Share your experience of assessing students with disabilities with achievement and diagnostic tests.?

Question

Share your experience of assessing students with disabilities with achievement and diagnostic tests.

Answer 1

In my school we use the ESTR-III a transition rating scale.  All of our students are 17-26 years old.  We also use some of the Brigance Diagnostic assessments.  For my Master's Thesis, I developed an assessment that is based on the needs of our students (vocational, functional academics, adult daily living skills, etc.)  that covers pertinent info not covered by the ESTR-III which was mandated by our ISD.

I think the most important thing of any assessment is that it needs to be a living, breathing document, adaptable to meet the changing needs of the students and the community.  For example, previous assessments asked if students could use a payphone.  Can anybody even find a working payphone these days?

Answer 2

i have performed numerous assessments such as both as initial evaluation and re-evaluation.

Conners Behavior Scale

Learing Disability Diagnostic Inventory

Wechsler Individual Achievement Test

Achenbach

Vineland

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale

Answer 3

Oh where were you miss latta lady when I was younger and no one understood me?

You sound like a loving teacher, we need more like you.  Lets stop cloning sheep and clone teachers that work for the kids like you.

I'm glad I click on this question, it is a great qestion and needed here.

Answer 4

Formal state assessments don't serve my students very well because students are tested at grade level (which is usually very different from instructional level).

However, classroom assessments give room for more leeway and modification, imo. This is what serves my students well. For example, students get to see reminders such as color coded charts to help remember certain things. They also get extended time and items read aloud (which are not always attuned to formal standardized testing.At other times, I can test orally and observe for understanding.  

Achievement tests don't usually work well for special needs populations.

Answer 5

Most children who have disabilities have a history of academic failure, so when the hear the word "test," they freak out. This makes about half of the students very difficult to test.

I have had students who break down completely and can's take the test. One boy I had began to hit himself in the head and cry horribly. I took the test away from him.

When you use standardized tests normed on regular ed students, it is like asking a kid without a foot to run a mile in 7 minutes. The trouble with mildly disabled kids is that they don't look disabled, so they are forced to endure defeat over and over again.

Doing one on one testing is better because you can stop the test when the items get too hard.