Syllabus • Topics • Objectives • Instruction & Evaluation

SYLLABUS

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Program Goals Addressed this Course

Teachers of students with special needs must demonstrate mastery of current practices and procedures in assessment. The course responds to this need by providing academic instruction supported with structured clinical experiences in curriculum-based assessment and norm-referenced testing.

Diversity Considerations

This course addresses diversity issues in assessment from several perspectives: students, families, cultural background, type and extent of disability, and legal and ethical requirements of teachers and schools. Discussions center around information on current and future practice in serving students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Technology Considerations

Students are expected to use word processing programs, multimedia presentation software (e.g. Powerpoint), email, Internet search engines, and the course website. Students will learn how to use test administration and scoring software and online grade reporting programs.

TOPICS

• An Overview of Assessment in Special Education
• Assessing students from Diverse Language Backgrounds

• Assessing Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds

• The Basic Concepts of Measurement
• Test Scores and What They Mean
• Intelligence Testing
• Developmental Assessment
• Assessing Academic Achievement

• Curriculum-Based Assessment

• Norm-Referenced Testing

• High Stakes Testing
• Assessing Perception and Motor Proficiency
• Assessing Behavior
• Assessing Career and Vocational Skills
• Practical Assessment Considerations

• Current Issues and Future Perspectives

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OBJECTIVES

Upon completinh this course students will demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Describe the foundations of assessing students with special needs
2. Use practical measurement concepts
3. Use test scores, determine them from raw data, and interpret what they mean

4. Interpret results from intelligence tests

5. Use developmental scales
6. Evaluate academic achievement using curriculum based assessmentinstruments and procedures

7. Assess academic achievement using norm-referenced tests
8. Use tests and assessment procedures for evaluating perception and motor proficiency
8. Assess behavior
9. Assess career and vocational skills10. Assess English language learners
11. Apply knowledge of assessment in daily instruction

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INSTRUCTION & EVALUATION

Modes of Instruction
Modes of instruction will include discussion, demonstration, cooperative learning activities, structured clinical experiences, media and technology presentations, and lecture.

Methods of Evaluation
The course grade is based on periodic examinations and quizzes, completion of field experience requirements related to giving selected tests, completion of a case study report, and class participation.

Course Assignments

* The final grade will be adjusted based on class participation. Excessive absences will result in reduction of the final grade.

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Course Assignments, Expectations and Grading Procedures

Test Administration and Scoring Workshop

Standards Reference

Measures Objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11

Accomplished Practices: 1, 12

Subject Area Competencies: ESE: 3

ESOL Competency: 20

CEC Competencies: CC3 K4 S1 S2 S4 S5; GC3 S2

The test administration and scoring workshop will occur during a regularly scheduled class period. The workshop is a “hands-on” session in which you will have the opportunity to practice giving and scoring an individually-administered, norm-referenced achievement test. The Assessment Proficiency Checklist from the class text will be used as the guide for the workshop.

Assessment Instrument Review Seminar

Standards Reference

Measures Objective(s): 6, 7, 10, 11, 12

Accomplished Practice: 1

Subject Area Competencies: ESE: 3

ESOL: 19, 20

CEC Competencies: CC3 S4 S5 S6; GC3 S2

In the assessment instrument review seminar you will have the opportunity to conduct an in-depth review of an achievement test using the Assessment Instrument Review Form from the class text, the Mental Measurements Yearbooks, and the Internet. The review seminar will emphasize the suitability of instruments with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Norm-Referenced Testing (NRT) Project

Standards Reference

Measures Objective(s): 3, 7, 10, 11, 12

Accomplished Practices: 1, 12

Subject Area Competencies: ESE: 3

ESOL: 20

CEC Competencies: CC3 S3 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10; GC3 S2

NRT Project Grading Criteria

Scoring Form

1. Are the responses correctly recorded?

2. Are the basal levels correctly established?

3. Are the ceiling levels correctly established?

4. Are the raw scores accurate?

5. Is other necessary information included?

6. Is the form well-prepared with appropriate style?

Body of the Report

7. Does the report include appropriate and accurate identifying information?

8. Does the report include appropriate and accurate background information?

9. Does the report include a test score results summary table?

10. Does the report discuss and interpret the results appropriately and accurately?

Recommendations

11. Does the report include three or four recommendations?

12. Are the recommendations sufficiently detailed (i.e. the next door teacher test)?

13. Do the recommendations reflect a range and variety of intervention strategies?

14. Do the recommendations fit with the test results?

Style

15. Is the report well-organized?

16. Is the report neatly prepared?

17. Does the report display appropriate mechanics (e.g. spelling, grammar)?

18. Is the report complete with all necessary components?

Examples of the NRT Project case study appear in the course website for your information and review. The examples include a “model” case study report along with samples well-written and poorly written recommendations.

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Curriculum-Based Assessment Project

Standards Reference

Measures Objective(s): 3, 6, 10, 11, 12

Accomplished Practices: 1, 6, 12

Subject Area Competencies: ESE:2; HI:9

ESOL: 21

CEC Competencies: CC:8K, CC:8S; IGC:8K, IGC:8S; D/HH:8K

The curriculum based-assessment project (CBA Project) involves developing and field-testing a curriculum-based assessment instrument (CBA instrument). CBA is an approach in which teachers measure educational performance based-on the progress of their students in the classroom curriculum based-on the students' individual IEP goals and objectives. CBA does not rely on student performance as measured by formal, standardized, norm-referenced tests. Instead, CBA uses class tests, homework assignments, class work, and teacher impressions (based on direct observation) to make assessment decisions.

Common CBA instruments include teacher-made checklists that measure specific skills such as the academic skills of reading, spelling, and math. Numerous examples of checklists and other types of CBA appear in the class text. Please look over the textbook for ideas about the different types of CBA.

After you have reviewed various types of CBA, you will need to select the CBA procedure that you want to use for your project. Finally, you will create your own CBA which you will field test with three students. For example, you may decide to create and try out a reading skills checklist. The chapter in the class text on assessing reading achievement includes several examples of reading skills checklists. If you decide to use a reading skills checklist, you should use the examples in this chapter as a guide for developing your checklist. Alternatively, you may wish to develop an error pattern analysis procedure for measuring math skills. The chapter on assessing mathematics contains examples of how to conduct error pattern analysis.

After you have developed your CBA, you will have the opportunity to conduct an informal field test of the instrument with three students. These students need not be students with special needs. If you have access to students with special needs, then I encourage you to go ahead and try out your CBA with those students. However, you are welcome to use students without special needs. These could be students in a regular class, your own children, children in your neighborhood, or children of a friend or relative. The only requirement is that the students you use must fit the assessment. In other words, avoid field-testing an early literacy checklist with teenagers. Instead, you will need young children to try out an early literacy checklist. Likewise, you will need older children to try out CBA that evaluations independent travel skills in the community. You will present the results of your CBA Project in a brief three or four page report.

Criteria for Grading the CBA Project

1. Is the content appropriate, original and creative, and does the project include a well-developed administration and scoring protocol?

2. Does the report include a project overview, a description of the field test including dates and location, a reference to the source of the CBA, a description of the students, a description of the results including scoring, and a reflection?

3. Does the project report include the field test results for the three students including the scoring forms?                  

4. Is the style and function of the project appropriate in terms of overall style, mechanics, neatness, and organization?

Total Score (25 points per item for a total of 100 points)       _____

Sample CBA Projects appear on the course website. Please make sure to review these examples. They provide excellent models for how to prepare your report.

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Midterm and Final Exams

Standards Reference

Measures Objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Accomplished Practice: 1

Subject Area Competencies: ESE:2; HI:9

ESOL: 19, 20, 21

CEC Competencies: CC:8K, CC:8S; IGC:8K, IGC:8S; D/HH:8K

The course includes a vocabulary quiz, a multiple choice midterm exam, and a final exam. The vocabulary quiz consists of key assessment terms. The terms will be discussed in class before the quiz. The midterm consists of approximately 40 – 50 multiple choice questions from the textbook and the class. The final will include short-answer essay questions along with 20 25 multiple choice questions.

Vocabulary Quiz

Standards Reference Box

Measures Objective(s): 1

Accomplished Practice: 1

Subject Area Competencies: ESE:2; HI:9

ESOL: 19, 20, 21

CEC Competencies: CC:8K, IGC:8K, D/HH:8K

Participation

Standards Reference Box

Measures Objective(s): 11, 12

Accomplished Practices: 1

Subject Area Competencies: ESE:2; HI:9

ESOL: 19, 20, 21

CEC Competencies:

Students will have many opportunities to participate in class through discussion, group activities, seminars, workshops, presentations, and other activities. Attendance is also a required element of participation.

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Sample Class Schedule and Topic Outline

Week 1   Overview of Assessing Students with Special Needs

             Test Administration and Scoring Workshop

Week 2   Test Administration and Scoring Workshop     Read Ch 14

             Vocabulary Quiz

Week 3   Clinical Field Experience at Woodland Acres   Read Chs 15

Week 4   Clinical Field Experience at Woodland Acres   Read Ch 16

             Overview of Assessing Academic Achievement

Week 5   Test Review Seminar                                 Read Ch 17

             Curriculum-Based Assessment

Week 6   Portfolio Assessment                                  Read Ch 18

             Midterm Exam Review

             Norm-Referenced Testing Projects Due         

Week 7   Midterm Exam

Week 8   Overview of Assessment                             Read Ch 1

Week 9   Intelligence Testing                                    Read Ch 7

Week 10   Interpreting Test Scores                            Read Ch 4

Week 11   Student Presentations of CBA Projects   

               CBA Projects Due

Week 12   Final Exam

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