Functional assessment as a result of the joint actions of teachers and specialists - identifying problems to assess the impact of supporting the development of students

Abstract

Inclusive education is one of the most important and relevant contextual conditions in relation to the new model of functional assessment in Poland. Activities to support students with different educational needs require systematic monitoring of the changing state of their personal and environmental needs. The aim of the article is to present the main assumptions and determinants of functional assessment in Poland as a result of joint activities of teachers and professionals, including the possibility of using the ICF classification, which allows describing the functioning of students with different needs, and the use of functional assessment procedures from the moment of identification of the student's problem to the evaluation of the impact of the support provided. Functional assessment is a multi-faceted and varied process for identifying a student's resources and difficulties and the environmental factors that influence them. It is the basis for all help, support, therapy or rehabilitation measures carried out by various specialists and teachers. It has to include information from different sources in order to get an objective picture of the student's functioning and to learn about his or her life situation. A necessary prerequisite for the functional assessment is the correlation of the actions of the individuals from the supporting institutions and the parents, as well as their knowledge, which includes both the clinical picture of the problem and the person's functioning in everyday situations (ICF), including the impact on the student's functioning in relation to contextual factors (resources and barriers in the environment).