1. Chapter 1
Special Education Assessment

2. Definition of Assessment
Educational assessment is:
an ongoing process
systematic
a collection of educationally relevant information
used for decision-making purposes

3. Assessment, Testing, and Diagnosis –The Differences
Educational assessment focuses on the identification of the student’s educational needs
Testing is one type of assessment
Diagnosis attempts to establish the cause of the disability

4. Historical Influences
Work of Binet and others
Controversy over the nature of intelligence
Work in the fields of medicine, anthropology and sociology
PL and PL (1997 IDEA amendments)

5. Status of Educational Assessment Today
The challenge of appropriate procedures to assess culturally and linguistically diverse students
Assessing students across multiple environments
Assessment connected to academic standards
Implementation of No Child Left Behind Initiative

6. Purposes of Assessment
Identification
Screening and Prereferral process
Determining Eligibility
Program Planning
Monitoring Student Progress
Program Evaluation

7. Kinds of Assessment Procedures – Formal Strategies
Norm-Referenced Tests
Group Administered Tests
Achievement Tests
Aptitude Tests
Individually Administered Tests

8. Kinds of Assessment Procedures – Informal Strategies
Observations
Curriculum-Based Measures
Task Analysis
Work Sample Analysis
Inventories
Criterion-Referenced Tests
Techniques Using Informants
Checklists and Rating Scales
Interviews and Questionnaires
Combination Approaches
Portfolios

9. Emphasis on Three Groups of Students
Students with mild retardation
Students with emotional disturbance/behavioral disorders
Students with specific learning disabilities

10. Collaboration and the Team Approach
Mandated federally by PL , PL and IDEA for:
Evaluation for eligibility
Formulation of the IEP
Evaluation of the IEP
Re-evaluation of placement and related services

11. Team Membership May Include:
School personnel
Parents and student
School support personnel
Medical personnel
Social Workers and Counselors
Transitional specialists
Motor skill specialists
Other specialists

12. Critical Issues Variability in professional educational assessment
Technical quality of tests
Discriminatory practices in assessment
Relevance of assessment data to instructional planning

13. The Assessment Question Model
Is there a school performance problem?
Is the school performance problem related to a disability?
What are the student’s educational needs?
What types of services are required to meet those needs?
How effective is the educational program?