ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING. Special Education The term ‘special education’ means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique.

ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING

Special Education

The term ‘special education’ means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability (Sec. 1400)

Services are provided in response to child’s needs, not categorically

Special Education is problem-solving Special education exists because all

general education programs fail to educate effectively some portion of students assigned to those classrooms (Deno, 1989).

Special education seeks to solve the problem of students who fail to succeed in the mainstream.

Special Education: Underlying Assumptions Special education programs are a

problem-solving component of the school system whose function is to identify and serve individuals whose performance is significantly discrepant from their peers. (Stan Deno)

Disabilities as Performance Discrepancies One way to define disabilities is to

specify the difference between the performance required of the individual in a given situation and the performance actually achieved.

Disabilities as Performance Discrepancies Performance discrepancies are the

disabilities that must be overcome if an individual is to be perceived as successful.

What do teachers control?

Instruction/Curriculum

Assessment Goals andObjectives

ASSESSMENT

Defining Assessment

Within the context of the problem-solving model, assessment becomes “A tool for improving educational outcomes

for children” because it provides us with the information to modify instruction and set appropriate goals.

Assessment Activities in Math Initial Math Assessment

determining placement and appropriate instruction

Progress Monitoring determining growth toward goals

Mastery determining mastery of skills as move

through scope and sequence Instructional Error Analysis

determining error patterns during instruction and remediating

Initial Math Assessment

Referenced to a typical or specific curriculum Survey-level tests

Determine approximate developmental level of skills

Conduct initial error analysis Diagnostic or Specific-level tests

Focus on determining placement into scope and sequence

Fact pretests Focus on determining specific fact weaknesses

and placement into fact program

Survey-Level Tests

Use placement test from program, design your own based on grade level, or use placement tests from DI Math text (2nd ed.)

Administer test to group. Decision rules

If any student got 80% or higher on the level test, give the entire group the next higher level test.

If more than one student got 60% or less on the level test, give the entire group the next lower level test.

Survey Level Tests

Summarize group performance using data sheet

Evaluate errors and identify skill areas where students are having trouble

If necessary, administer another survey-level test

Design diagnostic test to gather more information.

Diagnostic Tests

Using data from survey level test, determine student’s current functioning across several skills

Use the following decision rules for deciding which items to put on Diagnostic Assessment

Decision Rules

Did the student do her/his best work on the level test? Were there distractions in the testing environment or was the student unwilling to try hard for you (i.e., are the errors on the test "can't" or "won't" errors)?

If you believe the results of the level test represent the student's best effort, then identify the error type (i.e., fact, component, or strategy).

Decision Rules

If student made component or strategy errors on a problem type, plan on including that problem type on your diagnostic test.

For each problem type you decide to put on the diagnostic test, go to the scope and sequence chart in the DI

Math text and select at least two previous skills which students should have mastered, and

two later skills you believe the student has not mastered (for goal setting).

Decision Rules

Identify any unique preskills that you believe the student may not have mastered and include these on the diagnostic assessment.

Design three questions for each of the skills you have decided to test. You may select questions directly from the DI Math text.

Write the questions on the math summary chart.

Diagnostic Assessment

Design your diagnostic assessment using the math summary chart. If students are young, most of your

questions will be oral If questions are oral, you will need to

design a data recording sheet Administer; record data; conduct an

error analysis

Fact Pretests

Students may start at various sets. Students who know few facts would start at set A. Students who know more facts would begin at later points.

In order to determine the set at which students might begin, administer a written pretest that includes the 100 basic facts (available online at the course website)

Fact Pretests

Allow students 2 minutes, instructing them to work as many problems as they can. Use the following guidelines to place students into the sequence: 20 or more facts answered correctly can start at Set

G. 30 or more facts answered correctly can start at Set

M. 45 or more facts answered correctly can start at Set R. 60 or more facts correctly in the 2 minute pretest

probably need not be placed in a fact program for that type of fact

Suggestions for administration Day One

Administer Survey Level tests Day Two

Analyze Survey Level test and develop Diagnostic test

Administer Fact Pretest Day Three

Administer Diagnostic test

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation Have materials organized and ready to

use. Ask the child to sit next to you; on your

right, if right handed, on your left, if left handed.

Put the student(s) at ease before testing. Provide motivation for working hard (free

time, stickers, stars, etc.)

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation Describe the purpose for testing (to

determine what the student knows, what they need to learn).

Give clear directions, then give the child the test.

Record student responses so that student doesn't see.

Follow the testing procedures accurately. Reinforce good effort, even when student

is performing poorly.

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation

Do not allow facial gestures or verbal comments that will tell the student he/she gave a wrong answer.

Do not tell answers or give hints; you are testing, not teaching.

If the student is unable to read the story problems you may read the words to her/him.

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation You may give prompts after recording

the student's initial response to get more information about conditions under which the student can perform the task.

Record as much information as possible; record data accurately.

Guidelines for a Structured Assessment Situation Stop when the student becomes

obviously frustrated. Thank the student for working with you

and give the student a sticker, verbal praise, or whatever you set up earlier.

PLANNING INSTRUCTIONAL ADAPTATIONS

Adaptations

Special education involves making many different kinds of adaptations to general education Instructional Behavioral

What are instructional adaptations?

Question

Are instructional adaptations made in the context of the general education curriculum or the special education curriculum?

Yes…

Individualized Curriculum

General Education Curriculum

Core Curriculum Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks

Another way to think about it

A few students

Majority of Students

Core Curriculum Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks

Successful in the generalcurriculum

Require additional support and services

IDEA and access to the general curriculum "the education of children with

disabilities can be made more effective by . . . having high expectations for such children and ensuring their access to the general curriculum to the maximum extent possible” (20 U.S.C. § 1400 )

IDEA and access to the general curriculum "The IEP requirements emphasize the

importance of three core concepts: (1) involvement in and progress of each child with a disability in the general curriculum including addressing the unique needs that arise out of the child's disability . . ."

Instruction

Assessment Goals andObjectives

So, what might you change?

Instructional Environment

What might you change?

Learning environment Instructional materials Instructional activities Teaching strategies Student performance requirements Alternate learning and assessment tasks

Lesson Planning

Write goals and objectives Identify preskills Determine order of lesson Develop or select instructional formats

and materials Design data collection and evaluation

strategies

Lesson Planning

Goals and Objectives Write instructional objectives for each strand

you are teaching

Objectives

Must include the following components: The materials available to students. (e.g., tens sticks,

dimes and pennies, pencil and paper) The assistance provided students (i.e., levels of

structure--structured board - independent practice) The student's name or the group's name. The behavior (e.g., one digit divisor and one digit

quotient no remainder) An accuracy criterion (e.g., % correct, number correct

out of total, rate) A retention criterion (e.g., number of problems, number

of days)

Objectives

Given an oral direction to state the + 7 facts, Jesse will orally tell answers to 7+0 to 7+9 problems independently, with 100% accuracy within 30 seconds for two days.

Given Set M of Carnine Subtraction Facts, Sam will independently answer 28 out of 30 facts in 1 minute for three consecutive days.

Given an independent worksheet, Sarah will multiply 2-digit numbers by one digit numbers with renaming on 9 out of 10 problems for 3 consecutive days.

Lesson Planning

Preskills Identify what student must know and be

able to before s/he can learn the new task

Lesson Planning

Determine order of lesson for each strand Move through different levels of structure

(scaffolding) Warm-up

Review of yesterday’s skills Presentation of new material Guided Practice on newly learned and

previously learned material Independent seatwork with teacher supervision Workcheck (teacher corrects student work with

students and provides corrective feedback)

Lesson Planning

Formats/Activities Identify instructional formats and materials

for each skill to be learned or practiced What will the teacher say and what will

students do? What level of support will the teacher provide

on each skill How will the teacher provide scaffolding?

What preparation must teacher do before implementing the lesson?

Lesson Planning

Evaluation Identify data collection techniques

How will you record student’s progress? Identify correction procedures

What will you do if students make mistakes?