Choosing the Proper Assessment Scenarios

The use of assessments is essential to child development and growth. Assessments should be culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate for students. For effective teaching and learning to occur, assessments must be implemented. Purposefully planned authentic assessments allow students to see modeling firsthand. Purposeful assessments are meaningful, planned assessments that guide instruction (Cobb, 2003).  Assessments provide valuable information to educators, such as areas of learning and areas which may need further improvement. Results and data from assessments should be used to drive instruction.  The following two scenarios are separate events in which assessments are necessary for the students involved. Please take a moment and read each scenario and propose an assessment that could be utilized for the students involved.

Scenario #1

Cason is an 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of three. Although Cason is a healthy young boy, he currently has difficulty with being surrounded by too many individuals, small spaces, loud noises, and being touched. Therefore, Cason refuses to pair up with peers to complete activities and prefers to play alone on the playground. Cason is currently in an inclusion classroom at his elementary school, where he receives special education services. Although Cason occasionally plays with other children and is curious about learning, he struggles with communicating. He can also be unpredictable, throws tantrums, and is aggressive when things do not go as planned. Cason's parents and teachers are concerned that this type of behavior will affect his ability to do well in school. Cason currently has weekly visits with a school-provided positive behavior support person. Due to Cason's inability to communicate his thoughts and feelings, it very hard for Cason to interact with his classmates and make friends. He only communicates through the use of signals, pictures, and a few words his family has taught him how to sign.

Scenario #2

MKeyla is an eight-year-old girl who loves learning. She tries her best at everything she attempts. MKeyla and her older sister, a fifth-grader, have lived with their grandmother since the age of two. In school, she struggles with reading and math. MKeyla is currently on tier two of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Although she was well below grade level in the second-grade, her grandmother insists she is placed in the third-grade. According to the beginning of the year benchmark assessment, MKeyla reads on a first-grade reading level. Her score indicates that her fluency and comprehension are significant areas of concern. MKeyla’s teacher and Mrs. Hernandez, MKeyla’s teacher, has had multiple meetings to discuss academic concerns. MKeyla’s grandmother shares that she did not finish school and feels she is not much help to MKeyla at home as she cannot read very well either. Mrs. Hernandez allows MKeyla extra time to complete assignments and sits with her one-on-one the majority of the time in the classroom to have MKeyla read to her and assist with grade-level tasks. MKeyla does not seem to be progressing, and Mrs. Hernandez is worried. What type of intervention assessment can Mrs. Hernandez use to track MKeyla’s progress in areas of reading and math?  

  

References

Cobb, C. (2003). Effective instruction begins with purposeful assessments. Reading Teacher, 57(4), 386–388.