SPED 5121/6121.2015 1

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS WITH MILD/MODERATE DISABILITIES Special Education 5121/6121 & 5131/6131

Spring 2015 (Updated 12/31/14)

Instructor: Kelly Stout, Ph.D. Office: Salt Lake City School District Cell Phone: 801-230-7218 E-mail: kelly.stout@utah.edu Class meets: 4:35-7:05; Wednesday Office Hours: By appointment Lab meets: immediately following class-7:15-9:15 Class & Lab location: BU C 301 Course Description: This course is designed to provide experience in the administration and interpretation of assessment procedures for planning and implementing instructional interventions for students with mild/moderate disabilities. The primary emphasis is on evaluation and linking IEP goals and objectives to the assessment results. Prerequisite: This course assumes basic knowledge of testing and measurement. The prerequisite course is SPED 5021/6021. If you have not completed this course, please contact the instructor immediately. Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1) Identify the ethical/legal issues affecting administration of assessments.

2) Demonstrate an understanding and purpose of specific assessment instruments used in local districts.

3) Identify what measures are used to assess students who may have a disability in reading math,

written expression, oral language or social/emotional functioning. 4) Demonstrate an understanding of how individual differences such as cultural/linguistic

backgrounds and socioeconomic status effect interpretation of assessment results. 5) Demonstrate knowledge of the RTI/MTSS process and how it impacts referral for special

education services. 6) Administer selected published assessment instruments following standardized procedures. 7) Transcribe and score assessment protocols/results from published assessment instruments,

including, where necessary, computer scoring. 8) Accurately interpret, summarize, and report assessment results for specific audiences (i.e., other

educators, parents, etc.). 9) Write Individualized Education Program goals and objectives from assessment results. 10) Identify the appropriate components of the transition planning process.

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Required Materials- you must bring these materials to each class

Highlighter, at least two different colors Audioplayer – either a portable CD player, MP3 player or iPod Headphones Dual headphone jack Stopwatch, or device that can serve as a stopwatch Clipboard

Required Texts Hosp, M.K., Hosp, J.L., & Howell, K. (2007). The ABCs of CBM. A practical guide to curriculum-based measurement. New York: Guilford Press Mather, N., & Wendling, B. (2015). Essentials of WJIV Tests of Achievement Assessment. New York: Wiley. *This is likely not available yet, but is scheduled to be available in February 2015 Salvia J., Ysseldyke J. E., Bolt, S. (2013). Assessment in Special and Inclusive Education 12th Ed. California: Wadsworth. Additional Course Reading Materials- available on Canvas Harnett, A., & Tierney, E. (2009). Convention of Hope – communicating positive, realistic messages to families

at the time of a child’s diagnosis with disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37, 257-264. Hogan, T.P., Catts, H.W., Little, T.D. (2005). The Relationship Between Phonological Awareness and Reading:

Implications for the Assessment of Phonological Awareness. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 36, 285-293.

Hong, B. & Ehrensberger, W. (2007). Assessing mathematical skills of students with disabilities. Preventing School Failure., 52:1, 41-47. Landmark, L.J., & Zhang, D. (2012). Compliance and Practices in Transition Planning: A Review of Individualized Education Program Documents. Remedial and Special Education. Published online 28

February 2012.

Lindeman, B. (2001). Reaching out to immigrant parents. Educational Leadership, 58:6, 62-66

MacQuarrie, L.L., Tucker, J.A., Burns, M.K., Hartman, B. (2002). Comparison of retention rates using traditional drill sandwich, and incremental rehearsal flash card methods. School Psychology Review.

31:4, 584-595. Mazzocco, M. M. M. (2005) Challenges in Identifying Target Skills for Math Disability Screening and I Intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38:4, 318-323. NICHY: Transition to Adulthood (2010). nichy.org. retrieved online December 28, 2012. NICHY: Adult Services. What are they? Where are they? (2010). Nichy.org. retrieved online December 28,

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2012. Pemberton, J.B. (2003). Communicating academic progress as an integral part of assessment. TEACHING

Exceptional Children, 35:4, 16-20. Pierangelo, R., Giuliani, G. (2012). Assessment in Special Education A Practical Approach, (4rd ed.) New Jersey: Pearson. Popham, W. J.(2009). Diagnosing the diagnostic test. Educational Leadership. March, 90-91. Reynolds, C., Livingston, R., Willson, V. (2009). Measurement and Assessment in Education (2nd ed.) New

Jersey: Pearson. Samuels, C.A. (2011). RTI An Approach on the March. Education Week, 30: 22. S2-S5. Schmitz, T. (2008). Transition planning, special education law, and its impact on your child. EP Magazine.

37-39. Sullivan, A.L. (2011). Disproportionality in special education identification and placement of English language learners. Exceptional Children, 77:3, 317-334.

Tharinger, D.J., Finn, S.E., Hersh, B., & Wilkinson, A.(2008). Assessment Feedback with Parents and Preadolescent Children: A Collaborative Approach, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39:6, 600-609.

The Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (1998). Addressing Student Problem Behavior. An IEP

Team’s Introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans. Utah State Office of Education Special Education Rules. (available at

http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/DOCS/law/finalrules.aspx)

Warner, T.D., Dede, D.E., Garvan, C.W. & Conway, T.W. (2002). One size does not fit all in specific learning disability assessment across ethnic groups. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 35:6, 500-508.

Ysseldyke, J. (2005). Assessment and decision making for students with learning disabilities: What if this is as good as it gets? Learning Disability Quarterly, 28, 125-128.

Ysseldyke, J., Burns, M.K., Scholin, S.E., & Parker, D.C. (2010). Instructionally valid assessment within response to intervention. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42:4, 54-61. Additional Course Reading Material will be available on Canvas. It is each student’s responsibility to read required material as provided.

Tentative Course Schedule *This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in response to student learning and/or in the event of extenuating circumstances.

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Week Date Topic Reading/Assignment Due Lab Activity

1 Jan 14 Introductions Course Overview/Review Syllabus History/Foundation of LD Classification and Definition of SLD

UT State Special Ed Rules pp19-28; Warner, et.al. (2002)

NONE

2 Jan 21 Legal/Ethical Issues in Assessment RTI/MTSS The Face of LD

Reynolds Chp. 17 Reynolds Appendix E Samuels (2011) Ysseldyke, Burns, et.al. (2010)

NONE

3 Jan 28 Special Education Referral Process Administration of Tests Cultural Considerations Test Score Review

Ysseldyke (2005) Sullivan (2011) Popham (2009) Essentials TBA

Test Administration

4 Feb 4 Administration of WJ IV ACH TBA Test Administration

5 Feb 11 Administration of WJ IV ACH TBA Test Administration

6 Feb 18

Assessment of Oral Language Spelling Vocabulary Development

Ysseldyke Chp 14 Hosp Chp 5 MacQuarrie (2002)

Test Administration

7 Feb 25 Assessment of Reading Ysseldyke Chp 12 Hosp Chp 3-4 Hogan, et.al. (2005)

Test Administration

8 Mar 4 Assessment of Written Language Visual-Motor Skills

Ysseldyke Chp 16 Hosp Chp 6

Test Administration

9 Mar 11 Assessment of Mathematics Ysseldyke Chp 13 Hosp Chp 7 Mazzocco (2005) Hong & Ehrensberger (2007) **Grad student abstracts due**

Test Administration

Mar 18 SPRING BREAK

10 Mar 25 Behavior Measures; Adaptive Functioning; Social Skills Measures; Direct Observation

Ysseldyke Chp 17 IES Practice Guide (2012)

Test Administration

11 Apr 1 Interpretation of Assess. Results Determining Eligibility

Ysseldyke Chp 27

Test Administration

12 Apr 8 Report Writing Communicating to Parents

Pierangelo & Giuliana (2012) Ch 17 Tharinger, Finn (2008) Lindeman (2001) Pemberton (2003) Harnett, Tierney (2009)

Make up Test Administration

13 Apr 15

Development of the IEP Pierangelo & Giuliana (2012) Ch 19

Make up Test Administration

14 Apr 22 Transition NICHY(2010) Landmark,Zheng (2012) Schmitz (2008)

**Grad student position papers due**

Make upTest Administration

15 Apr 29 No Class Reading Day

16 May 6 Final Exam

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS Attendance and Participation Attendance, being prepared by completing the readings listed on the syllabus prior to class, and participation are very important for you to benefit from this class. Interactions and small group activities depend upon you being thoroughly familiar with the readings and previous class material. Several assignments will be completed in class (e.g., learning activities). If you miss a class it is your responsibility (not the instructor’s) to obtain all notes, handouts, and assignments missed. Reading Summary (10pts )

To provide students with the background knowledge necessary to benefit from in class lecture, STUDENTS ARE TO HAVE READ THE MATERIAL ASSIGNED FOR THAT WEEK BEFORE THEY COME TO CLASS. To encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity, reading summaries will be required. Each week students will be randomly selected to provide an oral summary of the readings to their classmates. This will occur at or near the beginning of each class period. Students will be chosen at least once, but more likely many times, during the term and will receive credit for providing a thorough and thoughtful summary of all readings assigned for that week. You may be chosen more than once and will be required to provide a summary each time you are called upon to earn the 10 points. Students who are absent the day their name is chosen, or who are not prepared to provide a summary, will receive no credit. There will be no make-ups for reading summaries. Learning Activities (1 pts x 10 = 10 pts) To provide students opportunities to apply principles learned in readings and lecture, in class learning activities will be given periodically throughout the course. Students will work on these activities in class and will be allowed to work in groups. In class activities will not be graded but students will receive 1 point for careful and considerate attempts in completing the activity. We will discuss the outcomes of each activity and students will turn in a completed activity sheet or form that was handed out for the activity. Students who are absent or leave early the day of the in class learning activity or who do not participate in the activity will receive no credit. There will be no make-ups for in class learning activities. In Class Quizzes (10 pts x 3 = 30 pts) There will be at least three quizzes administered during class periods. The quizzes will cover the objectives listed in the syllabus and learning targets identified in class. The quizzes will typically measure reasoning skills in relation to the administration and interpretation of assessment measures. Achievement Test Administration (100 pts) – In class administration MIDTERM Students will administer one complete WJ IV Test of Achievement in class. Points will be given according to the rubric developed for standardized administration procedures. A separate assignment sheet will cover this requirement. Students must be present during class to complete this administration. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MAKEUP FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. Achievement Test Administration (100 pts) – Independent Administration - FINAL Students will administer one complete WJ IV Test of Achievement outside of class. Points will be given according to the rubric developed for standardized administration procedures. A separate assignment sheet will cover this requirement. Students are required to find a student who has not been qualified for special education services or who is not awaiting assessment for special education services for administration practice. The results are NOT to be shared with the student or his/her parents as this is for practice only.

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SP ED 5131/6131: Lab Assignments

Your 5131/6131 letter grade will be based on the completion of the following assignments Peer Feedback (100pts) Students will be responsible for providing peer feedback on assessment measures. Each student will proof a peer’s assessment protocol (1) for adherence to standardized test administration. You will earn points for detecting both adherence to standardized administration as well as for providing corrective feedback. WJ IV Compuscore (50 pts) Students will enter scores from WJ IV Tests of Cognitive Ability and Tests of Achievement. Points will be earned for correctly inputting raw scores, demographic information and obtaining a comprehensive printout. Utah State Office of Education Discrepancy Calculation (10 pts) Students will enter scores from test protocols and calculate and print discrepancy reports for every area of possible disability, i.e, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, math calculation, math reasoning, oral language.

Additional Graduate Student Requirements

In Class Quizzes (15 pts x 3 = 45 pts) There will be at least three quizzes administered during class periods. The quizzes will cover the objectives listed in the syllabus and learning targets identified in class. The quizzes will typically measure reasoning skills in relation to the administration and interpretation of assessment measures. Graduate Position Paper (50 pts for paper)

Graduate students will review current articles related to the methods of identifying students with specific learning disabilities (i.e., discrepancy model, failure to respond to intervention, dual method) and develop a position paper. The purpose of this assignment is to provide students an opportunity to understand the significance of the current debate regarding identification of specific learning disabilities. Additional information is provided in a separate handout. There will be additional information will be provided in a separate handout.

* NOTE FOR ALL REQUIREMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS: ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE TO BE TURNED IN AT THE START OF CLASS ON THE DATE THEY ARE DUE. ANY ASSIGNMENT TURNED AFTER THIS DEADLINE WILL BE CONSIDERED LATE. LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF 10% PER SCHOOL DAY EXCEPT FOR EXTREME EMERGENCIES. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DEEM WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY IN ADDITION, FOR ALL REQUIREMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS, IF YOU CHOOSE TO DISPUTE A GIVEN GRADE YOU MUST SUBMIT THE DISPUTE IN WRITING, VIA EMAIL, WITHIN 24 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE GRADED ASSIGNMENT. THIS WRITTEN EXPLANATION MUST INCLUDE A RATIONALE FOR YOUR DESIRE TO SEE A CHANGE IN GRADE. Evaluation Procedures SPED 5121: Undergraduate Students SPED 6121: Graduate Students

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Reading Summary 10 points Reading Summary 10 points Learning Activities 10 points Learning Activities 10 points In Class Quizzes 30 points In Class Quizzes 45 points WJIV ACH Administration(1) 100 points WJIV ACH Administration(1) 100 points WJIV ACH Administration (2) 100 points WJIV ACH Administration (2) 100 points Total Possible Points 250 points Written Paper 50 points

Total Possible Points 315 points Grades: The following percentages will be used to determine grades: A = 94-100% C+ = 77-79% D- = 60-63% A- = 90-93% C = 74-76% E 59% and below B+ = 87-89% C- = 70-74% B = 84-86% D+ = 67-69% B - = 80-83% D = 64-66% SP ED 5131/6131: Peer Feedback/Standardized Test 100 points WJIV Compuscore Computer Scoring 50 points Discrepancy Calculation 10 points Total Possible Points 160 points Additional Course Expectations Students will be provided with a WJ IV ACH test kit. This test kit includes two test easels, two manuals, one CD or cassette recording, scoring templates. The test kits with all materials will need to be returned to the special education department prior to your course grade being released. In addition, you will be given two WJ IV ACH protocols. If you lose or misplace your protocol(s) you may purchase an additional protocol from the Dept. of Special Education. Please see Janet in the dept. office. Estimator Account All students will be required to register for an account with the Utah Estimator program. Students will log on to https://estimator.srlonline.org and request an account on this system. This must be done during the first week of the semester. Classroom Etiquette Student attendance and participation are essential for successful performance in the class. If you miss a class it is your responsibility (not the instructor’s) to obtain all notes, handouts, and assignments missed. If you come in late or must leave early, please do not interrupt the class. Turn off cell phones and pagers (or place on vibrate). Also, out of respect, please do not engage in conversations when either the instructor or other students are talking. I reserve the right to request that you alter your behavior if I think it is problematic or request that you leave the class if necessary. You will be asked to leave the class session if you are engaging in behavior such as sleeping, text messaging, using phones/computer for e-mail or other excessive chatting (talking to your neighbor while others are talking, etc). My intent is for this course to be as participatory as possible, with regard to discussion, etc. I therefore expect that each and every member of the class will overtly participate at least once in every class session by either responding to questions or initiating comments or questions about the class presentation/discussion. This may

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occur in either a whole class large group context or a small group context if we’re divided into such groups for some type of activity. CANVAS & E-mail All of the lecture notes for this class will be posted on Canvas, a university web-based course organization system. Also, much information (e.g., course announcements, reminders of assignment due dates, etc) will be communicated via e-mail. Students enrolled in this course must have access to the world-wide web, an e-mail account (both supplied free by the university), and access e-mail on a consistent basis. The instructor is not responsible for students missing information due to “not checking e-mail.” Appropriate Language

Students are expected to use appropriate language in class discussion and in written work. People with disabilities are just that: people who happen to have physical, sensory, behavioral, or intellectual disabilities. Please avoid phrases like “the handicapped,” “ED kids,” “severely retarded,” “autistic student” or other statements that highlight the disability rather than the individual. Instead, speak and write in a way that puts “people first,” for example, “the student with a severe disability.” “the program for students with behavior disorders.” This small change emphasizes the humanity and individuality of the person and clarifies that disability is only one of many characteristics (and not necessarily the most important!) that people possess. Confidentiality

In this class it is expected that you will protect the rights to confidentiality afforded to students and their families. Often in class we will discuss individual students, assessment situations, and outcomes. Your experience with students and their families is helpful in adding to content and understanding of issues in applied settings. However, when discussing an individual student you are working with or have worked with in the past, please do not reveal any information that would allow other people in class to identify the student (e.g. name, school, age, parents name, etc). Accommodations

Students requiring special accommodations to meet the course expectations should bring this to the attention of the instructor during the first week of the semester or immediately after the identification of a new disability. Written documentation from the Center for Disabled Student Services (160 Olpin Union Building) concerning the disability must be provided before accommodations can be made.