Classroom Assessment for Students With Special Needs in Inclusive Settings

9780130810496

0130810495

Classroom Assessment for Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settingsis written for future teachers and experienced educators who are interested in developing or expanding their understanding of effective and reflective assessment practices. It is designed to be used in undergraduate and graduate education courses and can be used for in-service and reaccreditation courses for practicing teachers, support staff, administration, and any personnel who provide services to students with diverse learning needs. Because of its focus on inclusive practices, procedures, collaboration, and the relationship between assessment and instructional programming, this text can also serve as a supplementary text for educational psychology, tests and measures, methods, or consultation courses. Most assessment texts focus on formal, standardized assessment. This text is different; it addresses all aspects of assessment but focuses primarily on informal, teacher-friendly and classroom-relevant methods of measuring achievement, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and monitoring the progress of students with diverse learning needs. The goal of this book is to provide the educator with the skills needed to effectively use an authentic, dynamic approach to understanding the needs of the whole child. This is accomplished by identifying how a variety of factors--cultural, linguistic, medical, health, social--emotional and the home, school, and community environment-can affect the child's educational adjustment and progress in educational programs. Chapter Contents and Organization Each chapter begins with key terms that are intended to direct and guide learning, followed by an introduction that presents topics covered in the chapter. Chapters are divided into sections for easy reference. The book is organized according to general test procedural order. Clear explanations are provided regarding the development, administration, scoring, interpretation, graphing, and correlation of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) results into goals and objectives. Also addressed are curriculum design and methods for the reporting of progress to parents, related services personnel, support staff, and administration. Authentic case studies give readers examples of classroom scenarios that demonstrate how, when, and why particular assessment procedures are used and explain how to match needed accommodations or modifications to individual needs. Each chapter contains numerous illustrations, examples, models, and directions that will guide teachers in correlating assessment measures to students' curriculum--and subsequently, assessment results to instructional programming. At the conclusion of each chapter, a summary and chapter checkup provide focus points for reader reflection and review. This book is organized into four parts. Part One, Overview of the Assessment Process, includes Chapters 1, 2, and 3, which provide the reader with comprehensive coverage of the reasons for assessment, what the assessment process entails, and variables that can affect assessment results. The first chapter addresses the purpose of assessment, with an extensive description of the evaluation process--from the initial identification of a problem through the pre-referral, referral, classification, program development, and placement decisions to progress monitoring. The second chapter covers the various types of assessment procedures, their strengths and weaknesses, the issues to consider when deciding which assessment method to use, and the use of technology in assessment. The third chapter identifies the numerous medical, physical, environmental, and cultural factors that affect students experiencing difficulty functioning in the school setting. Part Two, Preliminary Assessment Issues, includes Chapters 4 and 5. This part deals with the legal, ethical, political, and accountability issues that must be consid