Introduction to Assessment

Why do you assess?

The question of not only means and methods of assessment but that of: Why my child? Why me? is often one that you as a teacher will be faced with explaining. As a teacher you may have an amorphous concept of why or even a more specific detailed concept of why assess a child but you will need to convey more than this to a parent or a child.

Today's reading will be aimed at helping to clarify the most specific reason that your student's or children will receive Psycho-Educational Evaluations.

As an individual you have very likely spent a great deal of time thinking about yourself. This is actually a very important component of being a healthy human being. The actual term is insight and it is a valuable tool. For most people and teens especially the topic of themselves is a favorite area of conversation. If the discussion gets too out of hand we term it self-obsession or even Narcissism. Because this is the case one might question the need for lengthy assessments and drawn out conversations to elicit clues as to the individuals mental status. Because of course you know how intelligent you are or aren't. Who would be a better person to ask then simply you? Well in actuality most people have a beginning notion of their own internal drives and status but these views are clouded with biases and affective filters. They are distorted by the benchmarks that we set ourselves against, and if the person is emotionally disturbed the reality is that they will not have a good understanding of themselves or the world around them.

The individuals most often sent for an assessment are often the ones who understand themselves the least. This may not always be the case and it is important not to create stereotypes about any student who has received assessments. They are given for a number of reasons. You have like taken a few yourselves. Perhaps the SATs or the ACTs to get into college. Perhaps you have even taken the GRE.

Students who will be going for assessment that fall in the stereotypical educational setting are most often being tested for their Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and an achievement test. Together these tests will cover almost any category of special education that your students are likely to belong. Why? Because Special Education is focused on helping students achieve at the same level as their peers to the extent the student possibly can achieve (the concept of Free and Appropriate Public Education). Therefore we focus on achievement and the capacity for achievement (IQ).

Students may also have a physical or emotional difficulty preventing them from succeeding at the rate of their peers. Though uncommonly found in Special Education students with emotional disturbances may also be tested. These students receive testing that requires state licensure as a Psychologist and work to look at the internal factors that are causing these students to react in particular ways to the external pressures surrounding them. These tests can be difficult and long sometimes broaching over 500 questions. These tests were created generally to be sensitive to detecting mental illness and so the student is almost assured to receive elevated areas of tendency in a particular area of mental disturbance. It is the Psychologists job to balance the results with the individual's presentation and behavior in multiple settings.

Individuals may fall into the category of TBI, Orthopedic Impairment, or Other Health Impairment. These individuals will be primarily assessed by a medical professional that is trained specifically to detect medical conditions. Traditionally specialists in particular fields such as oncology, or radiology will be in charge of making initial diagnosis. The student may then have a secondary diagnosis as pertains to their educational issues, again most often an achievement test paired with an intelligence test.

Assessments elicit a wide constellation of response to subjects. You may well remember your last test in a course you were feeling uncomfortable in. What were the things that went through your mind?

Consider the night prior to this exam. What were you doing? What were you feeling? Do any of these sound familiar:

I cleaned my oven until about 1:00 a.m. then I started to study,
Well I hadn't read my textbook so…I started flipping through underlining points I thought I remembered the professor discussing.
My kids were sick so I ended up missing out on studying
My husband (wife) and I got into a fight and I was so mad I couldn't focus
My mom (dad, cat, uncle, goldfish) just died…who can concentrate?
I got so sick I barfed all night and now I can't concentrate.
I went out and I partied…who needs to study? I had a stupid professor I will take it next year.
(my favorite) I didn't know there were going to be finals during finals week and I already booked my flight for Shangri-La and I can't cancel…can I take it later?

If you have personally encountered or watched others involved in these traditional biasing responses you will begin to see human response prior to and during every assessment. Make no mistake these assessments are high stakes and children know that they are. If you don't understand that, then it is not enough to suffice at saying they are. Assessments given today will not only impact the education of a child today, and we all know the ramifications of a lackluster early education, it can permanently blacklist a child from future jobs, military service and perhaps even create permanent Psychological damage. Assessments matter and they are High Stakes! Higher stakes then your most important exam in college.

E-mail J'Anne Ellsworth at Janne.Ellsworth@nau.edu

Course developed by Martha Affeld & J'Anne Affeld