Assessing Students with Special Needs

intelligence

the ability of an individual to understand and cope with the environment; generally assessed with intelligence or "IQ" tests that are measures of academic aptitude

adaptive behavior

the ability to cope with the demands of the environment; includes self-help, communication, and social skills

memory

the ability to recall previously learned information

portfolio assessment

the analysis of student work samples, self-evaluations, and other materials assembled in portfolios to document student progress over time

construct validity

the degree to which an instrument measures the theoretical construct it intends to measure.

school performance

the degree to which students succeed in academic pursuits; often equated with school grades

raw score

the first test score calculated; usually indicates the number of correct responses plus the number of items assumed correct

criterion-related validity

the instrument is validated in terms of some outside criterion

median

the middle score in a set of scores

chronological age

the number of years and months since birth

Assessment

the process of gathering information for the purpose of making a decision.

attention

the process whereby an individual's awareness is directed toward some stimulus or set of stimuli

perception

the psychological ability to process or use the information received through the senses

protocol

the test form or student answer booklet

norm-referenced tests

the test is administered to a large number of individuals selected to represent the types of persons with whom the test will be used

correlation

these express the degree of relationship between two sets of scores

Due process

these procedures are designed to safeguard the rights of students with disabilities and their parents. It has been described as a "procedure which seeks to insure the fairness of educational decisions and the accountability of both the professionals and parents making these decisions."

Informal assessment

these procedures are used in educational assessments to determine current levels of performance, document student progress, and direct changes in the instructional program.

scorer reliability or interrater or interobserver reliability

this type is concerned with the consistency among persons who evaluate the performance of the individual being assessed; it is most important when scoring standards are subject to interpretation.

confidence intreval

a range of scores in which it is likely that the student's true score will fall; constructed by means of the standard error or measurement

test

a sample of student behavior collected under standard conditions

alternate score

a score resulting from the administration of standardized tests under altered conditions

norm-referenced test

a test that compares a student's performance to that of the students in the norm group

Norm-referenced tests

a test that compares a student's performance to that of the students in the norm group.

grade score

also called grade equivalent; a score that translates test performance into an estimated grade; expressed in grades and tenths of grades.

dynamic assessment

also called interactive assessment; assessment using the test-teach-test format.

rapport

the working relationship between student and tester

interval

there are equal intervals between the units of measurement

range

used to describe scatter, it is the distance between the highest and lowest scores in the distribution.

accommodations

with tests, any changes in the ways in which a test is administered and/or scored.

Individualized Assessment Plan or IAP

Not a legal requirement but highly recommended. A plan in which the steps and procedures of the assessment are organized according to the reasons for the assessment.

stanine

a derived score equivalent to a range of standard scores; stanines divide the distribution into nine ranges.

standard scores

a derived score with a set mean and standard deviation; examples are IQ scores, scaled scores, and T-scores.

normal curve equivalent (NCE)

a normalized standard score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 20.06; has the same range and midpoint as percentile rank scores but is an equal interval scale

percentile rank

a score that translates student test performance into the percentage of the norm group that performed as well as or poorer than the student on the same test

individual test

a test administered to one student at a time

Standardized tests

a test in which the administration, scoring, and interpretation procedures are standard or set; usually norm-referenced.

curriculum-based measurement

a type of curriculum-based assessment characterized by frequent and direct measurement of critical school behaviors; often includes 1-minute timed samples of reading, math, and writing skills.

rubric

a type of rating scale that describes various levels of student performance

structural task analysis

a type of task analysis in which the performance demands of the task are studied.

response analysis

a type of work sample analysis in which both errors and correct responses are considered.

error analysis

a type of work sample analysis in which the incorrect responses of the student are described and categorized

Individualized Education Program or IEP

a written educational plan developed for each school-aged student eligible for special education.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

according to federal special education laws, the educational placement for students with disabilities that is as close to the general education classroom as feasible.

Prereferral strategies

aimed at solving the school performance problems of individual students.

age score

also called age equivalent; a score that translates test performance into an estimated age; reported in years and months.

Formal assessment

assessment procedures that contain specific rules for administration, scoring, and interpretation; generally norm-referenced and/or standardized.

informal assessment

assessment procedures without rigid administration, scoring, and interpretation rules; includes criterion-referenced tests, task analysis, inventories, and so forth.

discrepancy analysis

for the identification of learning disabilities, the assessment team compares the student's current performance in one or more areas of achievement with that student's expected performance, as measured by current performance on a test of intellectual performance, to determine if there is an important difference between actual and expected achievement.

demonstration

in test administration, tasks similar to test items that are used to teach test procedures to the student

basal

in test administration, the point at which it can be assumed that the student would receive full credit for all easier test items.

ceiling

in test administration, the point at which it can be assumed that the student would receive no credit for all more difficult test items

ordinal

persons or other subjects of study are placed in sequence

predictive validity

refers to a measure's ability to predict future performance

Tests

are one type of assessment technique

Diagnosis

typically results in a label and that label is linked to treatment

clinical approach

an approach to teaching in which a new intervention is introduced and the student's progress monitored; similar to diagnostic teaching

rating scale

an informal assessment device in which the informant judges or rates the performance of the student

questionnaire

an informal assessment device in which the informant reads questions and writes the answers

checklist

an informal assessment device that allows an informant to quickly scan a list of descriptions and check those that apply to the student in question

criterion-referenced test

an informal assessment device that assesses skill mastery; compares the student's performance to curricular standards.

inventory

an informal assessment device that samples the student's ability to perform selected skills within a curricular sequence

interview

an informal assessment procedure in which the tester questions an informant

diagnostic teaching

an informal assessment strategy in which two or more instructional conditions are compared to determine which is most effective

task analysis

an informal assessment technique in which a task is broken into its essential components or subtasks

work sample analysis

an informal assessment technique in which samples of student work are studied.

observation

an informal assessment technique that involves specifying, counting, and recording the student behaviors.

classroom quiz

an informal assessment tool, usually designed by teachers, to assess students' classroom learning

diagnostic probe

an informal technique in which a test task or instructional condition is altered in order to observe if a change in the student's performance results

continuous recording

an observational technique in which all of the student's behaviors are studied.

sequence analysis

an observational technique in which the antecedents and consequences of the student's behaviors are studied.

curriculum-based assessment

any informal assessment technique or procedure that evaluates the student's performance in relation to the standard school curriculum.

mean

arithmetic average of the scores and is computed by adding all scores together and dividing by the number of scores

clinical interviews

asking a student questions about the strategies used to perform a task as it is performed or immediately afterwards

computer-assisted testing

assessment in which a computer administers a test and/or scores it.

concurrent validity

concerned with a measure's relationship to some current criterion.

split-half reliability

concerns a measure's internal consistency and is studied with one form of a measure and one group. After administration, the measure is divided in half and the scores from each half are correlated

content validity

defined as "the extent to which the sample of items on a test are representative of some defined universe, or domain of content

Mild disabilities

developmental disabilities, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities.

hyperactivity

excessive activity

standard error of measurement

indicator of the technical quality of an assessment tool and assists with interpretation of results.

functional assessment (functional behavioral assessment)

informal assessment technique that includes direct observation it goes beyond observation it is designed to gather the information needed to plan positive behavioral interventions for students with challenging behaviors

classroom assessment

informal assessment that typically takes place in the classroom

criterion-referenced tests

informal device, also provide a standard against which student performance can be compared

fine-motor skills

involve the small muscles

response-to-intervention (RTI)

is based upon an examination of the student's ability to profit from high quality instruction in order to show progress in the school curriculum.

equivalent-forms reliability

it is of interest when there is more than one form of the same measure and these forms are designed to be used interchangeably

learning strategies

methods used by individuals in their interactions with learning tasks

mode

most common value among a set of values, the score that occurs most frequently

learning aptitude

refers to an individual's capacity for altering behavior when presented with new information or experiences.

specific learning abilities

refers to an individual's capacity to participate successfully in certain aspects of the learning task or in certain types of learning

reliability

refers to consistency

psychological processes

refers to learning abilities such as attention, perception, and memory.

acuity

refers to the ability of the sense organ to register stimuli

test-retest reliability

refers to the consistency of a measure from one administration to another

validity

refers to whether an assessment tool actually measures what it purports to measure.

ratio

scale begins with a true zero and has equal intervals between units of measurement.

nominal

scale divided into categories

gross-motor skills

such as running, jumping, and throwing, involve the larger muscles of the body

standard deviation

takes each scores relationship to the mean into account.