Assessment of Students and Collaboration with Families and Communities

Catalog description

In order to better serve P-12 students and their families from diverse backgrounds, this course will provide you with an understanding of the processes and instruments involved in conducting formal and informal evaluations. Participants will learn authentic and humanizing approaches to better understand children and youth with suspected or identified disabilities. A review of measures useful in assessing student progress in multiple areas (academic, social/emotional, behavioral, physical) will be conducted. You will learn how to identify student needs in collaboration with all stakeholders, giving special attention to the roles of families and communities. Additionally, we will examine key concepts and current debates, including validity, reliability and the ethics of high-stakes testing. Students will learn about the various purposes for which tests are used, such as placement, diagnostic, and achievement tests, and the differences between ‘norm-referenced’ and ‘criterion-referenced’ testing. Additionally, unique aspects of testing each of the ‘four skills’ (reading, writing, speaking, listening) will be reviewed.