angelina

Angelina Morta Spring 2010

3/10-4/10 daycare center Totaly Sense-sational Keith Parker 1 hour a week (9 hours) @ Girard Early Childhood Academy KP 3/27/10 IEP CLINIS @ HOLY FAMILY Kathy Snow 6 hours @ Holy Family University PGW 4/6/104/13/10 Daycare center Public Ms. Cyndy D'alessandro 5 hours @ Girard Early Childhood Academy CD4/21/104/22/10

First I'll start with Keith Parker. Keith is an occupational therapist that comes to my daycare to work with one of the children. The child was born with hypo sensitivity, PRN, visual control, and anterior pelvic tilt. Keith has been coming in and working with this child since she was in the infant room with me and she will be 3 in July. Keith does many different activities to help her; jumping (helps with her curved hip), putting on and off socks, balancing activities, spinning (helps her to learn vision control). The IEP clinic with Kathy Snow was very inspiring. Kathy made sure her son had a future and wouldn't take negativity that any doctor or family member gave her, she wrote off anyone that wasn't there to support her, her son and husbands decisions. She told us all about the struggles and accomplishments that her son has encountered over the years. We also heard from parents of disabled students. Cyndy D'alessandro is a coworker of mine. She has a student that has speech therapist come in. (The speech therapist wouldn't let me observe, so I observed Cyndy with what she does from what the therapist tells her to do, besides what she had already known to do on her own.) The student of Cyndy's doesn't like to us words at all. The student will be leaving us in Septermber for kindergarten. Cyndy differientiates for the student but she also pushes him to speak, since he is so used to family speaking for him or used to them just doing what he wants when he points or grunts. The speech therapist is also helping the student with his vocal cords because when he does speak it is very harsh and raspy.

April 22, 2010 Chapter 15 [|http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ab/ab_ab_mylabschool_1/iris/gpm/cresource.htm]
 * 1) List three benefits of progress monitoring over annual achievement tests. 
 * Estimate rates of improvement for each student
 * Identify students who are not making adequate progress and need additional or alternative instruction
 * Evaluate the effectiveness of instruction so teachers can create better instructional programs


 * 1) List two key differences between mastery measurement and CBM. With curriculum-based measurement (CBM):Skills can be taught in any logical order.Growth in all skills is tracked over the entire year. With mastery measurement (MM):Skills are broken into sequenced sub-skills.Each individual skill is assessed, one by one, in a unit of study.
 * 2) Name three ways CBM can be used to help at-risk students.
 * track students progress in reading, math, or spelling by graphing students' scores and comparing to the end-of-year goal.
 * determine whether students are learning from the current instruction by examining their graphs and comparing their scores to their expected performance.
 * change and document instructional strategies for those students who are not showing academic growth


 * 1) What are the six steps in the CBM process? **Step 1: Create or select appropriate tests, Step 2: Administer and score, Step 3: Graph the scores, Step 4: Set goals, Step 5: Make instructional decisions,    **Step 6: Communicate progress **.**
 * 2) How would you use CBM when teaching multiplication fact families (e.g. times tables for 2, 3, 4, etc.)? Describe what you would do for each of the six steps. I would make tests that would be age appropriate, give the test and see how the student scored graph the scores and see where the student falls in the goals and make arrangements to accomondate the student so they can be caught up, etc.

April 22, 2010  Chapter 10: Assessment of Intelligence

** DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ** 1. Discuss the importance of using both informal and norm-referenced reading assessments when gathering information to plan special education programs. IRI's assess both decoding and comprehension skills. They are made up of graded word lists and reading selections that the student reads orally. Norm Referenced- compares a student's performance to that of the students in the norm group.

2. IRIs typically provide three reading levels. Describe these levels and the importance of each. Independent Level is the level of graded reading materials that can be read easily with a high degree of comprehension and few errors in decoding, Instructional Level are somewhat more difficult this is the level appropriate for reading instruction. Frustration Level are too difficult for the student; decoding errors are too frequent and comprehension too poor for instruction to occur.

3. Select five informal reading assessment strategies. Describe each strategy and compare and contrast their purposes. Teacher Checklist- are a quick and efficient means of gathering information from teachers and other professionals about their observations and perceptions of students' reading skills. Error and Miscue Analysis- a traditional technique that dates back to the 1930's when Marion Monroe described common types of oral reading errors. Error analysis is a study of mistakes that students make. The Close Procedure- is an informal technique for determining whether a particular textbook or other reading material is within a student's instructional reading level. Diagnostic Teaching and Clinical Reading Interviews- combine the techniques of observation, interviewing, and diagnostic probes. Criterion Referenced Tests- assess the student's mastery of specific skills within the reading curriculum.

4. Describe three approaches to reading instruction—bottom up, top down, and interactive. Discuss the pros and cons of each approach. Bottom Up- model emphasizes phonetic and linguistic approaches. Top Down- model emphasizes high level processes of comprehension. Interactive- model emphasizes both text and meaning.

5. Explain the importance of phonemic awareness and phonological processing to the reading process. Phonemic awareness and phonological processing-awareness of the sounds that make up spoken words and their ability to recognize similarities and differences among sounds. Phonological processing- appropriate for both young children and older students in the elementary, middle and high school grades. Phonological Awareness contains two levels one for kindergarten children (5-0 through 6-11) and the other for early elementary grade students.

April 11, 2010

1. What are the major differences between the Behavioral Approach and the Ecological Approach in assessments and interventions for students with emotional disturbance? Behavioral Approach- Manipulates student’s immediate environment and the consequences of behavior. Involves measurement of responses and subsequent analyses of behaviors to change them; emphasis on reward for appropriate behavior. Ecological Approach- an approach to assessment that focuses on the student’s interaction with environment rather than on the deficits of the student.

2. Name at least five possible characteristics of students with behavioral or emotional disorders. Why is it important that these characteristics exist for a long period of time and to a marked degree before labeling students as emotionally disturbed? (a) An inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors. (b) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers. (c) Inappropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances. (d) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression. (e) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. It needs to exist for a long period of time because, a child might just be acting out in certain situations. Where as if it exists for a long period of time, teachers, parents and so on will know that there is a disorder. 3. Give three examples of how learning environments can support students with emotional or behavioral disorders. The instructional demands in the classroom learning environment can have an influence on students behavior. If students are faced with academic expectations that they are unable to fulfill, they may react by displaying inappropriate classroom behaviors. Physical conditions can influence the effectiveness of the classroom learning environment. A noisy room poorly arranged surroundings and uncomfortable temperatures can impair both students and teachers abilities to perform at their best. Interactions between teacher an student are one of the key factors in the classroom learning environment. Teachers can influence student conduct and academic performance by how they react to students behaviors.

March 20, 2010 (Cecilia, Katie, Angie) Verbal Comprehension requires students to listen to questions and answer orally. To preserve confidentiality of the test items, the examples cited are similar but not identical to WISG-IV tasks. Students must describe 2 things and how they are alike (Pony-Cow, Car-Airplane) for similarities. For vocabulary students are asked to name a picture or to say a word and explain what it means. For comprehension students are asked questions on general knowledge (why do we need firefighters?)
 * **3. Aptitude and achievement tests:** ||
 * James was administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) on 1/14/09. He obtained a Verbal Comprehension Index score of 99(47th percentile), a Perceptual Reasoning Index score of 112(79th percentile), a Working Memory Index score of 77(6th percentile), a Processing Speed Index score of 94(34th percentile), a Full Scale IQ score of 97(42nd percentile), and a General Ability Index score of 106(66th percentile). James overall abilities were measured to be in the Average range. James exhibited significant weakness in his short-term auditory and short-term visual memory. He is a conceptual thinker and can abstract thought as well. His fund of basic information is fairly weak and he has difficulty articulating many of his thoughts and ideas. His comprehension of feelings, both his own and others is poor. His comprehension of social situations is average. ||

Perceptual Reasoning- are visual motor taks. The student listens to oral direction looks at stimulus materials and responds motorically. Block design- is a timed subtest the studfent is given several colored cubes or blocks and a picture of a design. The cubes must be arranged into an identical design. Picture concepts- must be able to select one that is in 2 different rows top and bottom. Matrix reasoning- is shown a picture with a missing part, they have to choose which whould fit in. Picture Completion- The student within 20 seconds must indentify what is missing from the picture.

Working Memory- There are three parts to working memory. 1. visulization apect, 2. hearing aspect, 3. thinking aspect. Motivation and understanding in learning are also a key part of working memory, It takes your longterm memory and short term memory to relate for a person to understand. For example If you have basic knowledge of math skills and learn a new concept you can udnerstand from your longterm memory of the math skills.

Processing Speed Index- assess how well students are able to complete precise taks under timed conditions. It also consists of three parts; 1. Coding, task is timed and the student must fill in the correct correspondence. 2. Symbol Search, tasks is timed and students must write yes or know if they can see the match. For older students there is more to choose from. And 3. Cancellation, the student is shown different pictures and must cancel/select what doesn't belong.

=__10/10 points earned__= 1. Define learning aptitude.

Learning aptitude is the student’s ability to modify behavior when presented with new information/experiences. Learning aptitude is assessed to better understand a student’s ability to deal with the demands of his/her environment and instructional behaviors.

2. List at least 3 ways the field of assessment has attempted to make the assessment of students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds fair.

 1.) Assessing the student in their native language 2.) The Leiter International Performance Scale Revised This is a revision of the original test to measure intellectual performance in a nonverbal measure that is for ages 2-0 and 20-11. The results include overall IQ score plus percentile ranks and age equivalents.

3. Define adaptive behavior. The ability to cope with the demands of the environment; includes self-help, communication, and social skills.

4. Describe the two primary areas of assessment included on most individual test of intellectual performance. Working Memory, which is how well a student processes information from his/ her short term memory into their long term memory. This affects how well a child follows directions and completes tasks at home. Comprehension- which is the ability of the student to understand what he/she is learning, for example in reading, how well a student understands what they have read

5. Provide examples of information parents or other family members can contribute to the assessment of intellectual performance. To deal with stress and comping with the students dsiability there needs to be support from family and agency personnel. The family strength profile is an example of recorfingh the family's current resources and strengths. This profile asks the family what are some words that describe your child, what are your childs likes and dislikes. Also knowning the childs upbringing/cultural background can help the profesionals understand the student more. Having a supportive family that supports the student's needs is the best way for family/student,

=__Good Job! A__= March 13, 2010 Norm Referenced Project Angelina Morta Norm Referenced Project Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update (PIAT-R/NU) The Peabody Individual Achievement Test Revised/Normative Update (PIAT-R/NU) is a norm referenced measure commonly used in special education for identifying academic deficiencies. This test was originally published in 1970 by Dunn and Markwardt and was revised in 1989 by Markwardt. The Peabody Individual Achievement Test Revised/Normative Update is made up of 6 subsets; general information, reading recognition, reading comprehension, mathematics, spelling, and written expression. The most typical format is multiple choices with four possible answers. (pg. 159 Assessing Students with Special Needs). The multiple choice format used in several subtests reduces response requirements; students can answer either by pointing to the correct response, saying the answer, or saying the number of the answer. The student is required to speak only in General Information and later items of the Reading Recognition subtest. Writing is required only in the Written Expression subtest. Reading skills are not needed for the Mathematics and General Information subtests because the tester reads the questions to the student. Only the Written Expression subtest (Level II) is timed. (pg 161) The Peabody Individual Achievement Test Revised/Normative Update was designed to provide a wide-range screening measure that can be used with students in kindergarten through the 12th grade, ages 5:0 to 20:11 It is not appropriate for students who do not speak English to take the test. The test takes 60 minutes, and it is individual. According to the Peabody Individual Achievement Test Revised/Normative Update manual, only “minimal” qualifications are required for test administration. Before results are used for educational decisions, however, the manual advises that testers study the administration and scoring procedures and practice test administration. Interpretation of test results requires additional expertise, particularly in the areas of measurement and curriculum. (pg 163) The Peabody Individual Achievement Test Revised/Normative Update begins with standard introductory remarks that the tester reads to all students. Training exercises are available for all required subtests and for Level 1 of Written Expression. For the first subtest, General Information, the Test Record lists suggested starting places by grade level. (163). If the student is below the grade of peers the tester should adjust starting places for the student. Level I is administered to students showing less than grade 2 achievements in written expression skills, and Level II to those with grade 2 achievements or better, it is also possible to administer both levels. Reliability and validity are also of concern in evaluating the technical quality of a norm referenced test. The PIAT-R/NU offers several types of total test and subtest scores. Both age and grade norms are available, and the tester must decide whether to compare the student’s performance with that of age or grade peers. Grade norms are generally the most appropriate and the PIAT-R/NU provides grade norms for fall winter and spring test administrations. However if the student is placed in an ungraded or special class the tester may choose to use age peers for comparison. A variety of scores are available for five required subtests, including grade or age equivalents, standard scores, and percentile ranks. Standard scores are distributed with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Using the interpretation system, the range of average performance on the PIAT-R/NU is standard score 85-115. The manual provides guidelines for determining if differences between required subtests are statistically significant. In evaluating PIAT-R/NU results, it is sometimes useful to analyze the student’s responses to individual test items. For subtests with multiple choice formats, this may not prove very informative. However, some young immature children will select their answers by position perhaps choosing responses in the upper right quadrant of the page. The tester should check the student’s response pattern for this. On the General Information, Reading Recognition, and Written Expressions subtests, items are open ended rather than multiple choices. Response analysis of these subtests may provide clues to the student’s storehouse of general knowledge word attack strategies and a variety or writing skills. The PIAT-R/NU appears to be a useful tool for the assessment of school performance across a range of academic subjects. It includes measures of general knowledge and skills such as reading mathematics spelling and composition. It is necessary however in interpreting results of the Written Expression subtest because its reliability is not well established. If information about writing skills is desired the tester may choose to use this subtest as informal measures that survey several academic subjects, the PIAT-R/NU does not produce results specific enough to provide direction for instructional planning its main function is the identification of school subjects in which the student shows poor performance in relation to age or grade peers. It is also important the PIAT-R/NU assesses some skills with test tasks that are dissimilar to typical classroom activities. Scoring is typically done by hand or by computer. If done by computer there is software called ASSIST that can score the test. Cautions in administration of the PIAT-R/NU special rules apply concerning “false” basals and ceilings. Scoring is complicated by the need to use 2 sets of standard errors of measurement, one for raw scores and age/grade equivalents, and another for standard scores. Results of the optional Written Expression subtest should be interpreted cautiously due to concerns about reliability. Some of the types of scores; grade and age equivalents, standard scores, percentile ranks, stanines; for the Written Expression subtest, grade based stanines and development scaled scores. (All/ most information was taken straight from the text)

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March 12, 2010 1. When assessing for school performance problems, what recommendations are given for the use of norm-referenced standardized tests, criterion- referenced tests and curriculum-based measurement? Norm referenced measures provide the comparative information necessary or determining eligibility, and they are much more time efficient. Criterion referenced tests and otehr informal measures are typically used after eligibility has been esablished to provide more detailed descriptions of student performance in areas of educational needs. Increased emphasis on content area curricula in the sciences, social studies, mathematics, English, foreign languages, and computer science. Longer school days and years, firmer discipline requirementsm higher expectations and grading criteria, and improved preparation and remuneration of teachers were also stressed, States were quick to take action on these recommendations. For example more than half of the states increased the number of academic units required for high school graduation.

2. Why are testing accommodations allowed for students with special needs in state- and district- wide tests? Name 6 common testing accommodations. This allows participation for students with disabilities, in state and district or schoolwide testing. 6 common testing accommodations are; motivation, assjstance prior to administration of test, scheduling, setting/timing, assessment directions, and assistance during assessment.

3. Besides administering individual achievement tests to students, what are other ways to establish a student’s school performance strengths and challenges? The Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update, the Woodsock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement, and the Wechsler Individual Achievment Test Second Edition.

4. When choosing an academic achievement test to determine school performance problems, what features of the test would you look at to determine its appropriateness for your student? According to the PIAT-R/NU manual, only "minimal" qualifications are required for test administration. Before results are used for educational decisions, however, the manual advises that testers study the administration and scoring procedures and practice test administration. Interpretation of test results requires additional expertise, particularly in the areas of measurement and curriculum. The WJ III is desinged for use by professionals trained in the adminsitration and interpretation of individual tests. In learning this measure, testers should study the procedures for aministration and scoring and practice test administration under the supervision of an experienced examiner. The Examiner Training Workbook that accompanies the WJ III Tests of Achievement is also a useful resource Interpretation of test results requires additional expertise; professionals should be well grounded in measurement and curriculum and be theoroughly familiar with the range of scores available on the WJ III. The WIAT-II manual says that professionals "who have training in the use of individually administered assessment instruments are qualified to administered and interpret the WIAT-II. Before using this test to gather data for educational decision making, however, the tester should practice both administration and scoring. Testers should pay special attention to the scoring guidelines provided for subtests in which judgment is required.

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Essay Questions

Essay Questions