I interviewed Peter Arsenault, a School Psychologist for a local high school in South Jersey. Our interviewed focused on diagnostic assessments and his role in the process of evaluating individuals with exceptionalities. Arsenault stated the leading method for identifying whether a child is SLD is discrepancy analysis. This involves looking at the overall scores such as FSIQ, reading, math or writing. His preference is the neuropsychological. He explains this based on his doctorate studies. He further contends that neuropsychology looks at both cognitive, and learning as well as attention and executive functioning. Tests should be administered with the goal of getting the most accurate reading of the child, says Arsenault. Ways to do this are, make sure the child took his/her medications, got a decent night’s sleep and for students with weakness in language reasoning, you can deem the language parts of the cognitive assessment as invalid and focus more on the visual-spatial. I was struck by the way Arsenault interprets information about diagnostics. His view is that the assessments are not a “stead-fast, concrete representation of a child’s abilities forever” (Arsenault). This viewpoint is encouraging to me because most of my experiences have been that …show more content…
They are critical to the diagnosis and placement to a student with exceptionalities, however, they a one piece of the puzzle and can change as the student grows. The second thing that comes to mind is that information regarded testing must be clearly and accurately given to the parents. In my experience, may parents receive numbers and data and think that these numbers define their child and their abilities. If what Arsenualt contends, about assessment scores as a predictor of the future, I believe parent should take comfort in knowing their child has potential for growth and
There is so much to consider when talking about assessments. There are all kinds of different types of assessments. There are assessments that happen on a daily basis in the classroom and then there are the tests that everyone knows about; the state mandated assessments, map test, and some know about DIBLES tests. These are the types of tests that parents, teachers, and administrators debate about. The debate is whether or not these test are doing students any good or harming them. It is good to have data on student and school’s progress, it keeps everyone accountable however, some believe that schools are testing too much. That all this time focused on testing is actually taking away from learning time. Each type of assessment has it’s own set of challenges.
Journey’s intake unit completes all initial assessment to assess client for different level of care and accurately assign them to the most appropriate unit. The different level of care ranged from intensive inpatient care unit to medication only. As a practicum student, I worked in the outpatient services unit. The assessment was completed via an online program with an intake staff and the client, usually a week or two before the first scheduled appointment with a clinician. Therefore, once a client is assigned to me, I have access to review their file. The assessment are usually completed in a brief model format, and as the clinician assigned to work with a client, I am expected to use the first two sessions of therapy
A. its unprofessional and may lead to a delay in court hearing or process until it is better understood, or corrected. (Sieter chapter 4)
Differential diagnoses are developed by a clinician upon learning of the chief complaint. One must begin to develop the possibility of potential diagnoses mentally to guide the care provided to the patient. These potential diagnoses are developed by the care provider and are often based on one’s past clinical experiences, awareness of the illness and a clear understanding of the patient’s complaint (Goolsby & Grubbs, 2014). The care provider with experience may develop these diagnoses independently and others with less experience may utilize evidence-based resources and clinical guidelines to aid in this process (Goolsby & Grubbs, 2014). The process for reaching a final diagnosis requires further investigation and use of physical assessment
The rationale for including these students in high-stakes tests it to hold them to the same high standards as their peers and to ensure that their needs are not overlooked. (Coltrane, 2002) Effective schools use assessment measures that are aligned with their school goals and vision as well as with the appropriate school curriculum. The goal is for students to feel as if they are significant part of the learning process. At a young age, students need to feel the importance of their education and take pride in the work that they do. At times this is not possible, because they simply don’t understand what is being taught due to language barriers. It is important to analyze and interpret data in significant ways to achieve program accountability and improvement. In order for successful outcomes, the staff needs to be taught as well and provided with professional development that is focused on assessment and interpretation of data. Not only is the assessment and accountability, the curriculum, and the professional development of staff important, but with
155: Diagnostic assessment in support of student learning highlights the explicit exercise of power. Within this policy framework is the overt role of the teacher in student assessments. Upon careful consideration, the policy points out the parameters of student assessment as it states, “teachers will use their professional judgment…| to determine which assessment tools are utilized]…from the board’s list of pre-approved assessment tools as well as the frequency, and timing of use of the tool” (Ontario Ministry of Education , 2013, p. 1). The explicit exercise of power can be seen through the language of this document, noting that teachers should use their discretion, but at the same time limiting their power by the standards set by the ministry. Exceptions to this policy document are clearly stated, giving allowances for special education assessments such as the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and other national assessment organizations. Moreover, the policy also sets specific guidelines on the selection and criteria of the diagnostic assessment tools used by the teachers. Although the policy speaks directly to teachers and their use of the assessment tools, principals and school board staff all “share a collective responsibility and accountability for student achievement” and learning
These sub-groups can include data on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, special needs, etc. This provides schools with data to develop programs and services directed at improving scores in these sub-groups. They are objective in nature. Classroom grades given by a teacher are at the very least minimally subjective in nature. Standardized tests are often scored by computers or at the very least scored by people who do not directly know the student. They are also developed by experts and each question undergoes an intense process to remove bias. These measures also give teachers guidance to help them determine what to teach students and when to teach it. The net result is less wasted instructional time and a simplified way of timeline management. Furthermore, the standardized test gives valuable insight into broader issues, such as the standard curriculum important to grade level requirements, and an education reference point for fair and equitable education for all children in all schools — district by district and state by state. This can also lead to better teaching skills, as teachers will be held accountable to help their students meet these standards. Student growth can be a very significant outcome of standardized tests, for though a child may return a low score he may show a growth pattern that is positive. These tests are but one tool that a teacher uses to diagnose her students’ teaching needs, so that an individual and child-centered curriculum can be developed. Ultimately, the benefit of standardized testing lies in the test's capability to quickly and presumably efficiently score, measure, and conceptualize a variable. Tests serve many purposes: They chart progress. They identify strengths and weaknesses. They help professionals reach competency in their careers. All these measures are critical to improving public schools. After all, the children sitting in classrooms today are going to
There are 11 hospitals located within 25 miles of my house, which is rather astounding considering I live in rural Pennsylvania. Hospital compare only allows you to compare 3 facilities at a time. I chose to look the Hospital where I work. Our major competitor and a tertiary hospital to which we refer our trauma cases 20 miles away. It is interesting that several of the facilities listed are not really hospitals at all. The website is deceiving and includes surgery centers. You can only tell they are not Hospitals because they are listed as having no emergency services. Under general information all 3 hospitals were similar. Our hospital and our competitor carries a 3 star rating. I was surprised the tertiary hospital only had a one
Part two (B, D, and E) of the Diagnostic Criteria states that the symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode or bipolar disorder, must cause significant distress or impairment in important areas of functioning, are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance, and persist longer than two weeks. Catherine’s symptoms do meet the criteria for bipolar disorder: a disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. The symptoms Catherine possesses has not prevented her from living life, she chooses not to participate in most activities. The film does not mention any general medical conditions that Catherine may have or substances she possibly has taken. Lastly, the movie’s timeline is
The Diagnostic Handbook is the most extensive babylonian text. It introduced methods of therapy and aetiology. As well concepts of diagnosis, prognosis, physical examination and prescriptions.
There is so much to consider when talking about assessments. There are all kinds of different types of assessments. There are assessments that happen on a daily basis in the classroom and then there are the test that everyone knows about; the state mandated assessments, map test, and some know about DIBLES tests. These are the types of tests that parents, teachers, and administrators debate about. The debate is whether or not these test are doing students any good or harming them. It is good to have data on student and schools progress, it keeps everyone accountable however, some believe that schools are testing too much. That all this time focused on testing is actually taking away from learning time. Each type of assessment has it’s own
DuPont describes itself as, “a science company with an extraordinary range of materials science, chemistry, biological science and engineering capabilities, and a corresponding breadth of products.” (DuPont, 2016). The global company is made up of three different pillars of innovation including food, energy, and protection. These main pillars cover a wide range of services and products that DuPont provides its customers. Scientific breakthroughs and advancements allow DuPont to constantly expand its capabilities and products. Therefore, new products are often created.
These tests are structured in such a way that they give learners an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned and if they are aligned with the set standards. If they fail in certain areas, they should be able to work on their weak points. This was proven in a study by Jones (2007), as cited in Mons (2009), that these tests allow teachers to identify pupils' strengths and weaknesses and helps in improving the structure of teaching content for each school year, which in return caters for an updated curriculum for students. The Ministry of Education (1993, p. 86) also acknowledges this fact, stating that examination can be used to assess each student’s progress for promotion or selection. That measure of individual achievement can also be used diagnostically, to enable students to see what they have accomplished and where additional study is necessary. Teachers can also use the diagnostic information to determine appropriate remedial
Even before beginning the formal study of assessments, it is clear that there are many serious problems with the ways in which students, teachers, and schools are assessed in this country. Studies have shown us what needs to be done, the research all points to the same conclusion – we are doing it wrong. Despite the fact that assessment, informally, is a consistent part of our everyday lives, we still place so much weight on standardized methods which provide no context, few allowances for socioeconomic status, disabilities, or second language acquisition. These are methods which do not assess the whole child for individual strengths and struggles, but which serve to standardize them – an impossible and undesirable result. There is no need for assessment to be so contrived and complicated. Making it so not only skews the results to the point of invalidity, but also creates an unnatural practice out of something that is already in our nature.
Testing used as a diagnostic or summary instrument for children’s learning can be a helpful tool. It is harmful, however, to use students’ test scores as a lever to drive educational improvement. This use of testing is ill-advised because, as described below, it has demonstrably failed to achieve its intended goal, and it has potent negative, unintended consequences.