Assessment Flashcards
Process to gain understanding of the individual child in order to make informed decisions.
Assessment
What are the 5 purposes of assessment?
- screening
- problem solving
- identification/diagnosis
- counseling and rehabilitation
- progress evaluation
Steps in the assessment process:
- Initial identification or referral of the student-REVIEW REFERRAL INFORMATION
- School psychologist will often review the student’s records determining the reason for referral
- Establish good working relationship with referral source and discuss referral with them and clarify when needed
- Decide whether to accept the referral
- Obtain relevant background information
- Consider the influence of relevant others
- Observe the child in several settings
- Select and administer an appropriate test battery
- Interpret the assessment results
- Develop intervention strategies and recommendations
- Write a report
- Meet with parents, examinee if appropriate, and other concerned individuals
Follow up on recommendations and reevaluation
4 pillars of assessment
- Norm-referenced tests
- Interview
- Observations
- Informal Assessment
What do assessments measure?
- Age ranges,
- what they measure,
- types of scores,
- how to interpret the data,
- culture fairness
Best Practice when using an assessment is to use a 1)____________ in which a multitude of areas, methods and sources are used to gather relevant information to identify children with disabilities or problems. IQ tests cannot be used in 2)________ - both formal and informal measures should be utilize to support or supplement decisions.
1) multi-method approach
2) isolation
Norm referenced tests
• Standardized on a 1)_______ and scaled so that each score reflects a rank within the norm group
• Quantify child’s 2)_______
• Provide an index for evaluating changes in many different aspects of the child’s 3)______ and 4)_______ world
1) norm group
2) psychological functioning
3) physical
4) social
Best practice for individually administered tests of _________:
start at the broadest level, then narrow your interpretation to the subtest level. Most valid score is usually the full scale score, followed by the major domain or cluster scores. Item analysis is least reliable, but may reveal important information.
intellectual functioning
- 5 broad domains- Verbal, Perceptual, Memory, Processing Speed and Executive Functions
- Age range: 6-16.11
WISC-IV
test of intellectual functioning
- Age range: 2:6 – 7:7
* 14 subtests
WPPSI-IV
test of intellectual functioning
- Earliest version considered the first widely used cognitive assessment in America
- Age range: 2-85
- Domains: Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative Reasoning, Visual-Spatial and Working Memory
- Wide variety of nonverbal items- good for bilingual or developmentally delayed or language disordered subjects
Standford –Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5)
test of intellectual functioning
- Cognitive achievement battery
- Preschool verson: 2.6-5.11
- School age version: 6-17.11
- 3 major Cluster Scores: Verbal, Spatial, and Nonverbal abilities
- Test results can be viewed from several different theoretical perspectives
- Nonverbal Cluster can be used with students who have language or hearing barriers
Differential Ability Scales (DAS)
test of intellectual functioning
- Based on the Luria Model of information processing and congitiv-neuropsychological theory (PASS)
- By DAS and NAGLIERI
- Ages 5-18
- PASS model-Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Sequential Processing
- No verbal portion- claimed to be more culturally fair than other tests which rely on learned academic skills
Cognitive Assessment System (CAS)
test of intellectual functioning
- Ages 11-85+
- Co-normed with the KTEA
- Broad theoretical base, based on Luria’s neuropsychological model an dknowledge
- Global score has non-verbal option
- Assesses special education needs and cultural fairness minimies verbal responses instructions so there is less cultural bias therefore-good for culturally diverse populations.
Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT)
test of intellectual functioning
- Good choise to use when assessing hearing-impaired or non-English speaking students
- Domains include complex memory, verbal mediated reasoning and nonverbal problem solving
- Age range: 5-17.11
Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT)
test of intellectual functioning
- Ages 2 weeks to 42 months
* Individual measure to assess developmental functioning and identify kids at risk for developmental delay
Bayley-III
test of intellectual functioning
• Ages 2.5-8.5
• Designed to assess the ability of pre-school children
• Good for really smart pre-schoolers or developmental delayed older children-
(age 8).
McCarthy Scales of Children’s Ability
test of intellectual functioning
- Comprehensive assessment of academic achievement
- Ages 2-90+
- Good reliability and validy although more is needed to know about psychometric properties
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement (WJ-III)
Test of Academic Achievement
- Comprehensive-8 subtests-reading, math, language skills, (including oral expression) and writing
- Ages 4- adult
- Based on C-H-C theory
- Adequate reliability and validity
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II)
Test of Academic Achievement
- Assesses basic reading, arithmetic and spelling
- Ages 5-75
- 15-30 mins to administer
- Adequate reliability and validigy
Wide Range Achievement Test, Third Edition (WRAT-3)
Test of Academic Achievement
- Measures listening comprehension and receptive vocabulary
- Ages 2-6 to 90+
- Previous versions-excellent reliability and validity, add’tl studies in validity on current version needs to be done
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT)
Individually administered diagnostic/process test (e.g. reading, math, listening comprehension, memory)
- Comprehensive math assessment of math concepts and skills
- Ages 5-22
- 35-50 mins.
- Acceptable reliability and validity
Key Math
Individually administered diagnostic/process test (e.g. reading, math, listening comprehension, memory)
- Reading test-13 passages of increasing difficlty
- Ages 7-18
- 15-30 mins
- Adequate reliability and validity
Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT)
- Test of visual-motor integration
* Ages 2-18
Beery
The following are measures of _________.
- Scales of Independent Behavior- Revised (SIB-R)
- AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS-S)
- Adaptive Behavior Assessment Ssytem (ABAS)
- Vineland
social maturity/developmental/adaptive behavior
When would you need to administer a measure of adaptive behavior?
When you suspect intellectual disability
Minimal requirements for assessing ID?
- Below the age 18
2. Standard scores on adaptive and IQ tests should be two Standard Deviations below the mean ( below 70)
The following are _________ and ___________.
- Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI)
- Beck Depression Scales
- Minnesota Multiphasis Personality Inventory (MMPI-A)
- Personality Inventory for Children (PIC)
- Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC)
- Connors’ Rating Scales
personality inventories and behavior rating scales
• Informal assessment method where you select a skill and divide it into its component parts and then assess which components are difficult for a child (Such as hand washing…turn faucet on, get soap, rub hands, etc.)
task analysis
• Looks at behavior without resorting to indirect measures.
• Purpose – Figure out function of behaviors
• Use ABC model, Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
1. Determine the antecedents of the behavior
2. The target behavior itself
3. The consequence for the behavior
functional behavioral analysis
Four ways to measure amount of behavior
- Frequency
- Latency
- Intensity
- Duration
number of instances the behavior occurs in a given period of time (tally to figure out a rate).
frequency
Force of a response. (Such as how hard a pitcher throws a ball or how loud a child speaks in the classroom)
intensity
Length of time a behavior lasts (Such as: temper tantrums, sitting in one’s set) Measured with a watch.
duration
The time between the occurrence of a stimulus and the beginning of the response.(Such as: Teacher asks child to start working, time between asking and actual work started) Usually measured with stopwatch/ clock
latency
What are the three types of recording?
- continuous recording
- interval recording
- time sampling
A specific block of time is selected, such as thirty minutes, then divided into equal intervals of relatively short duration (typically 10 seconds). A specified behavior is then recorded, regardless of how many times the behavior might occur during each interval, and regardless of duration.
interval recording
recording every instance of a behavior during a specified time segment
continuous recording
Behavior is recorded as occurring or not occurring during very brief observation intervals, each of which is separated from others by a much larger period of time. (Within 1 hour period – mark yes or no whether behavior occurs in 8 separate 10 second intervals, chosen haphazardly.)
time sampling
The behavior must show a significant negative impact on the student’s _______ and/or _______ in order to qualify for special education.
classroom performance
social development
Two main functions of a behavior:
- o gain something positive
* avoid something negative
________ people believe that attention, power/control, affiliation and revenge are key reasons for behavior.
CBT people believe that attention, power/control, affiliation and revenge are key reasons for behavior.
Non test oriented assessment
1. work samples 2. portfolios
performance based assessment
A. Use play as assessment strategy B. Observe in classroom C. Consult with teacher D. Involve Family E. Make sure to assess competencies in child’s natural environment
pre-school assessment
The following are types of _________.
- Rorscharch
- CAT/TAT
- Sentence Completions
- Draw a person
projective measures
- Commonly utilized for classroom/instructional intervention planning
- Used to describe a form of alternative assessment usually associated with special education
- Involves direct or performance based assessment typically using materials taken directly from instructional materials used with regular education students
- Reading math and written expression are the most common application areas
- Most commonly applied at the elementary level
- Involves collection of normative data which makes it possible to determine from a normative perspective how far off the mark a student is handling the local curriculum.
curriculum-based measurement
- Used in program evaluations
- Designed to assess regular education student sin the regular education classroom
- Example: if you gather reading rate and errors made-one could find total reading score. Speed of reading will correlate with comprehension. Analyze mistakes will show how intervention should be targeted, however CBA does not do this, it assumes curriculum is good (QRI)
curriculum-based assessment
Curriculum based: Focuses on _______ skills, not ______ skills
basic skills, not higher order skills
Methods for assessing educational needs of special populations
- Sensory disability
- Physical disability
- Chronic illness
- Psychiatric disorders
- Autism
- ESL
Procedures for assessing problem behaviors
- Inattention
- Anxiety
- Lack of motivation
* Categorical and empirically based taxonomies
- Have the student perform a typical classroom task such as reading
- Tasks can take place in the actual environment in which the behavior is normally seen.
authentic assessments
Factors that can interfere with test results
- Motivation
- Fatigue
- Undisclosed vision or hearing problems
- Stress
____% of people comprises the bulk (center) of the Bell curve
68%
• raw scores transformed to have a designated mean and standard deviation
standard scores
• Derived scores that permit us to determine an individual’s position relative to the standardization sample or any other specified sample
percentile ranks
• Standard scores with a mean of 100 and a SD of 21.06
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE)
• Provide a single-digit scoring system with a mean of 5 and a SD of 2
Stanine (contraction of “standard nine)
• Obtained by determining the average score obtained ona test by different groups of children who vary in age or grade placement
Age equivalent scores
Grade equivalent score
• average of all scores in a set of scores
mean
• the middle point in a set of scores arranged in order of magnitude
Median
• the score in a set of scores that occurs more frequently than any other
mode
• the distance between the highest and lowest scores in a set
range
• the variability of scores in a set of scores
dispersion
• statistiacal measure of the amount of spread in a set of scores- the greater the spread, the greater the variance
variance
• the square root of the variance, representing the average of the squared deviations from the mean
standard deviation
how do you avoid rater bias?
- One must study the percentage of agreement between raters
- Observers should sample behavior more than once to increase reliability.
• Rigid, comrephensive list of questions usually designed to arrive at a diagnosis
structured
- List of questions, but the focus of the interview can be changed as needed
- Lets the subject, sometimes, convey information in own words
semi-structured
- Usually opened ended, without a set agenda
* Convey information in own their own words
unstructured
