The purpose of assessment is to ensure that students are learning and retaining the information they have been taught. There are several ways a student can be assessed the two different types are either formal or informal. Formal and informal assessments are both equally important and serve as indicators for student learning. Some informal assessments for EBD are, observations, interviews, anecdotal record, event sampling, rating scale, and a checklist. All of theses assessments can be performed by any individual at any given time to monitor a student's behaviors. Formal assessments are created to judge the student's behavior based off of student his/her age and grade level and are given in a controlled environment by a teacher who is trained to give the test. Some examples of these assessments are an IQ test, achievement test, and neuropsychological evaluation.
The process of giving an assessment can look different depending on the student, the assessment, and the location. Usually when an informal assessment is given it is given in the student's general education classroom and a formal assessment is given in a private location were the student does not have any distractions. When giving as assessment to a child who has accommodations on his/her IEP they must be met. So I the child is to be granted more time they will be allowed more time or if the child needs a private testing location the child will get a private testing location.
|
If the child is showing signs of EBD there is a process that teacher and parents must go through before the child can receive special education services and accommodations. First the child must be referred, once referred the parents will receive notification and be asked for their consent to evaluate their child. Once consent is received the child can be evaluated for an EBD. During this evaluation the student may receive a functional behavioral assessment (FBA). This assessment is developed to ascertain the purpose or reason for behaviors displayed. The student may also undergo testing and questioning from doctors, teachers, and the school physiologist, to ensure the IEP team has the big picture of the child so he/she can receive the help they need. After the evaluation is conducted the IEP comes together and talks about the results, if the child is eligible for services they will discuss how the child will be served and the least restrictive environment (LRE). Once the services have be decided the team will write up the child’s IEP and the parents will sign off saying it is okay for their child to receive the services on the document. After the parents agree to the services the child's services will be implemented. The child will be monitored for progress and the services will be reevaluated and assessed at least one a year, and the student will be reevaluated every 3 years.
Reflection: We are all at some point being to be part of an IEP or other such meeting regarding our EBD and other special ed students. We both had several this past year, and it was incredible to see sometimes the difficulties some of our students endure day in and day out. Some you would be shocked ever made it to school, considering their home situation. However, our job as teachers is fix, heal, teach, exemplify, and ultimately prepare our students for success in and beyond the classroom. That is why we have frequent assessment.
Sources:
Turnbull, A. P., Turnbull, H. R., & Wehmeyer, M. L. (2010). Exceptional lives: Special education in today's schools. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill
Turnbull, A. P., Turnbull, H. R., & Wehmeyer, M. L. (2010). Exceptional lives: Special education in today's schools. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill