Redesigning Deficit-Laden Assessments for Neurodivergent Students

2022 ◽  
pp. 179-206
Author(s):  
Sunghee Choi ◽  
Rachel K. Schuck ◽  
Kara Imm
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Individualized Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Education Assessment ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Quality Instruction ◽  
Current Assessment ◽  
Special Education Assessment

In this chapter, the authors deconstruct the deficit views inherent in special education assessment wherein marginalized, neurodivergent students receive stigmatizing labels and are often deprived of opportunities for quality instruction. The authors examine how eligibility criteria based on deficit views of disability are culturally biased and scientifically invalid. Then, the deficit perspective of Individualized Education Programs are analyzed to demonstrate how neurodivergent students and their families are isolated and objectified through this legal process. Lastly, as an alternative to the current assessment system, universally designed assessment is recommended to provide more accessible and flexible platforms for demonstrating students' knowledge and skills and to restore the lost connection between assessments and daily instruction.

Research and Evaluation Priorities for Special Education Assessment

1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Elliot Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
School Psychology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Education Assessment ◽  
Qualified Personnel ◽  
Special Education Assessment

This article summarizes current knowledge as it relates to three basic requirements for assessment: qualified personnel, adequate tools, and fair implementation. On the basis of this summary, research and evaluation priorities for the attention of the fields of special education and school psychology are offered. These priorities include, among others, defining minimum competency for assessment personnel, determining the population-validity of currently used instruments and their modifications, and identifying sources of bias in assessment.

Why Working Apart Doesn’t Work at All: Special Education and English Learner Teacher Collaborations

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39
Author(s):  
Sara E. N. Kangas
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
English Learner ◽  
Individualized Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Individualized Education ◽  
Linguistic Development ◽  
Synergistic Relationships ◽  
Learning English

With many students learning English also identified with disabilities in public schools, collaborations across special education and English learner (EL) education are critical to promoting these students’ academic and linguistic development. Yet, many special education and EL teachers work independently of one another, focusing on their own specialized roles. In the process, students with disabilities who are learning English receive fragmented, inadequate special education and EL services. This article provides specific strategies—cocreating individualized education programs and instituting consultations—special education and EL teachers can implement to break out of their isolated roles and to build synergistic relationships that benefit the learning of students with disabilities who are learning English.

Roles, Responsibilities, and Concerns of Paraeducators

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 287-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Fisher ◽  
Stacia L. Pleasants
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Effective Intervention ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Individualized Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Descriptive Information ◽  
One To One ◽  
Inclusive Schooling

The purpose of this survey study was to obtain descriptive information about job situations of special education paraeducators from paraeducators across one state and determine their perceptions regarding roles, current issues identified in the literature, and other issues of concern. Of particular interest was whether perceptions varied based on (a) paraeducator assignment (one-to-one or group) or (b) time in general education settings. More than 1,800 paraeducators responded. Findings supported previous studies based on smaller samples. Problematic issues previously associated with one-to-one paraeducators in general education settings were reported as concerns by both one-to-one and group paraeducators who spent all or most of their day in self-contained settings. Discussion centers on the importance of “paraeducator voice” in efforts to address broader issues of inclusive schooling, clarification of paraeducators as instructional team members, and better understandings situated in practice of the paraeducator role as an effective intervention alternative sometimes for students with individualized education programs.

Roles of Special Educators in St. Lucia: Implications of Policy and Practice on Inclusion

2018 ◽  
pp. 000-000
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Lubin
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Behavior Management ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Education Assessment ◽  
Academic Instruction ◽  
Responsive Behavior ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Special Education Assessment

Abstract Using an adaptation of Brownell and Smith's (1993) conceptual model, this study sought to examine the perception of primary and secondary special educators in St. Lucia of their roles as compared to roles of special education teachers universally. A survey, consisting of 89 Likert-scale statements and five closed ended questions, was administered to the entire population (i.e. 82) of special educators in primary and secondary schools in St. Lucia. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics including percentages, means, and t-tests. The independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference in the frequency of role engagement between the two groups of special educators. The results revealed that like special educators globally, special education teachers in St. Lucia engaged in all roles under study (i.e., Academic instruction, Non-academic instruction, Instructional Support, Responsive Behavior Management, Special Education Assessment, Classroom Assessment, Special Education Paperwork) but engaged in them at varying degrees. They regarded all but one role (i.e. Responsive Behavior Management) to be very-to-extremely important. Respondents utilized a continuum of practices from exclusionary to inclusionary but made greater use of exclusionary practices. Implications as well as recommendations to improve practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Transforming Inclusive Education: Nine Tips to Enhance School Leaders’ Ability to Effectively Lead Inclusive Special Education Programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cammy Romanuck Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Special Education Programs ◽  
Inclusive Special Education

Principals and assistant principals, collectively referred to as<em> school leaders</em>, play instrumental roles in ensuring the success of inclusive special education in the schools they oversee. However, school leaders continually report they lack the knowledge and skills to effectively oversee quality inclusive special education programs. There are very few training programs available to school leaders that focus on leading inclusive special education programs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide school leaders with nine tips, along with 11 immediately implementable practical strategies, to improve upon the inclusive special education programs in their schools. Topics include pertinent definitions, laws, and concepts associated with inclusion; models of coteaching; transformational leadership theory and traits; roles and responsibilities of school leaders in inclusive education programs; and practical strategies to implement to improve upon current inclusive education practices. This article is designed to be used with emerging, new, and experienced school leaders.

Implementing Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Special Education Eligibility Assessment in Rural County Elementary Schools: Pilot Project

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Hoover ◽  
Jennifer R. Erickson ◽  
Shelley R. Herron ◽  
Clara E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Rural County ◽  
Education Assessment ◽  
Special Education Eligibility ◽  
Eligibility Assessment ◽  
Special Education Assessment

Consideration of cultural and linguistic features is mandated by law and one of the most important contributors to the appropriate placement of diverse learners for special education services. This article describes the results of a pilot project designed to assist rural educators to deliver an equitable and unbiased assessment process for English learners (ELs) in Grades K–5. Project setting was a remote rural county district in a mountain Western state with a significant percentage of ELs in special education. Project findings illuminate the importance of incorporating cultural and linguistic features into the special education assessment process for ELs. Results also include a process for examining an assessment body of evidence from competing perspectives to increase objectivity. Recommendations for rural educator preparation and district assessment processes are provided.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document