Assessment Practices for Students with IEPs

BLOG #1

Assessment Practices for Students With IEPs

PREFACE

These reflections come from my years (25+) of experience in both the classroom and administration as well as 12+ years managing my private education practice. The following is an informal blog - first blog I’ve written. Please note these are simply my opinions, thoughts and ideas. I share these ideas not as definitive answers, but in the hope of starting meaningful conversations between educators and parents

I will never intentionally include criticism towards any teacher, school, or school board. 

As a result of numerous discussions with fellow educators on the topic of the most effective ways to assess students on IEPs (Individual Education Plan). This is particularly relevant when it comes to formal assessments such as final exams, but also other exams.  

When a student is supported with an IEP due to documented and/or diagnosed learning challenges, it raises an important question:  Are we truly being fair if we expect these students to complete the same assessments as their peers that do not require accommodations. 

Students with IEPs often face cognitive, emotional, and/or developmental challenges that directly impact their ability to succeed with traditional assessments.  We also observe the difficulties these students have with retaining and processing information. An exam environment can exacerbate anxiety, reduce working memory, and interfere with information retrieval. (Alloway et Al.,2009)

The measurement of the actual learning and progress of students on IPPs, must be examined through different lenses to serve all learners. This is especially important when we are looking at midterm, chapter, and final exams.  

To reiterate, students on IEPs have difficulties to demonstrate knowledge in forms of written tests. With the impact on their ability to learn, retain, and retrieve information, these students require assessments that take this into consideration.  

Currently, students are being exempt from certain testing. Other strategies to assist the IEP student include offering accommodations such as a “reader”, fewer questions on the test, a separate test, and other such modifications.  

But is this enough?  Is this working?  Are we seeing positive outcomes?  Are the parents satisfied with the resulting outcomes?  

In support of appropriate assessments the following are suggested:

1.  Increase the use of anecdotal records to capture holistic progress. This will be useful to reflect the full range of learning.  When systematic observations are recorded, we will have a richer and more individualized student progress report.  

2. Adjust the format of the exam to include a single concept. IE. Math - focus on a single math concept/skill at a time. When multiple concepts are within one test, the result could reflect cognitive overload rather than accurately measuring understanding.  

3. Allow the use of a reference sheet to reduce cognitive load. For students that struggle with executive functioning difficulties - recalling formulas, vocabulary, and multi-step processing can present a significant challenge. 

It is important to note that some schools and teachers are already implementing alternative accommodations such as the above mentioned. 

If this topic resonates with you, I’d like to hear your perspectives. If you have suggestions for future topics to be discussed, go ahead and send a message or comment.  Thank you for taking the time to read my education perspectives.