kathryn

Chapter 9: Assessment of Academic Achievement

1. What are the major differences between the Behavioral Approach and the Ecological Approach in assessments and interventions for students with emotional disturbance? The behavioral approach focuses on changing one particular behavior, and rewarding the student for good behavior. The ecological approach focuses on the student's whole entire life environment, changing the student's environment at school, home, etc. so that the environment and the student no longer elicit negative responses from each other. 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? 1.) Inability to learn that is not because of an intellectual, sensory, or health factor 2.) Inability to build/mantain satisfactory interpersonal relationships 3) Inappropriate feelings/behaviors under normal circumstances 4.) General pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression 5.) Develops physical symptoms or fears associated with home or school problems It is important that these behaviors persist over a long time to determine they are not being caused by something else going on in the students' life or another disorder.

3. Describe sources of information that would help an assessment team determine whether a student has an emotional or behavioral disorder. Sources of information that would help an assessment team determine whether a student has an emotional or behavioral disorder include things such as: schools records, student observations, rating scales or inventories, teacher observations, peer acceptance and interaction, and full description of the children's home environment from his/ her parent/guardian.

4. Describe an appropriate data collection system for students with behavioral problems. List several considerations in setting up the system. An appropriate data collection system for a student with a behavioral problem would be a direct observation. Consideration would include the age of the student, and what behavior is being observed.

5. Give three examples of how learning environments can support students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

Learning environments can support students with emotional disorders by manipulating the sound, teacher mobility, and density of the classroom. Designated quiet areas in the classroom should be made so that there are places where the student can have quiet time. The teacher should be able to move quickly and easily all about the different areas of the classroom. The seating arrangement should be designed so that there is adequate personal space for the student and it is not overcrowded.

Chapter 15 Activities
 * 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

2.) List two key differences between mastery measurement and CBM. Mastery measurement assesments are conducted in an instructional sequence to make sure the student has mastered a certain skill before moving on to the next skill in that sequence. CBM can test any skill at any given time in the year to assess the students skill level, and no sequence is needed. 3.) Name three ways CBM can be used to help at-risk students. CBM can help at risk students by helping teachers identify what the students are having trouble with, whether or not current learning strategies are working for that student, and how the teacher can develop strategies to help that student learn the skills. They can also help document and communicate to the student and his/her parents the progress he/she is making.

4.) What are the six steps in the CBM process? Step 1 Create or select appropriate tests (probes) Step 2 Administer and score probes Step 3 Graph the scores Step 4 Set goals Step 5 Make instructional decisions Step 6 Communicate progress 5.)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. 1.) Select an appropriate test- one pertaining to the multiplication fact families that are being taught. 2.) Adminster the multiplication test once per week. 3.) Graph the students' progress on the test. 4.) Set a goal for the student ( this week we will work on the multiplication family of y x 3, next week y x 4 etc., each week set a different multiplication fact family as our goal) 5.) make decisions about where the student needs help 6.) communicate progress to student
 * 1) Create a CBM implementation plan for your classroom. Make sure you include the academic subject, frequency of administration, how you will score and graph the data, and how you will use the information

1. Discuss the importance of using both informal and norm-referenced reading assessments when gathering information to plan special education programs. Norm referenced tests help see what areas the student has trouble in. informal assesments help determine what teaching methods work best for the student, and what specific things they are having trouble with as compared to their grade level peers. 2. IRIs typically provide three reading levels. Describe these levels and the importance of each. Independent- what child can do by themself Instructional- what level the child can currently learn frustrational- too hard for the child to learn right now 3. Select five informal reading assessment strategies. Describe each strategy and compare and contrast their purposes. Cloze procedure- informal technique for determing whether the reading material is appropriate for the student's current instructional level criterion referenced test- tests mastery of current skills of the student within the current reading curriculum Questionares and interviews- information about the student's perpective on reading, reading processes, and how they feel about themselves as a reader Diagnostic teaching- teacher observes, interviews and evaluates student's current performance, makes changes to the task, and then evaluates student after the changes to the task. Teacher checklists- checking to see how the student is performing their current task, if they are staying on task etc. 4. Describe three approaches to reading instruction—bottom up, top down, and interactive. Discuss the pros and cons of each approach. Bottom up - phonetic awareness and lingustic approach (sounding out words, focusing on sounds letters make) Top down- emphasizes high level processes of comprehension (what the text means rather that just the letter sounds) interactive- both text and meaning- focusing on phonectic awareness and meaning of the text. 5. Explain the importance of phonemic awareness and phonological processing to the reading process.
 * DISCUSSION QUESTIONS **
 * **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. ||

=__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. 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__=


 * Norm Reference Project**

=__10/10 points earned__=

For students with special needs, group tests are usually not recommended because they underestimate what the student can do. Individual norm referenced tests are recommended to find out what the student’s strengths and problem areas are. Criterion referenced tests and curriculum based measurement tests are normally used after the norm reference tests when the student’s problems have been identified already, so the student can move on from there. 2. Why are testing accommodations allowed for students with special needs in state- and district- wide tests? Name 6 common testing accommodations. Students with special needs benefit from these accommodations. Six of these include assistances prior to administration of a test, the setting in which the test is taken, the assessment directions, assistance during assessment, use of adaptive equipment or technology during the assessment, and changes in the assessment format. 3. Besides administering individual achievement tests to students, what are other ways to establish a student’s school performance strengths and challenges? Looking at the student’s school records, talk to their teachers from previous years (if possible), and talking to parents/guardians about how the student functions in the community are all ways professionals can find out about the student’s strengths and challenges. 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? You would want to make sure the test covered the appropriate content area, is reliable and valid, is appropriate for the student’s age and grade level, and has technically adequate.

=__10/10 points earned__=

Good Job! - A

=__ 10/10 points earned __=

norm group, which are students in the same grade and of the same age group.  d. The temperature and ventilation in the room are comfortable for the student. d. The tester should explain to the student what will happen during the test, including the length of the session, types of test activities, and so forth. b. Establishing rapport. Item 9 It is important to observe the student's behavior because it can give the examiner clues to how the student is feeling (excited, nervous, happy etc.) and that can indicate how they might perform on the assesment. For example, if a student is very nervous or unhappy, they might not perform their best. c. If test standard scores are distributed with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, a standard score of 85 indicates performance one standard deviation below the mean. d. All of the above statements are true.
 * 1. In standardized testing, test tasks are presented under standard conditions so that the student’s performance can be compared to the performance of the . **
 * 2. Which of the following statements describe(s) an adequate testing environment? **
 * 3. Which of the following is not good practice in introducing the students to the testing situation?**
 * 4. Preparing a student psychologically for testing is called **
 * 5. Suppose a professional began test administration with item number 10 in an attempt to establish a basal of four consecutively numbered correct responses. If the student failed item 10, what test item should be administrated next?**
 * 6. Give two reasons why it is important to observe the student’s behavior during test administration.**
 * 10. Choose the statement that best explains the meaning of the score. **
 * 11. A student received a standard score of 100 on a test in which the mean standard score is 100, the standard deviation is 15, and the scores are normally distributed. This score**

__ 10/10 points earned __ On norm-referenced tests, the standard of comparison against which a student's performance is evaluated is the performance of age (or grade) peers in the norm group. Explain the standard of comparison for informal assessment tools such as classroom quizzes, inventories, and criterion-referenced tests. 3. When professionals select a tool for assessment, they consider not only the technical quality of the measurement device, but also the particular purpose for which it will be used. Tell why a technically poor measure is never an appropriate assessment tool. Then give an example of a situation in which a technically adequate measure is inappropriate because it does not fit the purpose of the assessment.  Technical Quality means that the assessment tool measures what it is supposed to measure, produces valid results consistently (is reliable), does not have frequent errors, and the reference for which the student is compared is accurate. If the chance of error is high, it could mean the outcome is incorrect. Anything affecting technical quality is going to produce a result that is incorrect and invalid. A measure that has technical quality may not always be the appropriate measure. For example, if it measures a student’s mathematical abilities, it would not be appropriate to test a student’s reading ability. 4. Grade equivalents are available on many tests, although there are many criticisms of this type of score. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of grade scores, giving your opinion on the International Reading Association's recommendation that grade equivalents be eliminated from standardized tests.  The advantages of this comparison are that one gets to see how the student performs in relationship to the other children who are his/her age and have had the same time to master these skills. The disadvantage is that some grades a lot more is gained (the example being given 1.0 to 1.5 reading knowledge, compared to 10.0 and 10.5), so it would be hard to compare students who are at 1.0 and students who are at 1.5, even though they are both in first grade. In my opinion, I think it is interesting and helpful to see where a student falls within his/her peers in the same grade. As a teacher, you will be teaching to all these students so it is helpful to know the span of abilities of the students you are teaching. It also can give you an idea of who may need more help. I do agree that this should not be the only test result used to determine if a student indeed has actually problem or disability. Some students just take more time to reach the next level. Discuss several potential sources of bias in the assessment process, including the selection of inappropriate procedures. Identify five ways in which bias can be introduced into assessment, and discuss how each can be prevented. 1. If the assessment procedure is appropriate for the age, grade, and ability level of the student, then its technical quality is not a consideration. false 2. Trained professionals must be available to administer, score, and interpret the assessment. true 3. Assessment devices must be selected and administered so they are not racially or culturally discriminatory. true 4. The regulations for IDEA 2004 provide a recommended list of tests and other procedures for use in special education assessment. true 5. Results of informal measures such as inventories are often expressed as frequency counts (for example, the number of items the student answers correctly). true 6. Age and grade equivalents are useful scores because they are easy to understand and are rarely misinterpreted. true 7. Percentile ranks are comparative scores that allow the student's performance to be contrasted with the performance of same-age or grade peers in the norm group. true 8. When standard scores are based on a normal distribution, they are easily converted into percentile ranks, stanines, and other types of standard scores.  true 9. The technical adequacy of an assessment tool refers to the skills of the assessor. false 10. Criterion-referenced tests compare a student's performance to the performance of other students of the same age or grade. false

=GREAT JOB -10/10 POINTS EARNED!= William and the Challenges of Second Grade **  This activity contains 3 questions. 1. Ms. Trapp comes to you, the resource specialist at your school, to consult about William, a student in the second grade. From the information given to you by Ms. Trapp, complete the Prereferral Intervention Checklist on pages 32–33 in your textbook. What other modifications or accommodations could Ms. Trapp try while waiting for the special education assessment to occur? PreReferral Intervention Checklist Name:William Age 7 Date Teacher Ms. Trapp Grade 2nd grade 1. AREAS OF CONCER William’s scores in mathematics are below average. He has difficulty following directions and completing class work. William is also disruptive in class. 2. WHAT KINDS OF STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM? A. RECOREDS REVIEW AND CONFERENCE Teacher recommends student for further assessment. B. ENVIRNMENTAL MODIFICATIONS Classroom pace has been modified and slowed down. C. INSTRUCTIONAL Visuals and prompts have been used, along with rewards for completed work and good behavior. D. MANGEMENT Ms. Trapp observes William to look for academic and behavior improvements. 3. WHAT METHODS ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN? William enjoys computer time, therefore it is used as a reward if he completes his work and exhibits good behavior in the classroom. 4. WHERE DOES THIS STUDENT STAND IN RELATIONSIP TO OTHERS IN CLASS, GROUP OR GRADE REGARDING SYSTEMWIDE TESTS, CLASS AVERAGE BHEAVIOR, COMPLETION OF WORK, ETC? William scores average on his group reading tests, but has difficulty with mathematics. William becomes very confused and has trouble remembering things such as number facts. STUDENT BEHAVIOR: William does not complete assignments and is often disruptive to the class. CLASS OR GROUP/GROUP/CLASS BEHAVIOR William has difficulty working independently in a classroom setting. 5. IS THE CONCERN GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTILUAR item, A SUBJECT, OR PERSON? William’s weakness is in math, but his behavior is consistently disruptive throughout the school day and at home. 6. IN WHAT AREAS, UNDER WHAT CONDITION, DOES THIS STUENT DO BEST? Minimal improvement when William had computer time. 7. ASSISTANCE REQUESTED (OBSERVATION, MATERIAL, IDEAS, ETC) Screening for special education services. 2. Ms. Trapp refers William's mother to you to explain the assessment process. William's mother wants William to be assessed for both academic and behavior difficulties. Explain the assessment process and discuss what the assessment team members do. William has been identified as possibly needing special education services. You as a parent must give consent. The process begins with a step by step procedure by identifying the potential problem. We have tried classroom modifications and they have not been successful. The next step in this process is having an assessment team evaluate William. If it is determined that William requires special education services, an Individualized Education Program (or IEP) will be developed for William by his team, which includes teachers, parents, and other professionals. 3. As you prepare to work with the assessment team, reflect on the assessment questions you have about William at this point. How does the layout of the classroom affect William’s behavior? How does William interact with his peers? Does William’s weakness in math correlate with his feelings on the subject? Does he dislike math? Does his behavior affect his intellectual performance?   This activity contains 3 questions. 1. The assessment team begins to collect information about William. It is determined that you and the psychologist will interview William's mother together. What questions would you have for her regarding William's strengths, interests, and challenges? What activities does William enjoy at home? During what activities does he exhibit positive behavior? What discipline methods does the parent use at home? 2. In order to provide support to the classroom teacher, Ms. Trapp, you observe William in the classroom for a thirty-minute period during language arts instruction and later for a thirty-minute period during math instruction. What information could you glean from this type of observation? Observation is occurring during a subject in which he has average performance (language arts) and below average performance (math). The information we would gain is how his behavior shifts from one subject to another. 3. William's mother asks you about the next steps in the IEP process and when William will start receiving services. She wants to know how long William will be receiving special education services. How would you respond to her concerns? William’s IEP will begin as soon as possible after his assessment team has developed it and approval from his parents is obtained. His progress will be monitored and evaluated once a year William’s IEP will be evaluated every three years or upon request from his parents. At that time, it will be determined if he is still eligible for special education services. __VERY GOOD! 9/10 POINTS EARNED. ESSAY (2 paragraphs for each)__ 1. Why is there a need for different types of assessment? What problems would arise if only formal tests or informal measures were available? Different forms of assessment are needed because students learn and display their knowledge differently. Many students do not test well on formal assessments because they may need more time, may be auditory learners, or have trouble reading and comprehending the questions. Informal assessments allow teachers to observe the student in a setting where they are not pressured by a “test”. They can assess how a student learns in a more natural setting. But, in an informal setting, teachers may not be able to get a total picture of what the student is capable of. So, informal and formal assessments work well in conjunction with each other. <span style="color: #353534; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">2. Explain why it is important that educational decisions about students with disabilities are made by teams, rather than by a single individual. It is important to have a team making decisions for the student rather than one person because different people bring all aspects of the student to the table. A teacher only has the knowledge of the student in a classroom setting. Parents can bring information of the student’s behavior at home, and other personnel such as medical personnel know the student’s medical limitations, if she/he has any. This way, a more rounded, complete plan can be made for the student. <span style="color: #353534; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">3. IDEA 2004 requires that teams take into consideration the student's involvement with (and progress in) the general education curriculum. What are the implications of this requirement for general education teachers? Are they likely to become more involved in planning programs for students with disabilities? General education teachers are responsible for assessing the students in the general ed classroom. They can see how the students’ progress compares to their peers. They can also see directly if the current program is working for a student or not. With this said, they are definitely going to become more involved in planning programs for students’ with disabilities because they are the ones responsible for executing and evaluating these programs, as more and more students are brought into the general education classroom. <span style="color: #353534; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">4. Although federal special education laws require that assessment procedures be nonbiased, bias does happen. What are some of the reasons for bias, and what can be done to improve current practices? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> There are many reasons bias can occur. One of the biggest reasons can be home life/socioeconomic status. A student with poor performance in school could be mistakenly diagnosed with a disability, but their poor performance in school could be due to other factors. A student who has had a difficult home situation, not been read to, and not been exposed to these types of developmental activities may perform below average compared to peers in situations where they have been read too and have had their needs met. In these situations it is best to try to find out a student's background before diagnosing a disability. This can be difficult especially if parents are not involved. <span style="color: #353534; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">5. Why is it important to plan educational programs based on individual student profiles rather than based on diagnosed conditions such as mental retardation or autism No one student, even with the same diagnosis, is identical. Two students with autism may have different academic capabilities. Students’ may have different home lives that affect their progress, and may or may not need help in other areas. So, it is important to evaluate and see what the individual student needs accommodations for, and the best way to carry them out so that student can have an effective learning plan. <span style="color: #353534; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0pt;">1. Assessment is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. -True 2. The term //assessment// means the same as //testing//. -False 3. Assessment practices in special education are identical to assessment practices in the medical model. False 4. IDEA 2004 is the current federal law that regulates special education services. -True 5. Prereferral strategies attempt to solve school performance problems of individual students. True 6. Screening assessments are much more thorough than eligibility assessments. True
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24pt;">William **

CORRECT ANSWER IS FALSE
7. Students with disabilities tend to show better performance on group tests than on individual tests. 8. The team approach is recommended in federal special education laws but not required. False 10. Students who have a school performance problem related to a disability are eligible for special education services. True 10. At minimum, the student's eligibility for special education services must be evaluated every five years. False <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1. All of the following are abuses of assessment procedures with the exception of a) Discrimination based on cultural background b) Assessment by a team of professionals c) Administration by untrained individuals d) Inappropriate use of results 2. Assessments were created in the early 1900s for the purpose of a) Screening students in schools b) Evaluation of military personnel c) Evaluation of potential employees d) All of the above 3. Which of the following is not a part of the definition of educational assessment? a) A systematic ongoing process b) Used for decision-making purposes c) Used to establish the cause of a disability d) Used for monitoring student progress 4. Which one of the following statements describes the goals of No Child Left Behind? a) High-stakes testing, research instruction, parent choice, inclusion of students with disabilities b) No retention of students, parent communication, school accountability, less paperwork c) Equity in educational opportunities, innovative instructional practices, school choice, qualified teachers d) Accountability for student performance, focuses on what works, reduce bureaucracy, empower parents 5. Which one of the following statements is not accurate? a) Special education assessment is individualized b) Special education decisions are both legal and instructional c) The student’s abilities or disabilities are the sole focus of the assessment d) A variety of procedures and approaches are used in educational assessment. 6. Screening is a) Always the first step in the referral process b) A large-scale data collection activity to quickly identify students who may need further study c) Required to find students who may have suspected disabilities d) The implementation of an intervention followed by data collection to make instructional decisions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:b **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:d **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:c **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:b **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:c **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:c **

CORRECT ANSWER IS B
8. All of the following are informal assessment strategies except a) Teacher observation b) Portfolio analysis c) Parent interviews d) Norm-referenced tests 9. Parents are important members of the assessment team because a) They have a different perspective of the child b) They know the child’s past educational experiences c) They can be asked to gather informational data at home d) All of the above 10. Parents must receive progress reports on IEP goals a) As needed to make instructional decisions b) Quarterly c) At least as often as report cards are issued for general education students d) At least annually at an IEP meeting
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:d **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:d **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:d **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Answer:a **