ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING

Special Education  The term ‘special education’ means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability (Sec. 1400) Services are provided in response to child’s needs, not categorically

Special Education is problem-solving  Special education exists because all general education programs fail to educate effectively some portion of students assigned to those classrooms (Deno, 1989).  Special education seeks to solve the problem of students who fail to succeed in the mainstream.

Special Education: Underlying Assumptions  Special education programs are a problem-solving component of the school system whose function is to identify and serve individuals whose performance is significantly discrepant from their peers. (Stan Deno)

Disabilities as Performance Discrepancies  One way to define disabilities is to specify the difference between the performance required of the individual in a given situation and the performance actually achieved.

Disabilities as Performance Discrepancies  Performance discrepancies are the disabilities that must be overcome if an individual is to be perceived as successful.

What do teachers control? Instruction/ Curriculum Assessment Goals and Objectives

ASSESSMENT

Defining Assessment  Within the context of the problem-solving model, assessment becomes  “A tool for improving educational outcomes for children” because it provides us with the information to modify instruction and set appropriate goals.

Assessment Activities in Math  Initial Math Assessment  determining placement and appropriate instruction  Progress Monitoring  determining growth toward goals  Mastery  determining mastery of skills as move through scope and sequence  Instructional Error Analysis  determining error patterns during instruction and remediating

Initial Math Assessment  Referenced to a typical or specific curriculum  Survey-level tests Determine approximate developmental level of skills Conduct initial error analysis  Diagnostic or Specific-level tests Focus on determining placement into scope and sequence  Fact pretests Focus on determining specific fact weaknesses and placement into fact program

Survey-Level Tests  Use placement test from program, design your own based on grade level, or use placement tests from DI Math text (2nd ed.)  Administer test to group.  Decision rules  If any student got 80% or higher on the level test, give the entire group the next higher level test.  If more than one student got 60% or less on the level test, give the entire group the next lower level test.

Survey Level Tests  Summarize group performance using data sheet  Evaluate errors and identify skill areas where students are having trouble  If necessary, administer another survey-level test  Design diagnostic test to gather more information.

Diagnostic Tests  Using data from survey level test, determine student’s current functioning across several skills  Use the following decision rules for deciding which items to put on Diagnostic Assessment

Decision Rules  Did the student do her/his best work on the level test? Were there distractions in the testing environment or was the student unwilling to try hard for you (i.e., are the errors on the test "can't" or "won't" errors)?  If you believe the results of the level test represent the student's best effort, then identify the error type (i.e., fact, component, or strategy).

Decision Rules  If student made component or strategy errors on a problem type, plan on including that problem type on your diagnostic test.  For each problem type you decide to put on the diagnostic test, go to the scope and sequence chart in the DI Math text and select at least two previous skills which students should have mastered, and two later skills you believe the student has not mastered (for goal setting).

Decision Rules  Identify any unique preskills that you believe the student may not have mastered and include these on the diagnostic assessment.  Design three questions for each of the skills you have decided to test. You may select questions directly from the DI Math text.  Write the questions on the math summary chart.

Diagnostic Assessment  Design your diagnostic assessment using the math summary chart.  If students are young, most of your questions will be oral  If questions are oral, you will need to design a data recording sheet  Administer; record data; conduct an error analysis

Fact Pretests  Students may start at various sets. Students who know few facts would start at set A. Students who know more facts would begin at later points.  In order to determine the set at which students might begin, administer a written pretest that includes the 100 basic facts  (available online at the course website)

Fact Pretests  Allow students 2 minutes, instructing them to work as many problems as they can. Use the following guidelines to place students into the sequence: 20 or more facts answered correctly can start at Set G. 30 or more facts answered correctly can start at Set M. 45 or more facts answered correctly can start at Set R. 60 or more facts correctly in the 2 minute pretest probably need not be placed in a fact program for that type of fact

Suggestions for administration  Day One  Administer Survey Level tests  Day Two  Analyze Survey Level test and develop Diagnostic test  Administer Fact Pretest  Day Three  Administer Diagnostic test

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation  Have materials organized and ready to use.  Ask the child to sit next to you; on your right, if right handed, on your left, if left handed.  Put the student(s) at ease before testing.  Provide motivation for working hard (free time, stickers, stars, etc.)

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation  Describe the purpose for testing (to determine what the student knows, what they need to learn).  Give clear directions, then give the child the test.  Record student responses so that student doesn't see.  Follow the testing procedures accurately.  Reinforce good effort, even when student is performing poorly.

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation  Do not allow facial gestures or verbal comments that will tell the student he/she gave a wrong answer.  Do not tell answers or give hints; you are testing, not teaching.  If the student is unable to read the story problems you may read the words to her/him.

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation  You may give prompts after recording the student's initial response to get more information about conditions under which the student can perform the task.  Record as much information as possible; record data accurately.

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation  Stop when the student becomes obviously frustrated.  Thank the student for working with you and give the student a sticker, verbal praise, or whatever you set up earlier.

PLANNING INSTRUCTIONAL ADAPTATIONS

Adaptations  Special education involves making many different kinds of adaptations to general education  Instructional  Behavioral

What are instructional adaptations?

Question  Are instructional adaptations made in the context of the general education curriculum or the special education curriculum?

Yes… Individualized Curriculum General Education Curriculum Core Curriculum Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks

Another way to think about it A few students Majority of Students Core Curriculum Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks Successful in the general curriculum Require additional support and services

IDEA and access to the general curriculum  "the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by... having high expectations for such children and ensuring their access to the general curriculum to the maximum extent possible” (20 U.S.C. § 1400 )

IDEA and access to the general curriculum  "The IEP requirements emphasize the importance of three core concepts: (1) involvement in and progress of each child with a disability in the general curriculum including addressing the unique needs that arise out of the child's disability..."

Instruction Assessment Goals and Objectives So, what might you change? Instructional Environment

What might you change?  Learning environment  Instructional materials  Instructional activities  Teaching strategies  Student performance requirements  Alternate learning and assessment tasks

Lesson Planning  Write goals and objectives  Identify preskills  Determine order of lesson  Develop or select instructional formats and materials  Design data collection and evaluation strategies

Lesson Planning  Goals and Objectives  Write instructional objectives for each strand you are teaching

Objectives  Must include the following components:  The materials available to students. (e.g., tens sticks, dimes and pennies, pencil and paper)  The assistance provided students (i.e., levels of structure-- structured board - independent practice)  The student's name or the group's name.  The behavior (e.g., one digit divisor and one digit quotient no remainder)  An accuracy criterion (e.g., % correct, number correct out of total, rate)  A retention criterion (e.g., number of problems, number of days)

Objectives  Given an oral direction to state the + 7 facts, Jesse will orally tell answers to 7+0 to 7+9 problems independently, with 100% accuracy within 30 seconds for two days.  Given Set M of Carnine Subtraction Facts, Sam will independently answer 28 out of 30 facts in 1 minute for three consecutive days.  Given an independent worksheet, Sarah will multiply 2-digit numbers by one digit numbers with renaming on 9 out of 10 problems for 3 consecutive days.

Lesson Planning  Preskills  Identify what student must know and be able to before s/he can learn the new task

Lesson Planning  Determine order of lesson for each strand  Move through different levels of structure (scaffolding) Warm-up Review of yesterday’s skills Presentation of new material Guided Practice on newly learned and previously learned material Independent seatwork with teacher supervision Workcheck (teacher corrects student work with students and provides corrective feedback)

Lesson Planning  Formats/Activities  Identify instructional formats and materials for each skill to be learned or practiced What will the teacher say and what will students do? What level of support will the teacher provide on each skill How will the teacher provide scaffolding? What preparation must teacher do before implementing the lesson?

Lesson Planning  Evaluation  Identify data collection techniques How will you record student’s progress?  Identify correction procedures What will you do if students make mistakes?