Source: "The Assessment Process" from Keys to Effective LD Teaching Practice, published on the Center for Literacy Studies website at http://cls.coe.utk.edu/. The Center for Literacy Studies website is compiled and updated by the Center for Literacy Studies and The University of Tennessee, and is hosted by Southern LINCS with funding from the National Institute for Literacy LINCS project.
The following is a brief summary of "The Assessment Process." For the complete text which includes numerous classroom examples, visit the text online at http://cls.coe.utk.edu/curriculum/keys_ld.html. The entire text of Keys to Effective LD Teaching Practice is available here as well for free downloading.
First, it is important to remember that LD Diagnostic testing must be done by a licensed psychologist; LD Screening can be done by the teacher. The tool provided in this Resource Guide is a Screening tool for teacher use and it will only tell you if your student needs to be referred for diagnosis of a learning disability. Testing by a licensed psychologist is required for all kinds of funding and academic support opportunities your student will need throughout his life. A teacher's claim of LD supported only by a screening will not get the student access to any special support services in college, the armed services, or on the GED exam, etc. So please, use this screening tool to BEGIN the process of determining LD.
The screening process should include four components: Teacher Observation Screening; Learner Input; Teacher-Learner Conference; and Interpretation of Checklists.
This observation is done over a period of several weeks. It involves the teacher making note of vision/hearing or auditory/visual process problems; academic performance in reading, writing and math; and behavior concerning attention, organization and social interactions. Ideas for what to observe may be garnered from the student self-assessment "Analyzing My Learning." The Florida's Bridges to Practice Web-based Training suggests the kinds of things to look for in adults with possible LD.
Adults know a lot about how they learn best and what stands in their way. "Analyzing My Learning: Strengths and Struggles" parallels the Screening for Adults With Learning Disabilities that teachers use to observe behavior. Students should answer these first-person questions about themselves.
This conference allows the teacher and student to compare notes. Possible questions include: "You checked (or wrote about) _____. Tell me more about that." And "I noticed _______. Have you ever noticed that? What do you think about that?" Remember, this is simply an information gathering discussion to get as complete a picture of this learner as possible.