Importance Of Assessments In Special Education

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1. Assessment is a vital component of instruction. Assessments determine whether or not academic goals have been reached and thus assessment drives instruction (Why is Assesment Important, 2008). The data is used to determine interventions and small group instruction (Burke, Musial, Nieminen, Thomas, 2009). In addition, data derived from assessments can determine placement in Special Education (Why is Assesment Important, 2008). Assessments are also used to evaluate teachers and their effectiveness in the classroom (Burke,et al, 2009). Assessments casue teachers to reflect on their practice and decide whether they taught what they thought what they were teaching or if the students learned what they were supposed to have learned (Why is Assesment …show more content…
The courts ruled tht Florida had the right to assess students however the way that they proposed and used the test violated students’ rights (Burke, et al, 2009). In addition to law suits, studies have found that high-stakes testing diminishes student movitvation (High Stakes Testing and Student Motivation, 2003). Proponents of high-stakes testing assume that “assigning rewards and consequences to rigorous tests will motivate the ‘unmotivated’” (High Stakes Testing and Student Motivation, 2003). Unmotivated students typically include low socioeconomic students in urban schools, often black or Hispanic children (High Stakes Testing and Student Motivation, 2003). Interstly, studies have shown that when rewards and sanctions are placed on high-stakes tests, it diminishes the students motivation to learn and think critically (High Stakes Testing and Effects on Instruction, 2005). Moreover, studies have found that high-stakes testing causes teachers to take significant control of what students are learning in the classroom instead of allowing students to explore concepts or things they enjoy (High …show more content…
Education standards define the skills and knowledge students should have at different points in their educational career (Education Standards, 2015). Standards are developed from “expectations that different vested interest groups have for education” (Burke, et al, 2009). Policy makers desire rigorous standards to maintain “world class status” to compete with other countries (Burke, et al, 2009). In addtion, business leaders want highschool students to graduate career ready, able to read, write and compute (Burke, et al, 2009). Standards are developed and implemented to facilitate those goals. Common Core State standards have been adopted by 44 states in the United States (Common Core State Standards, 2015). Common Core State standards are a set of high-quality standards in math and English Language arts (Common Core State Standards, 2015). Tennessee repealed the Common Core standards and replaced them with TN Ready (an identical copy of Common Core) ( (TN Ready, 2015). Standards are what instruciton is based upon and curriculum is written for. Assessments are writtend based on

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