generally does not include works-in-progress. The student manages the portfolio and decides what to place in it. • 3. Record keeping or Teacher portfolio- The portfolio houses student test papers and work samples maintained by the teacher. It contains work not selected by the student for inclusion in the showcase portfolio.

21. TEST • Test:A set of questions or tasks administered to an individual to determine knowledge or skills. The results are reported in one or more types of scores.

22. VALIDITY • Validity is the most essential quality needed in a measuring instrument. • Validity denotes the extent to which an instrument is measuring what it is supposed to measure. • Obviously, if an instrument is not producing the information that it is supposed to, it is essentially worthless.

23. VALIDITY • The greater the validity of a test, the greater our confidence that it measures what it is designed to measure. • Questions about validity are of ultimate importance for special educators because it addresses whether an instrument fulfills the function for which it was created.

24. Reliability • Reliabilityrefers to the consistency of measurements. • In assessment, reliability relates to the confidence in an instrument to give the same score for a student if the test were given more than once. • A reliable test produces similar scores across various conditions and situations, including different evaluators and testing environments.

25. Norm-Referenced Tests • A norm-referenced test, also known as an NRT, is designed to compare student performance to that of other students. • In special education, almost every norm-referenced test compares an individual student’s score against national averages.

26. Norm-Referenced Tests • Scores on norm-referenced tests are not interpreted according to an absolute standard or criterion (i.e., 8 out of 10 correct) but, rather, according to how the student's performance compares with that of a particular group of individuals.

27. Standardization • All norm-referenced tests include standardized procedures. • Standardization:Refers to structuring test materials, administration procedures, scoring methods, and techniques for interpreting results. • By standardizing the test it means that all children are receiving the same questions and procedures, no matter where it is being administered.

28. Standardization • Standardized tests are very much a part of the education scene. Most of us have taken many such tests in our lifetime. • There is a wide variety of standardized tests available to assess different skill areas. • In the field of special education, these include intelligence tests, math, reading, spelling and writing tests, perceptual tests and many others.

29. Criterion-Referenced Tests • Criterion referenced tests (CRTs) are scored according to a standard, or criterion, that the teacher, school, or test publisher decides represents an acceptable level of mastery. • The test giver is interested what the student can and cannot do, rather than how his or her performance compares with those of other people.

30. Criterion-Referenced Tests • Mastery-a level of performance on a criterion-referenced test that shows that a student has demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities for a unit of instruction or subject area as defined by a predetermined standard. • CRT are more concerned with “describing what a student can do” rather than “comparing” her performance to others.