Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
A holistic approach to educational assessments
As educators it is extremely important we get to know each child on an individual level, identify their individual needs, and provide them with the necessary tools for a productive learning environment. As children enter the school system they are expected to meet certain standards developed based on learning objectives for their age group. Schools gage students' success based on standardized tests. These tests, unfortunately, are administered the old fashioned way. Test booklets, #2 pencils, and time restraints. As we all know, not every student has the same learning style, and these tests are definitely not designed to take that fact into consideration.
Prior to testing, teachers can identify students who are having difficulty and recommend them to be evaluated. Special education professionals, school administrators, and parents hold a conference and designed what is called an IEP, or individualized education program. The purpose of an IEP is to describe how the student best learns, how the student can best demonstrate that learning, and what teachers can do and services the school can provide to assist the child (as stated by WikiPedia). The IEP should also have specific learning objectives stated and a plan to keep the student in the least restrictive environment possible.
Teachers receive copies of these IEPs and work together with everyone involved to help them achieve their goals.
Is this process always effective? Probably not, but it's an attempt to identify and meet children's specific needs. I was doing some research on how other parts of the world implemented a holistic approach to assessment, and came across a website for "The Wishing Star". This is a Canadian based foundation. They provide what is called, "Psychoeducational Assessments". See the description below:
Prior to testing, teachers can identify students who are having difficulty and recommend them to be evaluated. Special education professionals, school administrators, and parents hold a conference and designed what is called an IEP, or individualized education program. The purpose of an IEP is to describe how the student best learns, how the student can best demonstrate that learning, and what teachers can do and services the school can provide to assist the child (as stated by WikiPedia). The IEP should also have specific learning objectives stated and a plan to keep the student in the least restrictive environment possible.
Teachers receive copies of these IEPs and work together with everyone involved to help them achieve their goals.
Is this process always effective? Probably not, but it's an attempt to identify and meet children's specific needs. I was doing some research on how other parts of the world implemented a holistic approach to assessment, and came across a website for "The Wishing Star". This is a Canadian based foundation. They provide what is called, "Psychoeducational Assessments". See the description below:
Psychoeducational Assessments
Preschoolers, grade school students, and college or university students are referred for a psychoeducational assessment for many reasons:
Beyond their expertise in the field of school psychology, our registered psychologists are unique in that each of them has completed intensive clinical internships and comprehensive counselling training, allowing them to bring a holistic lens to each of the psychoeducational assessments completed at The Wishing Star.
At The Wishing Star, the psychoeducational assessment process is informed by the most current information about brain development, and takes into account not only an individual’s strengths and needs, but also the role of family, school, and other contexts in the individual’s learning experience.
Although the components of a psychoeducational assessment vary greatly depending on the age of the person being assessed, each of our assessments is guided by contemporary intelligence theory (called CHC Theory). This understanding of intelligence suggests that all people have different "types" of intellectual abilities. To ensure a well-rounded understanding of an individual’s learning needs, it is therefore important to include a wide variety of activities that measure as many different “types” of intellectual abilities as possible.
Beyond the assessment of intellectual functioning, a psychoeducational assessment may include some measures of language development, social-emotional development, behavioral patterns, motor development, and academic achievement or school-type performance. We are pleased to offer our holistic approach to psychoeducational testing to children and students who are preschool aged, in grade school, or in post-secondary institutions.
At The Wishing Star, we endeavour to make the assessment process a seamless and positive experience for the student, the parent(s), and any involved professionals. For a full psychoeducational assessment, we begin by scheduling a parent information session. At this session we call upon your expertise as parent to your child to let us know your child’s specific needs. We will walk you through a comprehensive clinical interview. This provides a starting point for our assessment process. This is typically a session just for the parent(s) although it may be appropriate for an older student to be involved with this session.
Next we will meet with the student for 4 to 6 hours of direct assessment time on average. This is typically scheduled across two assessment sessions. These sessions are student-lead in terms of work-load, frequency and length of breaks, etc. It is important to us that the student is functioning at their best during these sessions and we work hard to be very encouraging and to keep things comfortable for the student, including giving the student’s brain the rest required be attentive and engaged.
Many parents wonder what to tell their child about the assessment. We encourage an honest response that includes discussion of the purpose of the assessment, which is to make sure that all of the big people (parents, educators, other professionals) are doing their jobs in the best way possible for learning to be fair for the student.
When the direct assessment time is complete, the psychologist will then take 2-3 weeks to create a very comprehensive written report documenting the assessment results and presenting pertinent recommendations and, when appropriate, accommodations to ensure practical application. At The Wishing Star, our reports are carefully crafted to meet the needs of both parents and professionals supporting the student.
When the report is complete, the parent(s) are invited to an assessment debrief session. During this session we review the assessment outcomes and details of the report. You have the opportunity to ask questions and really understand the meaning of the results. You will be invited to review the report and provide feedback to the involved psychologist prior to final signatures. Although there are certain things that cannot be altered in the report, it is important to us that you have a final report that you are comfortable with and that adequately represents the child you know.
Following the parent debrief, the child is invited for their own debrief, depending on the child’s age and stage of development. During this session, the psychologist talks with both the parent(s) and the child about the assessment results in child-friendly terms to help the child understand his/her own learning profile.
For the adult student, the debrief session would be available for the student and any of his/her identified supports (parents, friends, involved professionals).
After the debrief(s) are completed, The Wishing Star psychologists are available to liaise with educators in schools and post-secondary settings to communicate the assessment outcomes as well as be part of program planning and support implementation.
**********************************************************************************
I really feel this is a thorough, trustworthy type of assessment and it touches on each aspect of the child's life. All children are unique and when there are special needs involved everyone in their life, most importantly their parents and teachers, must try to understand those needs and accommodate them. I know it is costly and I am sure not everyone can afford this type of service. I feel as if these types of outside agencies should be funded through state funds instead of spending so much money within the school environment. If we could allocate some of the funds and provide them to families based on need, these professionals could work with the teachers. I also feel health insurance companies should offer coverage under "mental health" for visits such as these. So many children suffer from depression due to learning difficulties, and if children are not treated properly, this could lead to long term problems or even suicide.
We have a long way to go before we are able to truly provide students with the care they need and assess them with proper tools. I think a re-evaluation of funds allocation and identifying a more suitable cause would be a good start.
- difficulties learning at school, college, or university
- "gifted" learning profile
- concerns regarding child development
- behavioural challenges at school
- concern that a student’s true potential is not being realized in the classroom
- the need for "accommodations" in the classroom and for exams (i.e. the removal of "barriers" that get in the way of student being able to succeed)
- questions regarding ideal school placement or programming
Beyond their expertise in the field of school psychology, our registered psychologists are unique in that each of them has completed intensive clinical internships and comprehensive counselling training, allowing them to bring a holistic lens to each of the psychoeducational assessments completed at The Wishing Star.
At The Wishing Star, the psychoeducational assessment process is informed by the most current information about brain development, and takes into account not only an individual’s strengths and needs, but also the role of family, school, and other contexts in the individual’s learning experience.
Although the components of a psychoeducational assessment vary greatly depending on the age of the person being assessed, each of our assessments is guided by contemporary intelligence theory (called CHC Theory). This understanding of intelligence suggests that all people have different "types" of intellectual abilities. To ensure a well-rounded understanding of an individual’s learning needs, it is therefore important to include a wide variety of activities that measure as many different “types” of intellectual abilities as possible.
Beyond the assessment of intellectual functioning, a psychoeducational assessment may include some measures of language development, social-emotional development, behavioral patterns, motor development, and academic achievement or school-type performance. We are pleased to offer our holistic approach to psychoeducational testing to children and students who are preschool aged, in grade school, or in post-secondary institutions.
How it Works
At The Wishing Star, we endeavour to make the assessment process a seamless and positive experience for the student, the parent(s), and any involved professionals. For a full psychoeducational assessment, we begin by scheduling a parent information session. At this session we call upon your expertise as parent to your child to let us know your child’s specific needs. We will walk you through a comprehensive clinical interview. This provides a starting point for our assessment process. This is typically a session just for the parent(s) although it may be appropriate for an older student to be involved with this session.
Next we will meet with the student for 4 to 6 hours of direct assessment time on average. This is typically scheduled across two assessment sessions. These sessions are student-lead in terms of work-load, frequency and length of breaks, etc. It is important to us that the student is functioning at their best during these sessions and we work hard to be very encouraging and to keep things comfortable for the student, including giving the student’s brain the rest required be attentive and engaged.
Many parents wonder what to tell their child about the assessment. We encourage an honest response that includes discussion of the purpose of the assessment, which is to make sure that all of the big people (parents, educators, other professionals) are doing their jobs in the best way possible for learning to be fair for the student.
When the direct assessment time is complete, the psychologist will then take 2-3 weeks to create a very comprehensive written report documenting the assessment results and presenting pertinent recommendations and, when appropriate, accommodations to ensure practical application. At The Wishing Star, our reports are carefully crafted to meet the needs of both parents and professionals supporting the student.
When the report is complete, the parent(s) are invited to an assessment debrief session. During this session we review the assessment outcomes and details of the report. You have the opportunity to ask questions and really understand the meaning of the results. You will be invited to review the report and provide feedback to the involved psychologist prior to final signatures. Although there are certain things that cannot be altered in the report, it is important to us that you have a final report that you are comfortable with and that adequately represents the child you know.
Following the parent debrief, the child is invited for their own debrief, depending on the child’s age and stage of development. During this session, the psychologist talks with both the parent(s) and the child about the assessment results in child-friendly terms to help the child understand his/her own learning profile.
For the adult student, the debrief session would be available for the student and any of his/her identified supports (parents, friends, involved professionals).
After the debrief(s) are completed, The Wishing Star psychologists are available to liaise with educators in schools and post-secondary settings to communicate the assessment outcomes as well as be part of program planning and support implementation.
**********************************************************************************
I really feel this is a thorough, trustworthy type of assessment and it touches on each aspect of the child's life. All children are unique and when there are special needs involved everyone in their life, most importantly their parents and teachers, must try to understand those needs and accommodate them. I know it is costly and I am sure not everyone can afford this type of service. I feel as if these types of outside agencies should be funded through state funds instead of spending so much money within the school environment. If we could allocate some of the funds and provide them to families based on need, these professionals could work with the teachers. I also feel health insurance companies should offer coverage under "mental health" for visits such as these. So many children suffer from depression due to learning difficulties, and if children are not treated properly, this could lead to long term problems or even suicide.
We have a long way to go before we are able to truly provide students with the care they need and assess them with proper tools. I think a re-evaluation of funds allocation and identifying a more suitable cause would be a good start.
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