¶ … Special Education
Assessment Options
There were a number of eminent points and observations regarding the methodology of assessment utilized within Maryellen Weimer's article, "Making exams more about learning," which initially appeared in The Teaching Professor in 2011. This article essentially functions as a case study in which an undergraduate instructor, Thomas Smith, employed a number of unusual methods to assist his students with the process of assessment. Among the measures that Smith adopted was grading the examinations students took individually with each student, as well as allowing them access to previous examinations on the same topic. While analyzing Smith's methodology, the author makes note of both positive and negative points that can aid additional instructors who want to incorporate some of Smith's techniques in the future. The overall effect is that readers and pedagogues are able to get a practical, compressive overview of alternate assessment methods that can easily be incorporated into virtually any classroom setting -- even for assessing special education students.
The principle thematic element that Weimer's article is based on is the fact that traditionally, the assessment process involves students concerning themselves with the resultant grade, and whatever steps they must take to earn such a grade. However, the obtaining of a particular grade is not always the objective of learning -- which is more commonly associated with edification purposes. The author poses that "the process of preparing for, taking, and getting feedback about an exam can also be a learning experience" (Weimer, 2011). There appears to be a good amount of relevance and accuracy in this statement -- particularly the part of it that references the feedback incurred once an assessment is given. With the answers presented to students in this setting (after they have already given a considerable amount of is part science and part art." (1998, p. 9).
One of the most salient aspects of the assessment process detailed within the case study of Weimer's article is the fact that students were required to offer justification for their answers on exams, and it was the justification -- not the actual answer itself -- that was graded and that students received credit for. From a pedagogical perspective, this method actually helps to enhance learning by allowing students to focus less on the correct answer and more on why such an answer is in fact correct. The examination administered in the case study was multiple-choice. Students could actually receive some credit for incorrect answers if there was a definite logic evinced within their justification that related to their answers, while students who may have inadvertently guessed correctly and could not justify their responses would not receive credit. The focus of such a method is extremely conducive to the didactic process because it allows for an instructor to gain a broader understanding of what students have actually learned about a subject. Some students may have understood a concept but merely miscalculated or misinterpreted a question -- and subsequently are still deserving of some acknowledgement for that which they do know.
One of the most useful aspects of Smith's case study pertains to how the pedagogue was able to systematically reduce the negative symptoms often associated with assessment. All too often, "For students, assessment often is perceived as a means of competing with classmates for the highest grade" (The Center, 2008).Testing anxiety, nervousness, and a host of other symptoms that have…
"By the 1980s, the field had moved to a functional skills model. As the evidence for this approach mounted, the field refocused on age appropriate skills and knowledge performed in authentic settings and the functional life skills curriculum became best practice. The functional, age-appropriate curricular focus resulted in these students demonstrating skills and knowledge not thought possible earlier" (Quenemoen, 2008). In the 1990s, added significant new practices were acknowledged as
Thus, efforts aimed at helping teachers to avoid harmful stereotyping of students often begin with activities designed to raise teachers' awareness of their unconscious biases." (1989) Cotton goes on the relate that there are specific ways in which differential expectations are communicated to students according to the work of: "Brookover, et al. (1982); Brophy (1983); Brophy and Evertson (1976); Brophy and Good (1970); Cooper and Good (1983); Cooper and
In the past, students with disabilities tended to be isolated from their peers by Special Education paradigms that obliged them to receive learning in a physically isolated setting. Far from helping these children to achieve their full potential, such setups tended to stigmatize them, making, making it even more difficult to look beyond their ability for their own identity and how this could be applied for the benefit of society
The IEP takes into account the results of the assessment while developing a plan for the future. The evaluation results include not only behavioral observations but also socio-cultural background. If the student has a physical disability, the IEP might address the need for specialized technologies or classroom adaptations. On the other hand, if the student has a learning disability, the IEP might include recommendations for lesson adaptation. The IEP is
Then students use AlphaSmart software to paste the picture and explain in a paragraph why, how and where in the plot they feel that picture relates to the story. This tests three things: (a) student concentration; (b) student level of understanding of the general plot; and - student imagination. This is an important implementation because it opens the students' horizons and allows them to see the general links and
Special Education According to the Federal Laws of the United States of America, "Special Education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability [IDEA 97-300.26(a)]." The revised statutes of Arizona defines a child with disability as "a child who is at least three but less than twenty-two years of age, who has been evaluated and found to have
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