Behaviour/psychological manifestations
- Look for difficulties with attention span, organizational skills,
inappropriate social interactions, and variable or unpredictable
performance.7 Practitioners should observe indicators over a period
of time and under various circumstances before any conclusions can
be made about potential challenges.
Types of assessment tools
The assessment process can involve two types of assessment techniques:
- Informal Assessments - Use flexible tools that provide a wide
coverage of learner performance and behaviours. Informal
assessments are subjective and must be used with caution.
- Observation: a direct measure of learner behaviour. It helps
to determine the present level of the learner's performance.
- Informal tests: a direct measure of learner performance in a
specific area. It provides direction for planning and/or
modifying instruction. Examples could include: a reading
comprehension passage with questions, spelling dictation,
word recognition or a quiz on fractions.
- Dynamic assessment: a person is asked to answer questions
or solve problems, but instead of the assessment ending once
the criterion has been met (i.e. the number of errors) the
person is given various types of cues to help improve
performance. The types of cues used are recorded. It uses a
"test - teach - retest" approach. The way the learner problem
solves and the types of cues used are helpful for planning
instruction and strategies that would best meet the learner's
needs.
- Work samples: an evaluation of learner performance to
locate patterns of errors and correct responses. Work samples
provide an overall picture of the learner's work. Through the
identification of errors, skills that require further instruction
are identified.8 Examples could include: writing samples such
as journals, math activity sheets and work-related projects or
assignments.
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