First published in 1992. Special educational needs are being defined in new ways. Changing laws and perspectives in many countries present new challenges to practitioners. The fundamental shift underlying all these changes is the idea that handicap is not an absolute phenomenon, that special educational needs are relative to a person's environment. Once this is accepted, it is inevitable that there will be a radical re-examination of how such needs are identified and how they are assessed. This book draws together a range of contributions from leading figures in special education worldwide, to emphasise assessment in the service of prevention, of teaching, and of mainstreaming and integration. It is not enough to understand children's individual strengths and weaknesses. The primary objective of assessment is to guide intervention, and for that purpose it must have a broader focus and not concentrate exclusively on the target individuals who appear to have disabilities or learning difficulties: the learning environment is equally important as a focus for assessment. The book is divided into three sections that explore three broad themes: empowering children and parents during the assessment process; designing assessment so that it supports the integration and mainstreaming of children rather than their segregation; and making improvements through specific approaches to assessment.

Part 1: Foundational concepts in assessment in special education. Introduction to Assessment ; Methods of Assessment and Testing Considerations ; Basic Statistical Concepts ; Validity and Reliability ; Scoring Terminology Used in Assessment. -- Part 2: The special education process. Response to Intervention ; The Child Study Team and Prereferral Strategies ;The Multidisciplinary Team and Parental Participation in the Assessment Process ;Assessment of Academic Achievement ; Assessment of Intelligence ; Assessment of Behavior ; Assessment of Perceptual Processing ; Assessment of Speech and Language ; Early Childhood Assessment ; Other Areas of Assessment ; Determining Whether a Disability Exists ; Writing a Comprehensive Report in Special Education ; Eligibility Procedures for Special Education Services ; Development of the IEP.

Discover what assessment methods you should be using, and how, when, and where they should be administered to ensure appropriate services are selected for all exceptional students.

The debate about special needs provision has increased dramatically over the last 15 years, however, despite the widespread concern over both learning and behavioural difficulties, there have been few attempts to analyse in detail the process of assessment by which children are being identified as having special educational needs. Drawing upon research carried out by the authors, this book fills that gap by examining the process in detail. It considers the assessment process itself and how it affects and is affected by other areas of school policy - in some cases causing tension and conflict such as parental participation, the use and allocation of resources and multi-professional decision-making. A feature of the book is its analysis of the impact of the National Curriculum and the local management of schools (LMS) provision for special needs.

Demonstrates how the fields of special education and inclusive education have evolved philosophically and technically over the past 30 years.

First published in 1992. Special educational needs are being defined in new ways. Changing laws and perspectives in many countries present new challenges to practitioners. The fundamental shift underlying all these changes is the idea that handicap is not an absolute phenomenon, that special educational needs are relative to a person’s environment. Once this is accepted, it is inevitable that there will be a radical re-examination of how such needs are identified and how they are assessed. This book draws together a range of contributions from leading figures in special education worldwide, to emphasise assessment in the service of prevention, of teaching, and of mainstreaming and integration. It is not enough to understand children’s individual strengths and weaknesses. The primary objective of assessment is to guide intervention, and for that purpose it must have a broader focus and not concentrate exclusively on the target individuals who appear to have disabilities or learning difficulties: the learning environment is equally important as a focus for assessment. The book is divided into three sections that explore three broad themes: empowering children and parents during the assessment process; designing assessment so that it supports the integration and mainstreaming of children rather than their segregation; and making improvements through specific approaches to assessment.

Provides a comprehensive examination of testing and the assessment process for evaluation of children from ages 3 - 18. This book is based on the assumption that when a child is referred for assessment, the goal is to solve the child's problem by developing appropriate academic or social interventions. It emphasises on functional assessment.