• Assessment is an ongoing process that ends when learners reach their goals. As the training progresses, together the learner and practitioner will go through a trial and error process as they try out new learning strategies.
• Each learner will determine which combination of teaching and learning strategies work best for him or her.

Summary of key points

• The main goal for the practitioner is to understand as much as possible about the learner's potential learning barriers and not to diagnose or label the learner with a learning disability.
• Through the journey of discovery, the initial hunches, clues and potential indicators are substantiated and expanded upon by using methods and tools that merge screening with more in-depth assessment. This in-depth approach helps both the learner and practitioner to verify the learning difficulties and discover why the barriers to learning remain.
• The merging of screening and assessment is facilitated through the use of observational screening, the review of numerous work samples and incorporation of more in-depth screening tools such as the Cooper Screening Tool.
• Observational screening can include a number of combinations of the following components:
  • Practitioner observations
  • Learner observations
  • Practitioner and learner conferences
  • Checklists (use as a guide for observing or verifying the observations)
• When a number of samples are reviewed under a variety of contexts, work samples can provide valuable insights into the adult's learning barriers and strengths. When the process of reviewing a number of samples is followed, a greater confidence in the reliability of the strengths and barriers will result. In addition, a stronger pattern of errors will emerge.