SPED 620 - Assessment Strategies

Course Description

The course includes hands-on practice selecting, administering, scoring, reporting and interpreting alternative methods of assessing young children and youth with mild to moderate and moderate to severe disabilities. It is a survey of standardized and non-standardized assessment techniques and how they are employed to identify, develop programs, and monitor performance of your children and youth with disabilities. Critical skills and experiences with using these techniques and interpreting the results will be presented so that candidates can become competent assessors of at-risk students as well as effective members of IFSP, IEP, or ITP decision-making teams.Students will be introduced to State mandated assessment processes and will administer formal assessment instruments and construct, administer and evaluate informal assessments as well. Included are the following: a review of recommended practices in assessment and education; alternative methods such as observations, portfolios, curriculum-based and ecological assessment.. Students will administer formal assessment instruments, and construct, administer and evaluate informal assessments as well report writing and skill building in translating assessment results into educational planning. Attention is given to techniques required to ensure nonbiased, nondiscriminatory assessment and compliance with public law. Attention is given to techniques required to ensure nonbiased, nondiscriminatory assessment and compliance with public law. Students will be introduced to the world of Assistive Technology