The language in which the assessment is administered is vital to the outcome. If a child who is deaf and relies on ASL to communicate is given an assessment is spoken English the outcome of that assessment will not be an accurate representation of that child's abilities. It would be similar to giving a native Spanish speaker directions in English. That person would not be able to follow those directions at all, let alone correctly.
When giving an assessment to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing it is important to keep in mind the kind of modifications that that child needs in order for it to measure his/her true abilities. These modifications can include extra time on a timed assessment, having the test signed, and repeating questions on the assessments. It is important to make sure that, when modifying an assessment, you aren't supplying the child with the answers. It is also important to list the modifications that were made to the assessment.
A factor that is often looked over is the environment in which the assessment is administered. If a child is in an unfamiliar environment it is possible that that child will not perform as well as he/she would if they were in an environment where they felt more comfortable and at ease. The child should be made familiar with his/her environment before the administration of the assessments.
The person administering the assessment also plays a big role in its outcome. It is much like the environment. If the child is not familiar with the adult giving the assessment it is likely that he/she will not perform as well as they would if they were comfortable with the administrator. It is important to make sure the child is comfortable with the adult and that the adult is knowledgeable and skilled in giving that particular assessment
I do not believe that you should only give assessments designed for the deaf and hard of hearing population but I do believe that tests that are not normed on this population do require certain modifications. Assessments that are normed on the general population can still provide useful information on a child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Communication between teachers is one of the most vital components of being an educator. There are many different ways to communicate with colleagues and I don't think there is necessarily a 'best' way. I think the best way depends on the situation. I generally believe that, whenever possible, teachers should communicate face-to-face. However, that is not always feasible. Educators are very busy people and are not always available at the same time in order to communicate face-to-face about a child. In these cases I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to email or call. I plan on utilizing all of these communication opportunities when I become a teacher.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you brought up the importance of making modifications in some cases with our d/Deaf or hard of hearing students during assessments. You mentioned that without these modifications, the test may not truly be an accurate representation of their abilities. This is such a true statement and something we all need to keep in mind as future Deaf Educators. There will be instances when we make modifications to an assessment with our students, which is wonderful, but we need to make sure we also document all the modifications that were made to the assessment during testing. I like the fact that you mentioned environment as one of the modifications that some of the students may find most important. Most all test takers out there, not just those who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing like to take a test in a quiet environment that they are familiar with to feel most comfortable and produce the best results. I too believe that the means of communication between the Deaf Educator and other professionals in the field depends on the situation, and all communication opportunities should be utilized to ensure the best success for the students. Great job! And I love your pictures that you include in each of your posts!
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI feel you covered this journal topic very well! You broke down all the different parents and explained the importance of each. When discussing language, I feel your example of comparing it to something similar to native Spanish speaker. Sense, ASL and Deaf Culture is still so unknown many individuals aren’t aware of how much of a difference there is when comparing ASL to English. I feel people just assume that it is the English language but in sign language. When allowing a student to be given modification it is crucial to always list them on the test before sending it off for results. This can cause a number of issues if it is not stated: they can discredit the test, they may feel the student was supplied with answer, or the student’s results would be compared to their peers as if they were on the same academic level. I forgot to mention the unfamiliar environment in my post. We saw first-hand during our assessment class how this truly affects the student. Unfamiliar educators given the student the test can also hinder the assessment process. These two areas can really hurt the assessment process by making it take longer or by not getting accurate results.
I agree with you that face-to-face is always the best. Unfortunately not everyone’s schedule matches up every time. I feel some people may say “well what about after school?” and most days that teacher may have meetings, or extra-curricular activities they are involved in. Some teachers may use that time to catch up on grading or they may just be ready to go home after a long day at school. Email is a great way to communicate as long as both parties check their email regularly and the email doesn’t get lost in the inbox.
Good job :)