Chapter 11 Assessments, At-Risk Students and Special Needs

 While it is important to understand the ways students can be ‘challenged’ as they learn, I believe it is important to view all students as highly capable. Since teacher expectations of students are such a powerful factor in their success, please remember that we’re dealing with unique human beings who face learning challenges they didn’t choose. Success for all students applies to students with learning challenges too! Dr. T

 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome  Environmental Risk Factors: Lead, Chemicals.  Speech Impairments  Communication Disorders  Mental Retardation  Learning Disabilities  Emotional Disturbances  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder  Asberger’s / Autism  Physical Handicaps  Other – each child who is challenged has a unique set of challenges.

 What it is: the right of each child to a good education in the ‘least restrictive’ environment possible.  What is it not: optional  Inclusion provides opportunities for creative pedagogy designed by teachers, parents, and students. (The Individual Educational Plan or IEP).

 Special Education: Free and appropriate education for every child w/ disabilities btw ages 3 – 21, regardless of how serious the disability. Public Law or Individuals w/ Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Assessments used to measure, diagnose or place students w/ disabilities must be free from racial or cultural bias and be given in student’s native language.  Assessments must not be biased because of child’s disability.

 Protocol and Federal Guidelines must be followed.  Public Law : Describes placement categories.  Mentally retarded11.02 %  Hearing impaired 1.27%  Visually impaired.47%  Emotionally disturbed 8.36%  Orthopedically impaired 1.25%

 Other health impaired3.98%  Deaf-blind.02%  Multiple disabilities 1.94%  Learning disabled 50.84%  Traumatic brain injury.23%  Autism.96%  Developmentally delayed.21%  (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2000)

 Federal and state rules and regulations require that students are diagnosed and classified within specific categories in order to receive funding to serve students with special needs.  Does this ‘categorizing’ affect your teaching practice as you work with this student?  Does a ‘special education’ classification affect the way you view a student’s capacity and potential?  How do the terms ‘special education’, ‘special needs’, ‘handicapped’, etc. affect our interaction with and conceptualization of students?

 Diagnostic Achievement Tests: Assess specific skills of students in areas such as reading or mathematics. Developed by major test publishing companies, these tests are often used to diagnose specific learning problems or learning disabilities.  Ex: Woodcook-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery – Revised, Key Math – Revised Inventory, etc.

Used to: (1) Pinpoint specific academic problems. (2) Determine special education placements. 1. Wood-cock Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery 2. Key Math-Revised Inventory 3. Peabody Individual Achievement Test 4. Stanford Diagnostic Reading and Mathematics

5. Wide Range Achievement Test 6. Metropolitan Diagnostic (reading, math, language) 7. May include IQ: WIPPSI, WISK, WAIS