Assessment In Special Education Research Articles

Principals´ influences on teaching and assessment in special education

ABSTRACT Background Through their leadership, principals have an important, yet typically indirect, effect on pupils’ learning. This article focuses attention on principals’ influences on teaching and assessment in special education in Sweden: specifically, in special schools for pupils with intellectual disabilities (SID). Whilst SID principals are accountable for teaching and assessment quality in their schools, research on this aspect is limited. Purpose The research sought to investigate principals’ leadership practices within SID in terms of their influence on teaching and assessment. Methods Data in this qualitative study comprised six principals’ written reports, produced as part of assignment work during a principal education programme. These related to their systematic examination of the internal processes at their schools in relation to teaching and assessment. The reports were analysed, in depth, using an approach informed by the theory of practice architecture. Findings The analysis suggested that principals’ influences on teaching and assessment were constrained, and enabled, by a number of factors. Constraints included arrangements which shaped a form of leadership characterised by replicating the organisational structures of mainstream schools. However, enabling arrangements, including the increased distribution of time and space, emerged as principals’ perspectives shifted. It may be possible for principals to increase their influence on teaching and assessment in SID by better understanding their practice architecture in relation to other practices. This could influence the practice ecology in relation to teaching and assessment, and increase the improvement capacity of the local school – and beyond – in terms of teaching and assessment. Conclusion This study draws attention to SID principals’ self-understanding as system players, and the opportunities to influence practice ecology. It highlights how principals’ leadership within special education has the potential to improve teaching and assessment in local schools within a community, ultimately becoming the driving force for realising inclusive education.

Preliminary Study of Teachers Formative Assessment Perceptions in Special Education in Malaysia

Although formative assessment is widely recognised as an effective tool and approach for increasing student learning in general education, its application in special education, particularly in Malaysia, is less well known. This study looked into teachers’ perceptions towards formative assessment in special education. Three primary teachers who work with students with mild intellectual disabilities participated in a case study. Data was gathered through interviews. The finding reveal that formative assessment implementation was far from satisfactory and it is poorly understood by the teachers, particularly special education teachers. This study also contributes to the need for teachers to improve their formative assessment knowledge and skills in order for formative assessment to help students in special education.

Measuring Grit in Adolescents With and Without Disabilities

In recent policy initiatives focused on college and career readiness, Grit is often lumped with other noncognitive skills deemed as important. Yet, very little is known about the relationship between Grit and disability among adolescents. In this study, we examine measurement invariance of the Grit scale in a sample of adolescents with and without disabilities ( n = 5,039). Findings show the scale functions similarly for students with and without disabilities, and the Perseverance factor of Grit significantly predicted grade point average for both groups. Implications for practice suggest use of the scale in school-wide data collection efforts that might be driven by college and career readiness policy initiatives that emphasize measuring noncognitive skills in all students, and an age-appropriate transition assessment in secondary special education.

Approaches to Multiple Attribute Group Decision Making Based on the DTOWHA Operator with 2-Tuple Linguistic Information

We investigate the multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems in which the attribute values take the form of 2-tuple linguistic information. In this paper, we develop the dependent 2-tuple ordered weighted harmonic averaging (DTOWHA) operator, and then apply the DTOWHA operator to develop some approaches for multiple attribute group decision making with 2-tuple linguistic information. Finally, an illustrative example for service quality assessment in special higher education is given to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.

<b>Matizes do discurso sobre avaliação na formação de professores da Educação Especial</b>

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X6848Neste texto, discutimos os efeitos de sentido que diagnóstico e avaliação operam nos processos que subjetivam a atuação do professor da Educação Especial, considerando a naturalização destas práticas. Para problematizar, tomamos como materialidade de análise fragmentos dos relatórios de estágio produzidos por acadêmicas do Curso de Educação Especial da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Na análise, utilizamo-nos de conceitos metodológicos ancorados nos estudos foucaultianos. Consideramos que não existem polos distintos e dialéticos de uma avaliação diagnóstica e clínica ou uma avaliação pedagógica em Educação Especial, pois o que há é uma tensão de forças que coexistem e marcam a atuação do professor deste campo: a anormalidade, o sujeito deficiente, sua identificação e a mediação de processos de ensino-aprendizagem que potencializem a chegada do deficiente o mais próximo da normalidade.Palavras-chave: Avaliação; Diagnóstico; Professores da Educação Especial.

Social Validity Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education

Social Validity Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education

Introduction to the special issue: The role of literacy assessment and intervention in special education

Psychology in the SchoolsVolume 47, Issue 5 p. 419-420 Introduction Introduction to the special issue: The role of literacy assessment and intervention in special education Lisa A. Pufpaff, Corresponding Author Lisa A. Pufpaff [email protected] Ball State UniversityDepartment of Special Education, Teachers College, Room 710, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306Search for more papers by this authorNina Yssel, Nina Yssel Ball State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorAllison Garwood, Allison Garwood Ball State UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Lisa A. Pufpaff, Corresponding Author Lisa A. Pufpaff [email protected] Ball State UniversityDepartment of Special Education, Teachers College, Room 710, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306Search for more papers by this authorNina Yssel, Nina Yssel Ball State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorAllison Garwood, Allison Garwood Ball State UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 10 March 2010 https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20479AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume47, Issue5May 2010Pages 419-420 RelatedInformation

An Examination of Current Assessment Practices in Northeastern School Districts

Despite the central role of assessment in special education, there is a paucity of current research on instruments and methods used in schools. Special education directors ( N = 164) in five northeastern states responded to an electronic survey related to the use of assessment instruments and methods in their districts. Data are presented regarding district decision-making related to instrument selection and purchase as well as professional development for district staff. The specific use of tests in academic, adaptive, intelligence, and content areas are also presented, as is the frequency of use of 11 assessment procedures, including response to intervention. Implications for preservice and in-service training are discussed.

The Emergence and Possible Futures of Response To Intervention

Response to intervention (RTI) has emerged as a promising, but possibly vulnerable, alter native to the current model of identification and eligibility assessment in special education. Nested within a simple and compelling struc ture for RTI are many questions and chal lenges that make its future as "policy" at-risk unless these issues can be satisfactorily resolved. As it stands, RTI is likely to improve many decisions about educational interven tions, especially when combined with universal screening procedures. In a full RTI implemen tation, potential benefits may include (a) increased achievement schoolwide, because struggling children are identified proactively and immediate help is provided to determine whether or not more intensive help is needed, as well as (b) a coherent and flexible system of services. Whereas many of the components of RTI are well established, RTI needs further operationalization, development, standardiza tion, and field-testing. All first- and second- grade children ( N = 182 children; 364 poten tial reading or math cases) at an elementary school were screened using four measures (curriculum-based measurement, Brigance subtests, state reading test, and teacher identi fication). Decision rules were applied to the screening data to select those children who were at-risk academically. Each of these chil dren ( n = 101 reading and math cases) partici pated in an individual curriculum-based assess ment (CBA) in reading or math. Of these cases, 32 met criteria to participate in individ ual intervention (16 math and 16 reading interventions). Standard protocol intervention was implemented for 5 to 9 intervention ses sions or until children met intervention suc cess criteria. All second-grade children were administered the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Data were generated to examine various criteria for judging intervention responsiveness and to raise empirical questions about the reliability and accuracy with which decisions could be made under an RTI model.

Development and Validation of a Process for Screening Referrals to Special Education

This article describes efforts to examine the validity of a screening process that provides objective data for multidisciplinary team meetings where consideration is being given to teacher referral of a student for assessment and possible placement in special education. In this study, the accuracy with which this process, called Problem Validation Screening (PVS), identified students needing an eligibility assessment was examined. All first and second grade students at a participating school were administered several screening instruments. Students who met screening criteria on any of the screening instruments, and/or who were referred by their teachers, were exposed to a more intensive package of assessment activities termed the “Criterion Assessment” along with two commonly used achievement tests (Iowa Test of Basic Skills and Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery—Revised). Predictive power estimates are reported for PVS to quantify the accuracy and utility of PVS as a screening device.

Cognitive Referencing and Discrepancy Formulae: Comments From ASHA Resources

No AccessPerspectives on Language Learning and EducationArticle1 Jul 2000Cognitive Referencing and Discrepancy Formulae: Comments From ASHA Resources Kathleen Whitmire Kathleen Whitmire ASHA Director of School Services Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.1044/lle7.1.13 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In References Aiken, L. (1985). Psychoeducational testing and assessment. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Google Scholar American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (1989). Issues in determining eligibility for language intervention.Asha, 31 ( (3), 113–118. Google Scholar American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (1994). Report to the federal government. Rockville: Author. Google Scholar American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2000). IDEA and your caseload: A template for eligibility and dismissal criteria for students ages 3 to 21. Rockville: Author. Google Scholar Casby, M. (1996). Cognition and language: Basis, policy, practice, and recommendations.ASHA Special Interest Division 1, Language Learning and Education Newsletter, 3 (1), 5. Google Scholar Carroll, J. (1983). Psychometric theory and language testing.In J. Oller (Ed.), Issues in language testing research.Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Google Scholar Cole, K. (1996). What is the evidence from research with young children with language disorders?.ASHA Special Interest Division 1, Language Learning and Education Newsletter, 3 (1), 6–7. Google Scholar Cole, K. N.,Dale, P. S., & Mills, P. E. (1990). Defining language delay in young children by cognitive referencing: Are we saying more than we know?.Applied Psycholinguistics, 11, 291–302. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Cole, K. N.,Dale, P. S., & Mills, P. E.(1992). Stability of the intelligence quotient—language quotient relation: Is discrepancy modeling based on a myth?.American Journal on Mental Retardation,( 97(2), 131–143. Google Scholar Cole, K. N.,Mills, P. E., & Kelley, D. (1994). Agreement of assessment profiles used in cognitive referencing.Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 25, 25–31. ASHAWireGoogle Scholar Cummins, J. (1985). Bilingualism and special education: Issues in assessment and pedagogy. San Diego: College-Hill Press. Google Scholar Fey, M.,Long, S. H., & Cleave, P. L. (1994). Reconsideration of IQ criteria in the definition of specific language impairment.In R. V. Watkins & M. L. Rice (Eds.), Specific language impairments in children (pp. 161–178). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Google Scholar Galagan, J. (1985). Psychoeducational testing: Turn out the lights, the party’s over.Exceptional Children, 52(3), 288–299. Google Scholar Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2000). Google Scholar Mercer, J. (1973). Labelling the mentally retarded. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Google Scholar Miller, J.,Chapman, R.,Branston, M., & Reichle, J. (1980). Language comprehension in sensorimotor stages V and VI.Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 23, 284–311. ASHAWireGoogle Scholar Muma, J. (1986). Language acquisition: A functionalistic perspective. Austin, TX: ProEd. Google Scholar National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities. (1992). Guidelines for meeting the communication needs of persons with severe disabilities.Asha, 34 (March, Supp.7), 1–8. Google Scholar Nelson, N. W.,Silliman, E. R.,Cheng, L. L., Gordon-Brannan, M.,Shulman, B. B., & Westby, C. E. (1994). Factors influencing speech-language eligibility and service, ASHA Division 1, Language Learning and Education Newsletter, 1 (2), 8–13. Google Scholar Oller, J. (1983). Issues in language testing research. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Google Scholar Rice, M. (1983). Contemporary accounts of the cognitive/lan-guage relationship: Implications for speech-language clinicians.Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 48, 347–359. Google Scholar Rice, M., & Kemper, S. (1984). Child language and cognition. Baltimore: University Park Press. Google Scholar Salvia, J., & Ysseldyke, J. (1988). Assessment in special and remedial education. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Google Scholar Taylor, O., & Payne, K. (1983). Culturally valid testing: A proactive approach.Topics in Language Disorders, 3, 8–20. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Terrell S. (1996, April). Discrepancy model: Questions of concern regarding use for culturally different children.ASHA Special Interest Division 1: Language Learning and Education newsletter. Google Scholar Zigler, E., & Balla, D. (1982). Mental retardation: The development-difference controversy. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Google Scholar Additional Resources FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 7Issue 1July 2000Pages: 13-16 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in issue: Jul 1, 2000 Metrics Topicsasha-topicsasha-sigsasha-article-typesleader-topicsCopyright & Permissions© 2000 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationPDF downloadLoading ...

Reading Assessment and Instructional Practices in Special Education

This study analyzed the instructional reading methods and reading assessment practices employed by K-12 special education teachers. Eight hundred special education teachers from four Midwestern states were surveyed regarding the frequency of use and usefulness of standardized and informal reading assessment practices and the frequency with which they used various reading instructional techniques. Responses were analyzed to determine percent of teachers employing each technique and the mean rating of usefulness assigned to each. Analysis included examination of the relationships between grade levels and instructional settings and teachers' preferences for reading instructional and assessment practices. The survey found that reading assessment practices present in the literature are not commonly used by special education teachers.

Profiles of Asian American Students with LD at Initial Referral, Assessment, and Placement in Special Education

Alhough Asian American students are underrepresented in special education, recent studies have highlighted concerns about the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of the identification and placement process. This study examined the characteristics of Asian American elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) in a school district in the Southwest that was selected because it served the largest number of Asian American students with LD in the state. Due to the small numbers of students served, the sample included all Asian American students with LD in Grades K to 5 (N = 26). Variables of interest included students' demographic characteristics, factors associated with referral, assessment practices and student profiles, and instructional recommendations for special education services. The results suggest that the experiences of Asian American students with LD are similar to those of Mexican American students with LD reported in earlier studies. These findings also reflect the challenges faced by educators in providing appropriate educational services for language minority students.

Assessment in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education

Assessment practices have been, and are likely to continue to be, a well-integrated part of early intervention and early childhood special education. While our field has sometimes adopted approaches to assessment that seem at odds with best practices, most assessment practices used with young children and their families are intended to provide useful information and contribute directly to intervention design and evaluation. Current activities in research and practice suggest three themes or directions that will mark early childhood special education assessment into the 21st century. First, I expect continued—indeed, intensified—attention to assessment of progress and growth for individuals and groups. Second, methods typically associated with ecobehavioral research will continue to be adapted and refined for practitioners to directly assess a variety of environmental conditions and characteristics that affect young children's performance and development. Third, continued integration and linkage of assessment and intervention practices will yield more formal monitoring and decision making models that will reduce the uncertainty about when and how to intervene. Together, these future directions in assessment practice will contribute directly to improvements in the services and supports provided to children and families and to the outcomes these services and supports produce.

Longitudinal assessment of play and adaptive behavior in young children with developmental disabilities

Deficits in appropriate play have been widely documented among children with developmental disabilities. However, there has been little research on the development of play or the relation between play and adaptive behavior in such children. The present study involved a longitudinal assessment of play and adaptive behavior among 13 preschool children with developmental disabilities. Children were assessed every 6 months over a 3-year period. Assessments included standardized ratings of adaptive behavior and videotape observations during unstructured free-play times in the preschool classroom. Adaptive behavior increased by almost one standard deviation from the first to the last round of data collection. Appropriate play was observed during approximately 20% of each 30-min observation and showed little overall change over 3 years of study. Observed play was primarily functional (57%) and exploratory (28%) with less constructive (5%) and pretend (10%) play. Adaptive behavior scores were not consistently correlated with the amount or type of play. The results suggest little overall relation between appropriate play and other major domains of adaptive behavior. Implications for play-based assessment and intervention in early childhood special education are discussed.

Book Review: A practical guide to infant and preschool assessment in special education

Book Review: A practical guide to infant and preschool assessment in special education

A Reference Library for School Art Therapists

AbstractAlthough school art therapists have more clinical training than similar master's level professionals working in schools, art therapists often are not trained in a number of areas essential to success in the educational setting. This paper reviews areas of competence essential to comprehensive school art therapy service delivery and suggests books, journals, and journal articles for use by school art therapists as a resource library. The author suggests art therapy texts as well as references in the areas of assessment in special education, intervention in the school setting, program planning and evaluation, consultation, and research. Utilizing these resources will enhance the effectiveness of those seeking to meet the challenges and urgent needs represented by increasing numbers of students with special education needs.

Book Review: Assessment in Special Education: An Applied Approach (2nd edition). By Terry Overton. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall, 1996. 456 pp. $40.00, softcover (not available in hardcover). ISBN: 0023900075

Book Review: Assessment in Special Education: An Applied Approach (2nd edition). By Terry Overton. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall, 1996. 456 pp. $40.00, softcover (not available in hardcover). ISBN: 0023900075

Transdisciplinary, Play-Based Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education

Although standardized assessments for young children have been criticized, little empirical evidence exists to support alternative assessment methods. Forty children under 3 years of age referred for an early childhood special education evaluation were randomly assigned to either a multidisciplinary, standardized assessment or a transdisciplinary, playbased assessment. Data on parent perceptions, staff perceptions, time factors, functional utility of reports, and parent and staff congruence in judgment-based ratings were evaluated. The play-based assessments took 3 weeks less time to complete than standardized assessments, resulted in favorable parent and staff perceptions, provided useful reports, and had high congruence in developmental ratings. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the social validity of transdisciplinary, play-based assessment methods.

The Progression of Pupils with Special Educational Needs: a comparison of standards

Abstract The central function of the National Curriculum 10‐level scale is to monitor the progression of all pupils against an agreed set of national standards. Any mismatches in the standards which mainstream primary and post‐primary teachers associate with the levels threaten progression when pupils transfer to secondary schooling. However, efforts to minimise such threats to progression when mainstream children transfer from primary to post‐primary schooling, through focused in‐service provision, national tests and exemplar materials, have not been matched by a similar resolve to assure the meaningful progression of children with special educational needs. One comprehensive study of the role of National Curriculum assessment in special education portrays special educational needs teachers as isolated from mainstream in‐service provision, struggling to reconcile the demands of the National Curriculum with those of the ‘special’ curriculum. It is therefore instructive to ask, in the interests of pupil pr...