Assessment of Language

Assessment for an educator can be more than just a test. I have been taught this very concept over and over again but it was reintroduced to me in the 4th chapter of Peter Paul's book.

The book highlighted on the idea that when planning for the assessment of a student it is best to first start out with a personal assessment. A teacher would benefit from knowing the family background and culture of the student. I think the author finds this beneficial for a few reasons, one being the connections that can be drawn from the students history. Second, the teacher could keep record of the students information for future activities. In addition, the teacher could collect the information of a home support team. In addition to a personal assessment this can also work for students who are Deaf or Hard of hearing. In an assessment it should also collect background demographics such as age of onset and degree of impairment. It is important to get to know your students and to use critical information to supplement their education.

When it comes to Formal Testing it is translated in to the diagnostic information used by teachers.

• There is no great deal of formal language tests that have been standardized on students who are Deaf of Hard of Hearing. 
• However there are many things a student who has a hearing loss can be tested on...
• When considering language there are numerous test options
1. English Grammar
2. ASL Grammar
3. English Word Meaning
4. ASL Word Meaning
5. Spoken English versus Signed English
6. Vocabulary of Instruction and Test-Taking
7. English Prgmatics Skills
8. ASL Pragmatic Skills
9. Classroom Discourse Rules
10. Figurative Language

(Easterbrooks, Chapter 4)

When looking for more in depth information on the child's language uses these informal tactics:

• Self Evaluation Checklist
• Portfolios
• Observations of Performance

Notions

• Reliability-refers to the consistency or stability of test scores across several examination time frames.
• Validity-does a test measure what it was designed to measure?
• Practicality-referring to issues such as administration time, special equipment needs, costs of materials, scoring procedures, and special arrangements for individuals with disabilities or specific conditions.
• Authenticity and Washboard-(a test for example) to be authentic the test should contain items or tasks that reflect the language use of the students in the classroom and out side environment. For a washboard it is the impact of the test and what it might have on instruction and the curriculum.

After learning a little bit more about assessment I have gathered the complexity of the task. A lot will go into my future planning of assessment whether it be a personal assessment or a post-assessment after a long day of learning. I hope to take the many words read and store them as a great resource for when it comes time to implement all that I have learned. I enjoyed the two assigned chapters and know now that I as a teacher am the most important agent of assessment.

Schools use benchmark testing to see the positive and negative growth of a student, is it possible for benchmarks to be formulated to help the teachers benefit from the results of children who have hearing loss? And if they are already benefiting from these results what are teachers learning from these test results? Are teachers of students with a hearing loss using more of an informal or formal test to mark benchmarks?

For many IEPs the document must contain a written statement of the students communication needs. There is a team that considers this decision, how are they making this decision? How do they know they are making the right one for the child? Do they have the requirements for making the decisions?