This book provides readers with a practical approach for learning about the complex procedures of the assessment process. The readers are presented with the procedures in a step-by-step manner with exercises to help them solidify their knowledge of each step. Portions of assessment instruments, protocols, and scoring tables are provided to aid readers in their work with the practice exercises. Additionally, readers with participate in the educational decision-making process using data from classroom observations, curriculum-based assessment, functional behavior assessment, and data from norm-referenced assessment. KEY TOPICS: implementation of IDEA 2004, progress monitoring, assessment process according to the regulations of IDEA 2004, transition, early childhood assessment, assessment in infancy and early childhood, response to intervention, consideration of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, autism diagnostic assessment and techniques-including accurate assessment of pervasive development disorders, curriculum-based assessment, functional behavior assessment, norm-referenced assessment. Divided into four parts: Introduction to Assessment, Technical Prerequisites of Understanding Assessment, Assessing Students, and Interpretation of Assessment Results. MARKET: For special education teachers and other education professionals working with students who have special needs. A main text for college courses in Assessment in Special Education.

A practical, applied approach to assessing learners with special needs from early childhood through transition Assessing Learners with Special Needs: An Applied Approach, 8/e provides readers with a practical, step-by-step approach to learning about the complex procedures of the assessment process. This new edition provides a new presentation format and a new format for assessing student mastery of material through interactive learning activities. The Enhanced Pearson eText features embedded video, assessments, and exercises.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, k, p, e, i, s, t.

Case Studies in Assessment of Studens with Disabilities enhances any traditional text used in assessment courses by bridging the gap between learning how to administer tests in an assessment course and understanding the practical aspects of administering assessments to a real child in a school. This casebook goes beyond providing the student with the technical "know-how" to administer and interpret a particular test by providing a much-needed context for the factors taken into considerations in the process of effective assessment. Two class-tested case studies per chapter provide much-needed practical application and development of problem-solving skills. In-chapter exercises at the end of each case present students with optional activities which promote active learning. Questions to Consider sections in the middle of each case pose 4-5 questions that help the reader understand the material and anticipate what may happen. Sections at the end of each case pose 5-6 questions to help the reader apply knowledge, integrate the information they've just learned, and develop problem-solving skills.

An ideal step-by-step reference for instructors who have not had specific training in assessing students with special needs, Understanding Assessment in the Special Education Process helps educators make the most effective use of available assessment options.

The importance of student assessment, particularly for summative purposes, has increased greatly over the past thirty years. At the same time, emphasis on including all students in assessment programs has also increased. Assessment programs, whether they are large-scale, district-based, or teacher developed, have traditionally attempted to assess students using a single instrument administered to students under the same conditions. Educators and test developers, however, are increasingly acknowledging that this practice does not result in valid information, inferences, and decisions for all students. This problem is particularly true for students in the margins, whose characteristics and needs differ from what the public thinks of as the general population of students. Increasingly, educators, educational leaders, and test developers are seeking strategies, techniques, policies, and guidelines for assessing students for whom standard assessment instruments do not function well. Whether used for high-stakes decisions or classroom-based formative decisions, the most critical element of any educational assessment is validity. Developing and administering assessment instruments that provide valid measures and allow for valid inferences and decisions for all groups of students presents a major challenge for today’s assessment programs. Over the past few decades, several national policies have sparked research and development efforts that aim to increase test validity for students in the margins. This book explores recent developments and efforts in three important areas. The first section focuses on strategies for improving test validity through the provision of test accommodations. The second section focuses on alternate and modified assessments. Federal policies now allow testing programs to develop and administer alternate assessments for students who have not been exposed to grade-level content, and thus are not expected to demonstrate proficiency on grade-level assessments. A separate policy allows testing programs to develop modified assessments that will provided more useful information about achievement for a small percentage of students who are exposed to grade-level content but for whom the standard form of the grade-level test does not provide a valid measure of achievement. These policies are complex and can be confusing for educators who are not familiar with their details. The chapters in the second section unpack these policies and explore the implications these policies have for test design. The third and final section of the book examines how principles of Universal Design can be applied to improve test validity for all students. Collectively, this volume presents a comprehensive examination of the several issues that present challenges for assessing the achievement of all students. While our understanding of how to overcome these challenges continues to evolve, the lessons, strategies, and avenues for future research explored in this book empower educators, test developers, and testing programs with a deeper understanding of how we can improve assessments for students in the margins.