4 Ps of Assessment

4 Ps of Assessment  

I have been asked to provide extra support for a new elementary data team. Yea! They need some help with the 4 Ps of Assessment.  You may wonder what the 4 Ps of Assessment are. So did my team. The exciting news is that the 4 Ps answer the bigger question of our new reality as special educators. WHY DO WE TEST SO MUCH?  Well, I will tell you why: because each type of assessment we give serves a different and equally important purpose.  We use a Predicting assessment at the beginning of the year, beginning of a unit, or getting a new student to get a baseline for where that child is functioning.  We use a Planning assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, and skill gaps at any time of the year.  Progress Monitoring assessment is a formative assessment that is used year-round to measure gains and guide instruction. Performance assessments are used at the end of units, courses, or the year as outcome or summative measures of accomplishments. 

I don't know if you will love or hate me for this, but you can use the 4 Ps for emotional/behavioral skills, too; it's not just for academics!

Now that you know why we assess, I bet you are wondering how you can get your hands on some assessment materials. Below is a list with links to a variety of assessment tools and resources. Some you may know, others you may not. Academic assessments are first. Behavior assessments are second, as they are likely to be less familiar and need some explanation.  Although I aimed to find free resources, some of the academic resources require paid membership. They are marked with **. All of the emotional/behavioral resources are free.

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT TOOLS/ RESOURCES

Predicting-Screening assessments are conducted with all students to provide information about their knowledge and skill bases.

Examples

aimswebplus benchmarking**,FastBridge screening **, easyCBM benchmarking, DIBELS benchmarking, District Screening Assessments (eValuate **,iReady **,Galileo **)

Planning-Diagnostic assessments are used to identify specific strengths 

and weaknesses, or specific skill gaps.

Examples

Running records, placement tests for intervention programs, Jerry Johns Basic Reading Inventory **, authentic assessment, student reflection, working/growth portfolios, DRA test scores with skill analysis **, a videotape of the student.

multi area diagnostic tools- intensive intervention

Progress Monitoring- More frequent, formative assessments that help 

determine whether students are making adequate progress and guides 

ongoing modification of instruction.

Examples

aimswebplus benchmarking**, FastBridge screening**, easyCBM benchmarking, DIBELS benchmarking, a videotape of a student, tape-recorded samples (of reading), student self-evaluation and feedback, process/progress/growth portfolios. 

Performance-Mastery or outcome assessment to provide data about existing accomplishments and program evaluation.

Examples

State exams (MAP/MAP-A/EOC), end of a unit or course examination, showcase portfolios

BEHAVIOR/SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Predicting-Screening assessments are conducted with all students to provide information about their knowledge and skill bases.

Examples

Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE): The Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) is a free access tool that measures both the original externalizing behaviors and, more recently, internalizing behaviors.  All items are rated by the teacher on the same 4 point Likert-type scale: never=0, occasionally=1, sometimes =2, frequently = 3. Items include the original seven items (steal, lie, cheat, steal, behavior problems, peer rejection, low academic achievement, negative attitude, and aggressive behavior.  Newly added questions include emotionally flat, shy/withdrawn, sad/depressed, anxious, and lonely. 

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): is a free-access screening tool for use with students ages 2-17. The SDQ allows schools to determine how students are progressing over time. The 25-item SDQ screening tool is available in many languages. One page is completed for each student, asking for 25 attributes rated on a 3 point Likert-type scale. 0=not true, 1=somewhat true, 2=certainly true. The 25 characteristics divide between five scales: 1. Emotional Symptoms, 2. Conduct Problems, 3. Hyperactivity/Inattention, 4. Peer Relationship Problems, 5. Prosocial Behaviors and Total Difficulties. The SDQ considers input from the teacher, parent, and student perspectives. (Lane, Menzies, Oakes, & Kalberg, 2012)

Planning-Diagnostic assessments are used to identify specific strengths and weaknesses or specific skill gaps.

Examples

PBIS World FBA tools, basic FBA data collection tools, PBIS World Data Tracking tools, 

Progress Monitoring- More frequent, formative assessments that help 

determine whether students are making adequate progress and guides 

ongoing modification of instruction.

multi area diagnostic tools-intensive intervention

Examples

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), PBIS World Data Tracking tools, Direct Behavior Ratings (DBR), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). The ATEC was developed to assess the effects of treatment on individuals with Autism and has been used to monitor the general well-being of an individual over time. The ATEC consists of four subtests: Speech/Language Communication, Sociability, Sensory/Cognitive Awareness, and Health/Physical/Behavior.

Performance-Mastery or outcome assessment to provide data about existing accomplishments and program evaluation.

Examples

student led IEP conferences, Soft skills on report cards (attitude/work habits)

Incentives for All

In the first month, one teacher entered her students, no one entered an intervention.  The next month, two teachers entered their students, no one entered interventions.  We continued in this way all year.  Every month we used Continuous Classroom Improvement (CCI)  created by Jim Shipley & Associates a problem-solving technique, to determine if we should keep trying or quit.  Every month the team recognized that those teachers who had entered their data were better able to describe their students and were more likely to leave with a plan. The team marched on, but with little improvement.

 

Bronze Prizes

After two years of lackluster results, I began to use incentives, both verbal and tangible. Teachers could earn Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal prizes for entering their information into the Google doc.  I also began to send “Shout Out!” messages in the days that led up to the meeting praising those teachers who had entered their information and rallying the troops to do their part. The rules were:  Teachers who entered any students before the meeting earned a Bronze medal prize. Teachers who entered two students by the deadline the day before the meeting earned a Silver medal prize. Teachers who entered in two students and provided an intervention for a peer’s student on the Google doc received a Gold Prize. With this, things improved and 12% of teachers entered at least one student before the meeting, 25% of the teachers were earning a Silver medal, and 12% of teachers were entering interventions.

 

Silver Prizes

We continued to problem solve using CCI, but I noticed that all the changes suggested were things I had to do.  The suggestions were: “The data leader should give us more notice in the reminder email; the meeting is coming up and I don’t have time to prepare.” “The data leader is giving us too much time when giving us the reminder email; I forgot about the meeting.” “The data leader only included the Google doc link on 3 of the 5 reminder emails.”  At the next meeting, I laid down the law.  I said, “This time when we problem-solve, I want to know what you are going to do, not what I am going to do.”  My team talked to each other and gained insights from those two teachers who were earning Gold Medals. I continued “Shout Outs!” multiple times daily as the deadline approached, for teachers who entered their data and for teachers who had entered an intervention.  The next month I had 70% medal winners (Bronze, Silver, and Gold combined).  Our numbers went up and within a year we consistently had 100% medal winners every month (combination of Silver and Gold).

 

Gold Prizes

The prizes are simple. Teachers simply want to be recognized for their hard work.  Bronze prizes include candy or fruit, Silver prize include something small like a novelty stress ball, decorative folder, nail files, or anything else I could find for less than $1 each, and Gold prizes include teaching workbooks or student incentives left over from my former career as a special education teacher, fancy stationery, meditative fountains, gift cards, or other items I could find for $5 or less).  I also gave out certificates for having a reference (web-site or book) for the intervention you suggested. All prize winners picked prizes from their prize level plus the prize levels below. For example, a Gold medal-winning teacher would be able to pick 1 Gold prize, 1 Silver prize, and 1 Bronze prize. 

As a result of using the Google Doc for pre-preparation, we have very productive meetings. Each team member has already put into words and numbers their thoughts about their target student and is therefore able to describe the problem fluently.  There is no fumbling through details as the teacher tries to express the issue, tries to find the data in her notebook, or remembers what the data might be. It is all already written into the Google doc. 

An intervention suggestion has also already been written up for each student. We actually like to call the Google doc a “Relay” because the learning or behavioral struggle is “passed” from the teacher to her teammate for the purpose of finding interventions. After a teacher describes the problem, the accepting teacher proposes the intervention she has prepared for the meeting. The original teacher states if she is satisfied with the intervention or if she would like to open it up to the team for more ideas.  She leaves with a plan. 

Making the most of our time with Pre-paration.

Making the most of our time with pre-preparation; Data Team, and the Google Doc.

The most important part of the Data Team is for the teachers to leave with a plan of how to address their student’s deficits (academic or behavioral). With 60 minutes to get through 10 teachers, we did not have time to waste rifling through books or web pages looking for interventions in the few minutes allotted for each student.  

My teachers were leaving without comprehensive plans, and I knew there must be a better way. We were not able to provide comprehensive plans for many of the teachers, and they left empty-handed.  I had heard of another district that put information about their struggling students on a Google doc.  

I decided to try this with my team, have them read about their peers' students ahead of time, and develop evidence-based interventions before the meeting even started.  I brought the idea to the team.  They liked it, and we decided to give it a try. I created a Data Team Intervention Relay Google doc with spots for students' IEP goals or areas of need, current data, and current interventions.  There were spots for the accepting teacher and their suggested evidence-based intervention. Why call it an intervention relay? Because my teachers "pass the baton" to each other for when they need a new perspective. I also created a list of websites and resources for my teachers to find evidence-based interventions. I sent out all the information for our first new data team and hoped for the best.