KEANUNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNION, NJ
Spring, 2010
COURSE TITLE
Assessment in Special Education
Course Number SPED 5050
Semester Hours three
Prerequisites SPED 5005, Foundations in
Special Education
Limit on Enrollment 25
Required Graduate Certification Programs,
Tracks A and B, M.A. Program, all options, Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant, Certification Program
Catalog Description
Formal and informal assessment tools will be examined in cognition, achievement, special aptitudes and interests and emotional/social functioning. Current trends are examined as students explore and apply test instruments in the classroom setting.
Note: In order to ensure full class participation, any student with a disabling condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorders, special adaptive equipment, special note-taking or test-taking procedures) will be strongly encouraged to contact the professor at the beginning of the course. For the student’s convenience, the professor’s office hours, telephone number, and e-mail address will be listed on the syllabus.
KEANUNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
Union, NJ
COURSE TITLE
Assessment in Special Education
I.Course Objectives
Students will achieve growth toward being informed, dynamic, professionals, as
evidenced by demonstration of proficiencies in knowledge and comprehension
(K), value development and dispositions (D) and skill application (S).
The student will:
A.Analyze historical and philosophical perspectives on psychological and educational assessment (K, S)
B.Analyze the statistical basis of psychological and educational assessment (K, S)
C.Evaluate the characteristics of the major clinical, psychological and educational tests. (K, S)
D.Gain experience in the use and interpretation of those representative measures relevant to teachers in special education (S)
E. Develop collaborative skills needed for effective assessment procedures (S, D)
F. Relate legislative guidelines for assessment to practice (K, S)
G. Critique functional assessment approaches (K, S)
II.Course Content
A.History of Testing
1. Early 20th century interest in tests of intelligence and personality
2. Process testing and influence of the medical/neurological model
3. Perceptual-motor tests of the 1960's (ex. Kephart, Cratty, Frostig)
4. PL 94-142, IDEA, No Child Left Behind and assessment changes
5. Madeleine Will and the Regular Education Initiative-influence on process
a. prereferral intervention
b. requirement to link strategies to assessment
6. Full inclusion and the least restrictive environment
7. Monumental litigation that influenced assessment
a. Larry P. v. Riles
b. Diana v. State Board of Education
c. PASE v. Hannon
d. Jose P. v. Ambach
8. Significant legislation that has impacted on assessment
9. Non-discriminatory assessment
a. multicultural considerations
b. legislative mandates
10.Role of technology in assessing individuals with disabilities.
B. Basic statistical concepts relevant to testing
1. Establishing norms
a. age and grade norms
b. percentiles
c. standard scores
d. non-normative scores or criterion-referenced scales
2. Reliability
a. of a test or scale
b. of a single score
3. Validity
a. content validity
b. construct validity
c. face validity
4. Item selection, scale development
a. in teacher-made tests
b. in standardized tests
C. Comparison and contrasts of the characteristics of major tests
1. Assessment of Abilities (ex. Weschler Intelligence Scale
2. Assessment of Adaptive Behavior
3. Assessment of Behavior and Emotional Status
4. Assessment of Oral Language
5. Assessment of General Achievement (Woodcock Johnson, Wechsler Individual
Achievement Tests)
6. Early Childhood Assessment
7. Vocational/Transitional Assessment
D. Integrating and interpreting results from various tests
1.Report forms and their relation to report purpose
2. Test findings vs. inferences from tests
3. Cross cultural perspectives
4. Role of test consumers (i.e. teachers, parents, students)
a. ethics/uses made of findings
b. appropriate interpretation and implementation of findings
5. Incorporating findings into IEP development
6. Role of computers in interpretation and reporting of results
E. Collaboration
1. Communication/collaboration with Child Study Team
2. Communication/collaboration with parents
3. Components of successful collaboration
4. Multicultural considerations in the collaborative process
F. Legislative guidelines
1. Federal initiatives (Reauthorization of IDEA-2004)
2. Revision of the New Jersey Administrative Code- Fall, 2006
3. No Child Left Behind Act and standards-based assessments
4. IEP Guidelines
5. Multidisciplinary requirements for assessment
6. Parent Rights in Special Education (PRISE)
7. Core Content Curriculum Standards- ESPA, EWT, HSPA
8. Non-discriminatory Assessment
G. Functional Assessment
1. Curriculum-based
2. Trial teaching
3. Formative Assessment
4. Response to Intervention and Classroom Data
5. Conducting a structured observation
6. Holding parent, student and/or teacher interviews
111. Methods of Instruction
A. Presentations
B. Demonstration
C. Projects and workshops
D. Cooperative groups and peer pairing
E. Modeling
F. Class Discussion
IV Methods of Evaluation
A. Objective tests (K, S)
B. Written reports (K, S, D)
C. Assessment Project (K, S)
D. Evaluation of Assessment Services (K, S, D)
E. Presentation of Assessment Instrument (K,S,D)
V. Suggested Text
Taylor, R.L. (2008). Assessment of exceptional students: Educational and psychological procedures. (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ainsworth, L., & Viegut, D. (2006). Common formative assessments. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press.
Albus, D., & Thurlow, M.L. (2008). Accommodating students with disabilities on State English
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Barrera, M. (2008). Assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse learners with disabilities:
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Barton, P.E. (2008). The right way to measure growth. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 70-73.
Braden, J.P., & Shaw, S.R. (2009). Intervention validity of cognitive assessment: Knowns,
Unknowables, and unknowns. Assessment for Effective Instruction, 34(2), 106-1005.
Brookhart, S.M. (2009). Exploring formative assessment. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Brookhart, S., Moss, C., & Long, B. (2008). Formative assessment that empowers. Educational
Leadership, 86(3), 52-57.
Brookhart, S. (2009). The many meanings of “multiple measures.” Educational Leadership,
67(3), 6-13.
Bruce, S., Parnell, E.P., & Zayyad, M. (2008). Assessment and instruction of self recognition.
Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(1), 36-41.
Capizzi, A.M. (2008). From assessment to annual goal-engaging a decision-making process
In writing measurable IEPs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(1), 18-25.
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Leadership, 65(4), 14-19.
Englert, C.S. (2009). Connecting the dots in a research program to develop, implement,
and evaluate strategic literacy interventions for struggling readers and writers. Learning
Disabilities Research & Practice, 24(2), 93-103.
Florian, L., & McLaughlin, M.J. (eds). (2008). Disability classification in education: Issues and
P\perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L.S., Compton, D.L., Bonton, B., Caffrey, E., & Hill, L. (2007). Dynamic
assessment as responsiveness to intervention: A scripted protocol to identify young
At-risk readers. Teaching Exceptional Children, 39(5), 58-63.
Jennings, M. (2009). Before the special education referral: Leading intervention teams.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Johnson, E.S., Jenkins, J.R., Petscher, Y., & Catts, H.W. (2009). How can we improve the
accuracy of screening instruments? Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 24(4),
174-185.
Keyser, D.J., & Sweetland, R.C. (2005). Test Critiques (Vol. XI). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Laitusis, C.C., & Cook, L.L. (2007). Large-scale assessments and accommodations: What
works? Alexandria, VA: CEC.
Liu, Y.J., Ortiz, A.A., Wilkinson, C.Y., Robertson, P., & Kushner, M.I. (2008). From early
childhood special education to special education resource rooms: Identification,
assessment, and eligibility determinations for English language learners with reading-
Related disabilities. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 33(3), 177-187.
Martinez, R.S., Missall, K.., Graney, S.B., Aricak, O.T., & Clarke, B. (2009). Technical
adequacy of early numeracy curriculum-based measurement in kindergarten. Assessment
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Marzano, R.J., & Kendall, J.S. (2008). Designing and assessing educational objectives:
Applying the new taxonomy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
McKenna, M.C., & Dougherty Stahl, K.A. (2009). Assessment for reading instruction (2nd ed.).
New York: Guilford Press.
McMillan, J.H. (2008). Assessment essentials for standards-based education (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Mellard, D.F., McKnight, M., & Woods, K. (2009). Response to intervention screening and
progress-monitoring practices in 41 local schools.Learning Disabilities Research and
Practice, 24(4), 186-195.
Pierangelo, R., & Giuliani, G. (2007). Special education eligibility: A step-by-step guide for
educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Pierangelo, R., & Giuliani, G. (2008). Understanding assessment in the special education
Process: A step-by-step guide for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Riley-Tillman, T.C., Methe, S.A., & Weegar, K. (2009). Examing the use of direct behavior rating
on formative assessment of class-wide engagement A case study. Assessment for
Effective Intervention, 34(4), 224-230.
Sattler, J.M., & Hoge, R.D. Assessment of children (5th ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Schudt Caldwell, J (2008). Comprehension assessment: A classroom guide. New York:
Guilford Press.
Sclafani, S.K. (2008). Two roads to high performance. Educational Leadership, 662), 26-31.
Smith, K. (2009). From test takers to test makers. Educational Leadership, 87(3), 26-31.
Solano-Flores, G., & Li, M. (2008). Examining the dependability of academic achievement in
reading, mathematics and science for English language learners with disabilities.
Assessment for Effective Intervention, 33(3), 135-144.
Sternberg, R.J. (2008). Assessing what matters. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 20-27.
Sullivan, J. R. (2010). Preliminary psychometric data for the academic coping strategies scale.
Assessment for Effective Intervention, 35(2), 103-112.
Tomlinson, C.A. (2008). Learning to love assessment. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 8-13.
Towles-Reeves, E., Kleinert, H., & Muhomba, M. (2009). Alternative assessment: Have we
learned anything new? Exceptional Children, 75(2), 233-252.
Tucker, B. (2009). The next generation of testing. Educational Leadership, 67(3), 48-53.
Wanzek, J., Roberts, G., Linan-Thompson, S., Vaughn, S., Woodruss, A.L. & Murray, C.S.
(2010). Differences in the relationship of oral reading fluency and high-stakes measures of
reading comprehension. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 35(2), 67-77.
Wright, J. (2007). RTI toolkit: A practical guide for schools. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Ysseldyke, J.E., & Algozzine, B. (2006). Effective assessment for students with special needs:
A practical guide for every teacher. Alexandria, VA: CEC.
Zagranski, R., Whigham, W.T., & Dardenne, P.L. (2008). Understanding standards-based
education: A practical guide for teachers and administrators. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press.
SEMINAL WORKS
Abrams, L.M., & Madaus, G.F. (2003). The lessons of high-stakes testing. Educational
Leadership, 61(3), 31-35.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author
Brody, N. (1992). Intelligence. (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Brozo, W., & Hargis, C. (2003). Using low-stakes reading assessment. Educational
Leadership, 61(3), 60-65.
Ceci, S.J. (1990). On intelligence. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Egan, K. (2003). Testing what and for what? Educational Leadership, 61(3), 27-30.
Gould, S.J. (1981). The mismeasure of man.New York: WW Norton & Co.
Greenwood, C.R., & Rieth, H.J. (1994). Current dimensions of technology-based
assessment in special education. Exceptional Individual, 61(2), 105-113.
Ofiesh, N.S., Hughes, C., & Scott, S.S. (2004). Extended test time and postsecondary students
With learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 19(1), 57-70.
Overton, T. (2004). Promoting academic success through environmental assessment.
Intervention in School & Clinic, 39(3), 147-153.
Mather, N., Wendling, B.J., & Woodcock, R.W. (2001). Essentials of WJ III tests of
Achievement assessment.New York: Wiley.
Muenz, T., Ouchi, B., & Cole, N. (1999). Item analysis of written expression scoring systems
from the PIAT-R and WIAT. Psychology in the Schools, 36, 31-40.
Sharkey, N.S., & Murnane, R.J. (2003). Learning from student assessment results. Educational
Leadership, 61(3), 77-81.
Smith, J., Brewer, D.M., & Heffner, T. (2003). Tips for teaching. Using portfolio assessments
with young children who are at risk for school failure. Preventing School Failure, 48(1),
38-41.
Thurlow, M.L., Elliott, J.L., & Ysseldyke, J.E. (2003). Testing students with disabilities:
Practical strategies for complying with district and state requirements. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin.
NON PRINT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Assessing student performance (Professional Inquiry Kit). Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA22314.
Designing Performance Assessments for Learning (DVD). (2006). Insight Media.
Developing performance assessments. (VSH). Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA22314.
Formative Assessment in Content Areas. (DVD) (2008). Insight Media.
Four ways to explore the world of career choices. (CD Rom). AGS, Circle Pines,
MN 55014
How to Informally Assess Student Learning (DVD) (2005). Insight Media.
Standards-Based Reporting and Formative Assessment: On the Road to a Highly Reliable Organzation. (DVD) (2009). Insight Media.
WORLD WIDE WEB SITES
edu/beach/pbs/html/7s.htm. This Website introduces Functional Behavior Assessment.
This Website contains various
resources related to evaluation.
This Assessment, Accountability, and Standards program at SERVE has worked
with districts to improve classroom assessments.
Center for Learning Differences Website.
Classroom Assessment and the National Science
Education Standards explains how classroom assessments can improve learning in
science.
“Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through
Classroom Assessment” summarizes a meta-analysis of studies on classroom
assessment.
“Student Evaluation Standards” provides teachers and others with guidance
about effective student-evaluation practices.
“Student Involved Classroom Assessment” shows teachers how to
create high-quality classroom assessments.
More information is provided about the Assessment Training
Institute.
TESTS
AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scales
Basic Skills Inventory (Pro-Ed)
Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC)
Behavior and Emotional Rating Scale (Pro-Ed).
Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test
Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised (Psychological Corporation)
Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development (Curriculum Associates)
Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills (Curriculum Associates)
Brigance Inventory of Essential Skills (Curriculum Associates)
Brigance Life Skills Inventory (Curriculum Associates)
Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (CREVT), Pro-ed, Austin,
Texas 78757
Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration- Rev.
ESPA (4th grade assessment- Core Content Curriculum Standards)
EWT (8th grade early warning test- Core Content Curriculum Standards)
Gray Oral Reading Test- 5th Edition (GORT-5)
Hammill Multi-ability Achievement Test (Pro-Ed).
HSTP (11th grade High School Proficiency Test)- Core Content Curriculum Standards
Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement
Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test, Rev.
Kuder General Interest Survey
The Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory (LDDI)
Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS)
Parent’s Guide to Attention Deficit Disorder
Peabody Individual Achievement Test, Rev.
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, III
Sequential Tests of Educational Progress
Slosson Intelligence Test
Slosson Oral Reading Test
Stanford Achievement Tests
Stanford-Binet Test of Intelligence, 3rd Edition
Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, 2nd ed. Western Psychological Services (WPS),
Los Angeles, CA90025
Test of Written Language (TOWL)
Weschler Individual Achievement Test
Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery- III (Riverside Publishing)
Tests of Achievement
Tests of Cognitive Abilities