As a SPED teachers, why do we have to be concerned about evaluating our students on a regular basis?

Question

As SPED teachers, why do we have to be concerned about evaluating our students on a regular basis? what benefits will evaluation offer our students, ourselves, the school, and parents of our students?

Answer 1

to see what progress a child makes and determine if their IEP needs to be revised based on their needs.

Answer 2

They must do this because assessment informs instruction. The two paragraphs below are directly from the National Board introduction for Exceptional Needs Specialist entry one, "Assessment Informs Instruction". They say it best.

Accomplished Exceptional Needs teachers continually seek to examine students as learners in order to further their student's development. These teachers develop a deep, holistic knowledge of their students. They understand that students' experiences, relationships, and the environments in which they participate at home, in school, and in the community-influence the impact that disabilities have on their development and learning. Teachers work collaboratively with families and with a full range of school personnel and others on issues of student assessment. Accomplished teachers create an environment in which equal treatment, fairness, and respect for diversity are modeled, taught, and practiced by all, and they take steps to ensure access to quality learning opportunities for all students. They use their deep knowledge of their students' physical, social, emotional, communicative, and cognitive development and their sound knowledge of curriculum and special education to identify student needs and they use assessment to inform their instruction. They use assessment data as a basis for decisions about instruction, and they frequently develop their own informal assessment tools.

Accomplished teachers of students with exceptional needs recognize that assessment and instruction are inextricably linked into a seamless cycle. They know that assessment of student's strengths, needs, interests, and learning must be an ongoing process, not only a summative or occasional event. Accomplished teachers have deep knowledge and skill in assessment, curriculum content and design, child development, and the impact particular disabilities may have on development and learning. They use their knowledge to integrate assessment and instruction seamlessly so that each informs the other. In this way, they apply their knowledge of curriculum and effective instructional practice to deepen their knowledge of students as unique learners. These teachers are therefore able to continuously refine their

capacity to address students' individual strengths and needs.

Answer 3

I will answer as the parent of an autistic child to try to help you.

All children are different, some will react positively to a teaching approach over time and some may not be the kind of learner (ie...visual or auditory) that shows progress by that approach. Re-evaluating give you a chance to change what isn't working because the ultimate goal is to help the child learn most effectively. The school benefits by having a successful special education class...when a visitor comes to see the class, and sees a teacher who is willing go the extra mile to implement a system of teaching based on the individual child more parents are likely to enroll their child at that school (ie more money for the school itself) .The parents benefit because having a special needs child is sooooooo hard for us and every time we see a teacher who is willing to be open to change, and new ideas...we feel comfortable knowing our child is in the hands of someone who wants success for them in the same way we do. Hope that's a little insight..Tanya :)

Answer 4

I'll give you one great example why special ed teachers need to be evaluated.  I was in the public school system for 14 years and was apart of the IEP teams.  There was a student who for all practical purposes was fully non-functional but when we had a team meeting involving the parents and were to provide them with options for giving him some sort of education.  Most of the teachers took the time to work up written reports on how to help him grow.  The teacher next to me had several blank papers that he pretended to read off.  He was just shooting for the hip and put no effort into creating a plan for the child.  Since most the children who are in special ed classes are generally shunned by most people there is no one who is really checking on teachers efforts.  Most schools/communities are just happy they aren't interacting with the "normal" students.  I hope your question doesn't reflect the lack of caring you have for your students.

Answer 5

A student's skills may increase or decrease over time and therefore they will be either be doing a program which is either boring or too hard for them if they are not evaluated on a regular basis.

Also it would be impossible to know whether they were meeting their IEP goals if they were not assessed.