The Need for Assessment Reform: An Overview

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The Need for Assessment Reform An Overview
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Agenda

• Current State of the Art
• Typical Practice
• Problems with Current Practices
• A Brighter Future RTI

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Current State of the Art can be summarized in 3
words

• Its a mess

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Why?

• No systematic and consistent procedures
• Poor operationalization of constructs (I.e.
  disorder in a psychological process
• Use of scientifically unsupported
  ability-achievement discrepancy criteria

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Problems with Ability-Achievement Discrepancy

• Wait-to Fail Model
• No Treatment Validity
• Issues with Technical Adequacy

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Technical Problems Ability-Achievement
Discrepancy Analysis

• use of instruments that are not co-normed
• lack of statistically significant differences
• lack of consideration of base rate data
• lack of consideration of regression to the
  mean, reliability of individual measures used,
  correlation between measures

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Other Miscellaneous Problems

• Use of subtest/profile analysis (lack of subtest
  specificity/construct irrelevance variance poor
  technical characteristics at specific ages)
• Lack of Aptitude-Treatment Interaction Effects
  (resulting in poor treatment validity)
• Efficacy of Special Education (does it help to
  place kids in a program that doesnt work?)

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Criticisms of IQ-Achievement Discrepancy (Fuchs
Fuchs)

• IQ tests do not necessarily measure intelligence
• IQ and academic achievement are not independent
  of each other
• In the case of word reading skill deficits,
  IQ-achievement discrepant poor readers are more
  alike than different from IQ-achievement
  consistent poor readers
• Children must fail before they can be identified
  with a learning disability

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Criticisms of Current Learning Disabilities
Definition (Fuchs Fuchs)

• Many children are classified as LD without
  participating in effective reading instruction in
  the regular classroom
• Too costly
• Too many children are inappropriately identified

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Consequences

• Overidentification particularly beyond 2nd
  grade
• Underidentification of high risk potential LDs
  K-2 (particularly in reading)
• Assessment unrelated to treatment

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LD Epidemic???
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A Brighter Future

• IDEA Revision (IDEA 2004/IDEIA NASP
  Recommendations)
• LD Roundtable
• 3 Tier, Dual Disrepancy, RTI Model

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What is RtI?

• RtI is the practice of (1) providing
  high-quality instruction/intervention matched to
  student needs and (2) using learning rate over
  time and level of performance to (3) make
  important educational decisions.

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What is the Responsiveness To Intervention
Approach to Identification?

• Many (all?) children in a class, school, or
  district are tested by one-point-in-time test
  administration or by repeated measurement in a
  circumscribed period.
• At-risk students are identified for
  intervention on the basis of their performance
  level or growth rate or both.
• Intervention is implemented and students are
  tested following, or throughout, the intervention
  period.
• Those who do not respond (treatment resisters)
  are identified as requiring
• - Multi-disciplinary team evaluation for
  possible disability certification and special
  education placement, OR
• - More intensive intervention(s).

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RtI Core Principles

• We can effectively teach all children
• Intervene early
• Use a multi-tier model of service delivery
• Use a problem-solving methodology

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RtI Core Principles (2)

• Use research-based, scientifically validated
  interventions/instruction
• Monitor student progress to inform instruction
• Use data to make decisions
• Use assessments for three different purposes
  (1) screening (2) diagnostics and (3) progress
  monitoring

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Advantages of Responsiveness-To-Intervention
Approach

• Provides assistance to needy children in timely
  fashion. It is NOT a wait-to-fail model.
• Helps ensure that the students poor academic
  performance is not due to poor instruction.
• Assessment data are collected to inform the
  teacher and improve instruction. Assessments and
  interventions are closely linked.
• In some responsiveness-to-intervention models
  (e.g., Heartland, IA Minneapolis, MN Horry Co.,
  SC), nonresponders are not given labels, which
  are presumed to stigmatize and to represent
  disability categories (e.g., LD, BD, MR) that
  have little instructional validity.

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Essential Components of RtI Implementation

• Multi-tier model
• Problem-solving method
• An integrated data collection/assessment system

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Multi-tier Model
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Tertiary Prevention Specialized
Individualized Systems for Students with
Intensive Needs
CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE SUPPORT
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Secondary Prevention Specialized Group Systems
for Students with At-Risk Behavior
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Primary Prevention School-/Classroom- Wide
Systems for All Students, Staff, Settings
80 of Students
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Pennsylvania 3 tiered model.
Universal Screening Evidence-based core
program Data analysis teaming
TIER I
Supplemental programming in the regular
classroom (push in)
TIER II
TIER III
Specialized targeted intervention (pull-out
groups)
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Tier 1 Data Analysis Teaming

• Teams of like teachers working together to
• Access critical data on all students performance
  related to achievement of standards
• Analyze data and find which students have which
  gaps in attainments
• Set measurable goals to close the gap
• Brainstorm or create instructional strategies

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Teachers Working Together

• Like teachers grade level or department level
• Use skills of collaborative consultation (e.g.,
  problem identification, brainstorming)
• Need a structure (time, place, etc.)

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Accessing Critical Data

• Two forms of data group tests and district
  performance tests/tasks
• This is group screening of all students
• Need a process for gathering data
• Need someone to convert data into
  teacher-friendly summary documents
• Need to train teachers on how to read summary
  documents

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Kindergarten Data
Pedersen Lillenstein (2005)
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Pennsylvania 3 tiered model.

• Movement through the
• tiers is managed by a
• building-wide IST
• monitoring the non-
• responders
• Identifying and providing
• supplemental materials
• Orchestrating tier 2 3
• supports
• Problem solving process
• for individuals

TIER I
TIER II
TIER III
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Three Tier Model- Tier 1

• Screening in K-2 to identify high risk students
  using DIBELS-like measures
• Interventions provided in regular education to
  all high risk students
• Regular monitoring of progress and responsiveness
  to intervention
• Students who do not demonstrate sufficient
  progress move to Tier 2

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Three Tier Model- Tier 2

• Small group interventions provided to high risk
  students
• Regular monitoring of progress and responsiveness
  to intervention
• Students who do not demonstrate sufficient
  progress move to Tier 3

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Three Tier Model- Tier 3

• Students are provided with an individual
  psychoeducational assessment to identify
  strengths and weaknesses
• Intensive, long duration interventions are
  designed based upon assessment results
• Progress is monitored

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Essential Component 2 Problem-Solving
Method
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LD Identification/Diagnosis

• Students who do not respond to research-based,
  empirically validated interventions at Tiers 1,
  2, and 3 are identified as LD and afforded
  special education services

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LD Identification/Diagnosis/ Dual Discrepancy
Criteria

• Students are discrepant from peers in that
• They demonstrate significantly sub-average
  achievement
• They do not respond to scientifically supported,
  empirically validated interventions that work for
  most kids.

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Screening and Progress Monitoring

• Will use CBM and DIBELS measures