Assessment areas

Frank needs to focus on the process and not just the product. How does he go about completing a task?

Writing sample:

Frank was asked to prepare 3 to 4 paragraphs about why he wants to start his own business and what skills he has to offer. The topic was written on the top of the paper that was given to him. After 10 minutes he had nothing completed and was quite frustrated. He had no idea where to begin. As a result, a dynamic assessment technique was used. Frank was given the steps for composing a small report, one step at a time. He was able to complete the task only when each step was given to him. Most of the errors found in his writing were minor and any spelling errors were a result of a lack of understanding of basic spelling rules. During this process it was observed that Frank was easily distracted and needed several breaks before he could move onto the next step.

Reading:

• Overall, Frank's decoding and comprehension were good with short passages.
• As the length of the passage was increased, his attention span, decoding skills and comprehension deteriorated even though the reading level was the same as the short passages.

Overall conclusions:

Frank appears to have organizational learning disabilities and a short attention span. He struggles with how and where to begin with any writing assignments. His short attention span interferes with his reading and ability to comprehend meaning when the text is detailed. Further observation of Frank's attention span would be valuable to develop appropriate strategies. Some suggested ways to assess this area further are by self-monitoring, self-assessment, practitioner observations, and learner participation. All of these approaches emphasize the importance of the learner/practitioner relationship.