Ethical Considerations in Testing

Assessment initially seemed like a dry subject, necessary but consuming valuable instruction time. After a semester-long course addressing the plethora of assessments and their purposes, my perspective--needless to say--has shifted substantially. I recognize now the critical role testing plays in determining placement and provision of services. Assessmentsof which I was initally unaware were equally--if not more so--high-stakes than what is typically categorized under that term. As a result of the power given to assessments' results in shaping children's educational futures, adminstrators need to be especailly careful and cognizant of the ethical dimension to testing to avoid misapplying or misinterpreting test results.

The American Psychological Association has prepared a Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education, providing guidelines for test givers and takers alike. The text's authors, the Joint Committee on Testing Practices, cover four key areas: developing and selecting appropriate tests, administering and scoring tests, reporting and interpreting test results, and, finally, informing test takers. Administrators should be qualified and follow the procedures outline in each assessment to minimize testing bias.

Numerous academic articles also address this important like L.K. Knauss' 2001 "Ethical Issues in Psychological Assessment in School Settings," which, according to his abstract, covers "informed consent, nondiscriminatory assessment, projective personality assessment, and computerized psychological testing" as well as "the process of parental consent and invovlement." 

Curriculum-Based Assessments (CBMs)

Curriculum-Based Assessments (CBMs) are an excellent tool to screen students, track their progess, diagnose difficulties, and drive instructional decisions. CBM results are also important for parents who want to know how their children are doing and for special educators preparing to write PLAAFP statements. CBMs can be given in reading, writing, spelling, math and other academic content areas. Searching the homepages for test makers like DIBELS and AIMSweb can be beneficial in learning more about CBMs. These sites often have information about the intricately intertwined processes of RTI and CBM. Additional online resources include Intervention Central: CBM Warehouse, which includes links to various assessments; a PDF of CBM examples for literacy, math, and writing; and a hefty, five-chapter document by Syracuse City (NY) specialist Jim Wright among many more.

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM)

It's easy to get lost when exploring Dynamic Learning Maps (DLMs). The official DLM website is attractive, innovative, and rather vague. The site includes information explaining the assessment and answering frequently asked questions. DLM will be beta tested with students who have significant cognitive disabilities (a relatively small population), and, if successful, extended to other groups. DLM is currently being developed and tested in 14 states including Utah. The following PDF versions of powerpoints are helpful in navigating this topic, but require extensive time to peruse: History of the Common Core Essential Elements & The Dynamic Learning Maps Consortiuum and Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment Consortium Overview. The Alternate Assessment Consortia: Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) provides similar content but in article form.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a system for identifying students who are struggling and providing them the additional help they need to be successful. Imagine a pyramid. The base is composed of students whose needs can be adequately met by high-quality instruction in the general education classroom with minimal progress monitoring in key areas. For example, they would only be given DIBELS testing at the beginning, middle, and end of each school year. However, for some students, this is not be enough. After testing data or teacher observation reveals problems, the general educator can conduct interventions to address the issue. If after three interventions--each lasting eight to 12 weeks--the student still fails to make progress, they are entitled to Tier 2 services, which involves more frequent progress monitoring at the rate of at least once every other week. If the student needs more support, they can qualify for additional services at Tier 3 level, which involves even more frequent and precise progress monitoring. Tier 3 interventions are ideally conducted one-to-one and tailored to a student's specific needs. RTI at the higher levels requires specific skills and should be administered only by a special educator, not parent volunteers. Also, the second and third tier should supplement general classroom instruction, not replace it. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts caused by budget cuts make this unrealistic in many cases.

The National Center on the Response to Intervention offers additional information defining RTI and its implementation. The site also includes definitions of key terms and a mind map of RTI's essential components. The series of webinars are also useful.

RTI Action Network's content overlaps The National Center on the Response to Intervention, but their website format seems more navigable. Vistors to the page can click on the tabs at the left to learn more about RTI, create a plan incorporating RTI's essential components, connect with others in the field, and develop professionally. The headings at the top addressing particular demographic groups within the education population--pre-K, K-5, middle school, high school, and higher ed--is helpful for people focusing on a particular student or age rather than seeking information on RTI in general. In addition to their link for parents and families, RTI Action Network also has an extensive annotated bibliography for individuals who are scholastically inclined.

Signing Santa Stops at City Creek

On Friday, November 30, 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune included a blurb entitled "Signs for the Season" in their Utah Section (B8). Since its length likely excluded it from being posted on the Trib's website, I've included the text here: "Ken McLean, a signing Santa, signs to 4-year old Quinsi Wakeland as she sits on his lap Thursday at the City Creek Center with 90 of her classmates from the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf in Salt Lake City. McLean, of Denver, has been a signing Santa for five years. The students met with Santa and participated in other holiday activities at the shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City." A jolly photograph of a red-clad Saint Nick (McLean) with a wee girl (Wakeland) seated on his lap and intently watching his face and fingers accompanied the text. I was delighted to see there are opportunities for children who are deaf to communicate their Chrismtas wishlist to the man at the North Pole. It seems Santa can suit every child's needs. (The photograph was taken by Steve Griffin. The text wasn't attributed to an author.)

IDEA Disability Category Handouts

Throughout this semester in my Diversity and Learning class at Westminster College (essentially an introduction to special education), we have all been required to give one small-group presentation to our class on an IDEA disability category. In addition to the PowerPoints and Prezis produced, my peers and I were also required to provide handouts with the legal definition and characteristics of the disability as well as teaching/learning strategies and links to helpful resources. My partner, Brittany, and I created the handout on Intellectual disabilities (seventh down). 

• Autism
• Deaf-blindness
• Deafness
• Developmental delay
• Emotional disturbance
• Hearing impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Multiple disabilities (with visuals)
• Orthopedic impairment
• Other health impairment
• Specific learning disability
• Speech or language impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Visual impairment, including blindness

English Language Learner Resource List

Learning can be a daunting task for students even when the language used in school matches the language they speak at home. English language learners (ELLs) not only contend with new content material, but they also must cope with instructions given in their non-native language. Teachers can help lessen ELLs' stress by becoming cognizant of their special needs. Below is a list of a resources designed to help educators teach students whose primary language is not English.

UEN's ELL Resorces

Utah Education Network (UEN) is an excellent starting place, since they have a full page devoted to ELL resources. The site divides their resource list into six categories: General, Teaching Ideas, Resources, For Students, Forums, and finally News and Research. For each link, UEN describes what the site includes and how it might be beneficial.

Colorin Colorado

Colorin Colorado's mission is "Helping children read....and succeed!" The cheery website is tailored to support Spanish-speaking families since 80% of ELLs first language is Spanish; in fact, the entire website can be viewed en Espanol. Despite their emphasis on Spanish, Colorin Colorado is currently in the process of expanding their resources to be inclusive of more languages. In addition to Spanish, they also offer reading tip sheets "for parents of children in Preschool through Third grade" in Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Navajo, Russian, Tagolog, and Vietnamese. Colorin Colorado was one of the links suggested by UEN.

UCLA Language Materials Project

Another resource listed on UEN's site, "UCLA Language Materials Project: Teaching Resources for Less Commonly Taught Languages," nicely supplements the narrowness of Colorin Colorado's focus. UCLA's Language Materials home page includes a clickable map of the world. Once viewers have selected a region, they can scroll through a list of languages spoken in the region and learn about individual language profiles. This is an excellent--albeit more academic--resource. It could be a wonderful site for high school world geography and history students to explore.

Vocabulary Games

Games can be an effective way to make learning fun, and Vocabulary.co.il has a wide variety. Twenty-four types of vocabulary games are listed at the top left of the site and language options are listed at the bottom right with flags symbolizing the language. The site also differentiates between ability/age level.

Rethinking Schools

Like UEN, Rethinking Schools has a page targeted to the needs of educators teaching ELLs. They list "Strategies for Improving Instruction for English Language Learners," "Strategies for Becoming More Culturally Competent,"a description of "Types of ESL and Bilingual Programs," and a lastly a list of additional resources from books to websites. They also link to their own specialized resource page entitled "Bilingual Education Resources."