I find informal assessment to be one of my favorite assessment strategies. It allows you to receive frequent and immediate feedback from student learning and mastery. It also provides opportunities for students to practice the correct response, an important factor in reducing guessing. This strategy can be executed as simply as asking a question to a student during instruction.
Performance assessments often show aspects of student learning one would not normally see under more traditional assessment formats. Not only does performance assessment require students to explore the material, but also requires them to apply it to a concept such as a presentation or activity. I would use this model for students to instruct other students, promoting social learning.
While standardized tests often get a bad rap, they are not all inherently evil. While I would agree that the execution of these tests is often especially poor for students with disabilities, the fact that they apply to a common set of standards allows all students to be learning the same things. I will most likely have to make adaptations for these assessments (such as read aloud, time limits, or others) for my students.
I prefer criterion-referenced assessments because special education is geared towards teaching to mastery. Individual student performance is extremely important, and providing assessment to gauge that allows the special educators to collect data.
Teaching students to apply their knowledge through authentic assessment really bridges the gap between the classroom and the real world. I would use this often with students who have transition statements on their IEPs, which are goals for life after high school such as self-care, getting a job, managing money, etc.
Seth, these assessments really demonstrate your commitment to making sure that students in special education are evaluated to the best of their abilities. I think using these assessments provides a holistic view of not only student achievement, but your students themselves. With my students in special education - and I got all of them in my social studies class, regardless of grad level - I always used assessments like these (save standardized tests) because it gave me the best idea of what they could do, and because some of these assessments like authentic assessments or performance assessments really build up a student's self-esteem and self-efficacy when they can see just what they are capable of. Great thoughts.
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