Context: Informal reading assessments serve as a guide for teachers to have instruction that aligns with student's performance. Assessments are a fantastic way to gather data on a child's current academic performance. Teachers can in turn evaluate the data to find the appropriate starting point for instruction. The assessments that I included were completed for my graduate course, Assessment and Correction, taught by Dr. Bloodgood. During Dr. Bloodgood's class, I administered many informal assessments to my students. The purpose of my spelling inventory was to see what spelling words my students could master as a certain grade level. The WRI that I administered allowed me to see what sight words my student knew when they were shown to her for one second. The WRI then guided me to choose a passage that would be appropriate for my reading assessment. The assessments listed above provided information about my student's current understanding of concepts and their needs and strengths. As an EC teacher, I use standardized assessments to guide the referral process. Psychological and academic testing are completed before a student can be placed into the special education classroom. The psychological testing is completed by a psychologist to measure a student's IQ, or intelligence quotient. The IQ is then compared to academic scores gathered from the Woodcock Johnson. When looking at a Specific Learning Disability, the child must have a 15 point discrepancy between their IQ and academic standard score. The reports that are given to me guide my instruction for the students in my classroom.
Alignment: In completing these assessments the following Standards for the Master's Degree program were met.
* Standard A: Instructional Expertise: The candidate demonstrates instructional expertise by applying the theoretical, philosophical, and research bases for educational practice in P-12 settings to improve student learning: Being a special needs teacher, I am able to take the assessments that the psychologist and diagnostician complete and make an instructional plan for my students. I am able to use the assessments as a guide for instruction in all areas of weakness. I am a teacher who will help the regular education teachers with ways of explaining information that might be difficult for my students.
* Standard B: Knowledge of Learners: The candidate incorporates knowledge of the nature of the learner, learning processes, variations in learning abilities and learning styles, and strategies for evaluating learning into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of instruction. When a child is referred to the special education program, I am unaware of what that child is able to do academically. I know that the child is struggling, but an accurate measure of performance is a must to justify a disability. When the psychologist and diagnostician complete an assessment, I am able to take that and make an education plan for the child. An individualized plan for students is something that I do all the time. Using personal assessments allows me to have a knowledge of where the child is succeeding and struggling.