Assessment and Diagnosis in Special Education
EEND and MEDU-642

Provides the candidate with the formal and informal assessment techniques useful for the assessment of special needs learners.  Individually administered achievement, aptitude, and information processing tests will be examined in detail.  The course will present information concerning report writing, diagnostic and prescriptive planning.  Also, methods of interpreting evaluation data, identifying patterns, and presenting results to a consumer in an understandable and clearly written form will be examined.

College of Education Mission

The mission of the College of Education is to prepare competent and caring educators who understand students, serve the community and develop professionally to become ethical decision-makers and leaders.

Understanding Students

Understand that students with disabilities have unique learning styles and how the use of different assessment instruments is crucial for developing an appropriate educational program for students with disabilities to succeed in school.

Serving the Community

Understand how to communicate assessment data to students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members.

Finding Our Professional Selves

Students will begin to cultivate an attitude of professionalism by exhibiting the following behaviors: preparedness, neatness, organizational skills, poise, leadership, self-motivation, responsibility, promptness, professional curiosity, and proper oral and written communication skills.

Access to standards referenced in this section can be found HERE

By the conclusion of the course, each participant will be able to do the following:

1.0 Candidates understand assessment as an educational process, as well as the uses and limitation of informal and formal assessments, and strengths and weaknesses of various assessment tools. (IPTS, 7A; CEC: 4.1; NB, 3)

• 1.1   Match appropriate assessment procedures to purposes of assessment.
• 1.2   Identify strengths and weaknesses of various assessment tools.

2.0 Candidates understand legal provisions, regulations, and guidelines regarding assessment of individuals with disabilities. (IPTS, 7H; CEC, 4.2, 4.3 ; NB, 3)

• 2.1   Gather background information regarding academic history.
• 2.2   Identify students’ educational priorities by developing and conducting an individualized inventory of the student’s home, community, social, and vocational environments and integrated curriculum needs.

3.0 Candidates understand the terminology used in assessments, as well as how to interpret information obtained from standardized tests including age/grade scores, standard scores, percentile ranks, stanines, measures of central tendency, standard deviations, and standard error of measurement. (IPTS,7D; CEC, 4.2 ; NB: 3)

• 3.1   Interpret information from formal and informal assessment instruments and procedures.
• 3.2   Create and maintain accurate records.
• 3.3   Conduct, interpret, and explain diagnostic information for classroom teachers, parents, and other specialists to plan instructional programs.
• 3.4   Collaborate with families and other professionals in conducting individual assessment and reporting of assessment results.

4.0 Candidates will understand strategies for modifying and adapting formal tests. (IPTS:; CEC,4.2; NB,3)

• 4.1   Evaluate learning environments and match necessary supports to individual learners’ needs.

5.0 Candidates understand influences of disabilities, culture, and language on the assessment process. (IPTS; CEC,4.1 ; NB,3)

• 5.1   Gather background information regarding academic history.

6.0 Candidates understand a variety of procedures for identifying students’ learning characteristic and needs, monitoring student progress, and evaluating learning strategies and instructional approaches. (IPTS; CEC 4.2, 4.3 ; NB, 3)

• 6.1   Analyze performance data and information from teachers, other professionals, individuals with disabilities, and parents collaboratively to make or suggest appropriate modification in learning environments, curriculum and/or instructional strategies.

7.0 Candidates understand accommodations and modifications of national, state and local assessments, and the Illinois Alternative Assessment. (IPTS; CEC 4.2; NB 3)

• 7.1   Adapt group academic and statewide assessments for students with disabilities.

8.0 Candidates understand strategies for assessing individual learning characteristics and modes of communication. (IPTS; 7E; CEC 4.1, 4.2 , NB 3)

• 8.1   Assess reliable method(s) of response in individuals who lack typical communication and performance abilities.
• 8.2   Adapt formal assessment devices to accommodate a student’s mode of communication and response.

9.0 Candidates understand strategies for assessing students’ skills within curricular areas including academic, social and vocational. (IPTS 7E; CEC 4.1, 4.2 ; NB 3)

• 9.1   Assess the extent and quality of an individual’s access to the general curriculum.
• 9.2   Monitor a student’s progress through the general curriculum.

10.0 Candidates understand strategies for assessing learning environments and conducting functional behavioral assessments within the environment. (IPTS; CEC 4.2; NB 3)

• 10.1   Design and implement functional assessment procedures.

Discussions and Responses

Candidates will respond to content-related topics and provide thoughtful feedback to others.

• Objectives: 1.0-1.2; 3.1 – 3.4; 4.0 – 4.1; 5.0-5.1; 6.0-6.1
• Standards: IPTS 7A, D; CEC4.1-4.3; NB 3)

Content Quizzes

Candidates will complete quizzes containing information reviewed from course texts and additional resources.

• Objectives: 2.0-2.2
• Standards: IPTS 7H; CEC 4.2-4.3; NB 3

Types of Assessments

Candidates will be introduced to the various types of assessments used to evaluate student progress in the classroom and determine the use of the data in the evaluation process.

• Objectives: 2.0-2.2
• Standards: IPTS 7H; CEC 4.2-4.3; NB 3

Reliability & Validity

Candidates will focus upon reading assessment scores, explaining how results can be accurately shared with parents/caregivers/staff, and identifying appropriate recommendations based upon data-driven decision-making.

• Objectives: 3.0-3.1
• Standards: IPTS 7D; CEC 4.2; NB 3

Accommodations

Candidates will submit an assessment and provide appropriate accommodations to meet specific student needs.

• Objectives: 7.0-7.1; 8.0-8.2
• Standards: IPTS 7E; CEC 4.1-4.2; NB 3

Functional Behavior Assessment

Candidates will identify specific student classroom behaviors that may be found within Tier 2/Tier 3 levels and identify an assessment strategy utilized to track and analyze behavior data used during a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).

• Objectives: 10.0-10.1
• Standards: CEC 4.2; NB 3

Transition Plan

Candidates will create a transition plan including appropriate learning/behavior goals for meeting student needs during the move from school to independent living (i.e., employment, community participation, post-secondary education, access to peers, etc.).

• Objectives: 9.0-9.2
• Standards: IPTS 7E; CEC 4.1-4.2; NB 3

Final Assignment: Individual Assessment Project

Candidates will administer a variety of Curriculum Based Measurements (CBM) in order to become familiar with the assessment processes and procedures, as well identifying appropriate testing environments.  Assessment results will be graphed reflecting evaluation results and recommendations to support instructional needs.

• Objectives: 3.1-3.3; 4.0-4.1; 5.0-5.1; 6.0-6.1
• Standards: IPTS 7D, CEC 4.1-4.2; NB 3

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The University strives to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA). A student who requires special accommodations or arrangements due to a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Services. This contact preferably should occur no later than the first week of classes. Early contact before the semester starts is encouraged to allow sufficient time to provide accommodations. Extra time is needed for some types of accommodations such as sign language interpreters or special text formatting. Should a need arrive after the start of a semester; the student is encouraged to contact the Office of Accessibility Services as soon as possible. Note that accommodations are not retroactive. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

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