Assessment and Instruction of Students with High Incidence Disabilities

I&L: 2512 Assessment and Instruction of Students with High Incidence Disabilities

Instructors: Dr. Mandi Davis Skerbetz 412-648-7194 [email protected] Office: 5330 Wesley Posvar Hall Office Hours: Mondays 3:30 – 4:30 and Thursdays 3:30 – 4:30 and by appointment

Dr. Marissa Reed 412-855-3730 [email protected] Office: 5330 Wesley Posvar Hall Office Hours: Thursdays 7:10 – 8:10 and by appointment

Class Times and Location: Thursdays 4:30 – 7:10 5131 Wesley Posvar Hall

Required Text:

Assessment in Spevcial and Inclusive and Education (12th edition) by Salvia, Ysseldkye, and Bolt. Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN-10: 1-111-83341-9 [You may purchase an e-version of the book. Do NOT purchase any other edition of the book – the 12th is required.)

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide knowledge of assessment procedures for designing academic programs for children and youth with mild disabilities, with emphasis on assessment for teaching reading, written language and mathematics. Course includes assessment for eligibility for special education and ongoing assessment of instructional effectiveness. Instruction and evaluation of student progress are always intertwined in teaching; this mesh of activities is even more important when teaching students with learning difficulties. The emphasis of this course is the interplay between assessment and teaching activities. The central focus of this semester’s work will be how the teacher can evaluate status and progress in reading, language, and mathematics; and the implications of these evaluations for teaching. In addition to conducting evaluations, you will develop an Evaluation Report (ER) and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for specific a student in your student teaching placement. Assignments begin with evaluation of current academic functioning and progress in an academic area. Application of the results of those evaluations will result in designing appropriate teaching strategies and academic goals, and/or making changes in academic plans. Assessment is at the center of all good teaching. This class is designed to provide a clear guide to the assessment of students with mild disabilities. It will give you not only an understanding of the assessment process, but also the concrete, practical skills necessary to assess students with disabilities so you can teach them effectively. Popular instruments will be discussed in some depth because these are the tests that reflect current practices and will be those that, as special educators, you will be expected to administer and/or interpret. However, every attempt will be made to provide a balanced coverage of both formal and informal assessments. In addition, this class will provide the connection between gathering assessment information and using it to make informed decisions. In the context of the team approach to educational assessment, with particular 2 emphasis on the role of the special educator, you will be encouraged to consider assessment data in relation to the classroom setting. 3

Course Requirements:

Midterm Exam (worth 25%)

○ There will be a midterm exam. The midterm exam will assess your understanding of material covered in the readings and lectures, and application of this information.

Quizzes (worth 25%) ○ Across the course of the semester, there will be 5 quizzes administered on the readings assigned for that night’s class, as well as material covered from that night’s class and previous classes. ○ If you are absent and miss a class where a reading quiz is given you cannot make up the missed quiz. (Exceptions will be taken into consideration for extenuating circumstances.)

Assessment and Instruction Portfolio (worth 45% total)

○ The primary purpose of this course is to teach you how to administer and score assessments to both guide your instruction and to make recommendations regarding special education qualification. ○ The purpose of this project is to provide you with an assessment portfolio that you can use in job interviews to demonstrate your understanding of course content. ○ The portfolio will include: all correctly scored assessment protocols, graphed CBM data, an Evaluation Report, and a completed IEP (including at least 3 IEP goals) (worth 35%). ○ Presentation of the completed IEP to parents of your student and personal reflection (worth 10%). ○ See additional handout for further details.

Attendance and Participation (worth 5%) o I expect that you will actively participate in whole class and small group discussions, as well as participate in any in-class activities. Through activities and discussion, it will be possible to benefit the most from the material in this course. o See professional participation and attendance rubric.

Grading Criteria:

● Tests must be taken on the day they are scheduled. Only students who have contacted me prior to class about an absence will be permitted to take a test at another time. ● A paper copy or an electronic copy of all assignments must be submitted before or at the start of class on the due date. Late assignments will be accepted up to 48 hours after the original due date at a 20% grade reduction. No assignments will be accepted after this time. Special circumstances will be considered if discussed with me PRIOR to beginning of the class in which the assignment is due. ● For all assignments, work must be typed, 12-point font, double spaced, 1” margins. Double-sided is okay, not required. HANDWRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ● Also, do not turn in information that identifies the student, school, school district, or any staff that you may encounter as part of your Assessment and Instruction Portfolio assignment. Use pseudonyms when needed in order to not identify actual people or places. ● I work hard to ensure that my grading system is fair and accurate. If you would like to challenge any grade you receive, please submit your request in writing to me no later than 2 weeks from receiving the 4

graded item. This request should include the graded item, an explanation of why you feel the grade received is inaccurate or unfair, and an explanation of the grade you feel you should have received. I will consider these requests and make changes in situations where I either made a mathematical error or where I feel I unfairly penalized one or more students. In some situations, I may ask for you to resubmit a graded item if I believe many students may have been impacted – so, please KEEP all graded items until the end of the semester. ● Final course grades will be based on the University’s grading system identified below. ○ [Note: 89.4 = 89 = B+; 89.5 = 90 = A-.]

Percentage of Points Earned Letter Grade Level of Attainment Grade Points 94-100 A Superior 4.00 90-93 A- 3.75 88-89 B+ Adequate 3.25 83-87 B 3.00 80-82 B- 2.75 78-79 C+ Minimal 2.25 73-77 C 2.00 70-72 C- 1.75 <70 F Failure 0.00 5

Course Schedule:

Subject to change – you are responsible to keep up to date information from class

Class SYB Date(s) Topic Other Readings Notes Session(s) Chapter(s)

Overview, Legal and Ethical 1 8/28/14 Considerations 1, 2, 3 including Confidentiality

Assessment Statistics and IRIS Module: Classroom 2 9/4/14 4, 5, 9 Quiz 1 Assessment Assessment Part 1 Management

Key Math Manual 3 9/11/14 Key Math 13 Have Student Identified

4 9/18/14 WRMT - III 12 WRMT Manual Quiz 2

5 9/25/14 WIAT- III 11, 14 WIAT Manual

6 10/2/14 CBMs & CBAs 7, 8 Quiz 3

Decision Making 7 10/9/14 27, 29 Quiz 3 ER/RR Response to Intervention and IRIS Module: RTI Part 1 8 10/16/14 24 Special Education PA SLD Guidelines Process 9 10/23/14 MIDTERM

10 10/30/14 IEP Writing ER Due

11 11/6/14 Accommodations, 21, 22, IRIS Module: Quiz 4 Adaptations, & 28 Accountability, 6

PSSA/Keystone Accountability Accommodations Guide Intellectual 15, 16, 12 11/13/14 Disabilities and 18 Intelligence Tests Emotional and IEP Due 13 11/20/14 17 Behavior Disabilities Quiz 5 MOCK IEP AIP Due 14 12/4/14 Meetings (Group A) (Group A) MOCK IEP AIP Due 15 12/11/14 Meetings (Group B) (Group B) 7

Expectations:

 Academic Integrity o Academic integrity is essential to the success of all students in higher education. Please refer to the University’s code of student obligations: http://www.provost.pitt.edu/info/aistudcode1.html. As a faculty member, I take this issue very seriously and will tolerate no violations. Please let me know if you have questions related to this issue.  Confidentiality o You are responsible to maintain the confidentiality of all the students you work with in field placements related to your coursework at the University of Pittsburgh. When writing or doing assignments for courses or speaking about your field experience and the students you work with use pseudonyms (not initials) for students’, teachers’ and schools’ names. In public, it is your responsibility to keep written assignments and any other materials bearing the names of students, teachers or staff secure from the view of others.  Attendance o I expect you to attend all sessions and attendance will be taken at the start of each session. If you are unable to do so because of illness or other circumstance, email me prior to the start of class. You are responsible for all content covered in missed sessions. Please contact a classmate for notes and announcements. See grading policy relating to absences below.  Participation o I expect you to actively participate in course discussions. This helps you better learn the material and it helps me present more effectively. Please do the required reading prior to class. If you do not understand something, please ask! I reserve the right to deduct points from your final grade due to lack of participation.  Professional behavior o I expect you to exhibit professional behavior. This includes: arriving to class on time, letting me know if you will be leaving early, staying on-task during the class, respecting the opinions of others, and coming to class prepared. I reserve the right to deduct points from your final grade due to unprofessional behavior.  Technology o Feel free to use technology (laptop, iPad, etc.) to bring additional readings to class and to take class notes. However, you should not be surfing the web, sending text messages, or checking email during class. These types of activities are unprofessional and points will be deducted from your grade (see note on professional behavior above). If you have a special situation that needs to be considered, please let me know.  Communication o Please communicate openly with me regarding your understanding of course material, assignments, and course format. The purpose of this class is to ensure that you are prepared to assess your future students. If you have suggestions that may help with this, I am eager to hear them. Additionally, I understand that life sometimes happens and this may interfere with class – please communicate with me about special circumstances as soon as possible and always prior to the related class session and/or assignment due date.

Departmental Grievance Policy:

 DIL Student Grievance Procedures o The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. The rights and responsibilities of faculty and 8

students are described in the University’s Academic Integrity Guidelines at: http://www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/02/02-03-02.html o When a student in DIL believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines (p. 16) by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (3) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer. o The more specific procedure for student grievances within DIL is as follows: ● 1. The student should talk to the faculty member to attempt to resolve the matter. ● 2. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the student should talk to the relevant program coordinator ● (if the issue concerns a class) or his or her advisor. ● 3. If the matter remains unresolved, the student should talk to the associate chair of DIL (currently Dr. Patricia Crawford). 4. If needed, the student should next talk to the SOE associate dean of students. If the matter still remains unresolved, the student should file a written statement of charges with the dean’s designated Academic Integrity Administrative Officer.

Special Considerations and Accommodations:

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union (412) 648- 7890, [email protected], (412) 228-5347 for P3 ALS users, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.

Notice for Courses with Practica or Observation Requirements:

This course includes assignments that require you to spend time in schools or to have access to a child with a high incidence disability. All students working with or observing children in public and private schools, IUs and vocational-technical schools are required to provide the Coordinator of Clinical Practice in the Department of Instruction and Learning with the following clearances:

• Federal Criminal History Record • Pennsylvania State Criminal Record Check • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance

If these clearances are not turned in by the end of the drop/add period, the student must drop any class requiring school visits. Furthermore, if there is a criminal infraction on any of these clearances, it is likely that the Coordinator of Clinical Practice will be unable to find a school placement for the student, and the student will be required to withdraw from the class. Students who have criminal infractions on their clearances should consult the Coordinator of Clinical Practice as early as possible for advice on whether a placement will be likely. Decisions about permitting students to observe or do other tasks in a school are made by the school district and the principal. The University cannot guarantee that a person with criminal infractions on their clearances will be permitted to do assignments in a school. While state law bars certain offenders from schools, districts often impose more extreme requirements. 9

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Competencies

IL 2512 – Assessment and Instruction of Students with High Incidence Disabilities

This table outlines the competencies that are addressed in this course and indicates how each one will be assessed.

Instruction/Assessment

(MID=Midterm Exam; Competency Q = Quizzes, AIP = Competency Numbers Assessment and Instruction Portfolio, LEC = Lecture, DIS = Discussion, READ = Readings)

II. Cognition and Development of Students with II B 4 AIP Disabilities III. Assessment III A 1-6 LEC, DIS, READ, MID, III B, C, D, E, F, G, H, Q, & AIP L, M, O, P

IV. Pedagogy – Specially Designed Instruction IV A 15, 16 AIP IV E 2, 15, 16 V. Inclusion in the LRE V A 9-12 DIS & AIP V C 1a, 1d, 1e, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8