Running Head: ASSESSING STUDENT NEEDS 1

Assessing Student Needs

Candee Edgar

National University
ASSESSING STUDENT NEEDS 2

Abstract

The following paper depicts various types of assessments in the format of a chart. Each

assessment’s description, purpose, modifications for special learners, and examples are

clearly stated to allow readers to implement these assessments to fit into their own

classrooms. The paper has clearly stated citations and references and is written in APA

format.
ASSESSING STUDENT NEEDS
Assessment Technique
1.DIEBELS: Dynamic
Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy Skills by Roland H.
Good, III, PhD and Ruth A.
Kaminski, PhD is a set of
procedures that assess a
child’s acquisition of early
literacy skills for grades K-
6. DIEBELS measures
phonemic awareness,
alphabetic principle,
accuracy, fluency, reading
comprehension, and
vocabulary.
Purpose
DIEBELS is an entry level
diagnostic assessment; it is used to
identify children experiencing
difficulty in acquiring basic
literacy skills at the entry level.
It can be for multiple purposes: as
a diagnostic screening, as a
benchmark assessment, and also
for progress monitoring in order to
prevent reading difficulties
especially for students who receive
additional reading support.
Example
This assessment is used in K-6.
It is administered individually
only. I plan to use this
assessment on my first graders
this school year to access their
literacy skills and to monitor
their progress. I will
administer the DIEBELS at the
beginning, middle, and end of
the school year.
3
Modifications for Special Learners
Modifications for the DIEBELS
could be for special needs such as
enlarging the student materials for
students with visual impairments.
Colored overlays, filters, or
lighting adjustments could also be
used for students with visual
impairments. Assistive
technology, such as hearing aids
and assistive listening devices can
be used to accommodate students
with hearing impairments. A
special test setting could be used
to minimize distractions for the
special needs students with
ADHD or Autism Spectrum
Disorder. Examples of
accommodations that would
change the validity and assessment
results would be giving an ELL
student directions in his/her
primary language. If an ELL is
learning to read in English, it
would be appropriate to use

2.Reading Conferences-
Reading conferences with
students serve as a valuable
type of formative
assessment. This is a
conference between the
student and the teacher. The
end results of this type of
conference determine the
individual student’s reading
ability and reading
comprehension skills.
The purpose of the reading
conferences is to assess each
individual student’s reading skills.
This assessment has multiple uses;
it can serve as an entry level
assessment and also a more
formative, progress monitoring
assessment. This is an excellent
example of a way to monitor each
student’s progress, and it is also a
valuable tool in determining goals
for the student’s future learning.
This type of assessment can serve
as a valuable tool for the teacher in
not only setting the goals for each
Reading conferences can be
used at any grade level for
elementary students. In
working with elementary
students last year, I was able to
experience the value in a
reading conference. I was able
to help a struggling reader in
the classroom by developing a
remedial program to enhance
his reading progress. I plan to
conduct reading conferences
with my first graders during
this school year at the
beginning, middle, and end of
4
DIEBELS. DIBELS have been
used successfully with ELL
(Haagar & Windmueller, 2001).
Another example would be if a
special needs student had an IEP
that requires assessments to be
given untimed, the results could be
used as an assessment of accuracy
of reading, but not fluency
(Haager & Cummings, 2007).
Reading conferences have a big
advantage over other types of
assessments. The advantage is
that reading conferences can be
conducted successfully with any
individual student: special needs,
ELL, or gifted. The teacher can
make any accommodations that
are necessary for the student to be
successful during the conference.

3.Observation-Observation
is a powerful progress
monitoring assessment tool.
Observing students while
they practice a specific skill
allows teachers to see first-
hand what students know,
what they have learned, and
what they need to learn.
This type of assessment is
very valuable when
checking students’ progress
as they learn new concepts
and skills.
individual student, but it will give
insight as to what materials need
to be used for future lessons and
assignments. It can only be used
one-on-one for one student at a
time with the teacher.
Observational assessment is a
progress monitoring assessment.
The purpose is to allow teachers to
keep notes or record data on
students while they observe their
students. Teachers can organize
these notes or observation reports
on students to show their progress,
their individual needs, and how to
adjust pacing or to reteach the
concepts based on simply
observation. Observation can be
used in multiple ways by the
teacher to determine if all of the
students have mastered the
objectives being taught.
Observation is used throughout
every day as a type of formative
assessment in classrooms.
the year. This will serve as a
formative assessment, and a
valuable tool which can help
me to better plan for my
student’s individual needs.
Observing students first-hand
during the last school year was
a very valuable assessment
tool for me. For example, in
teaching math last year, it
allowed me quickly to
understand which students
grasped the math concepts and
new skills that I was teaching.
It allowed me to determine
very quickly which students
needed re-teaching. It was an
eye-opener in helping me with
the timing and pacing of my
lessons. In my first grade
classroom this year, I will be
using observation every day,
all day.
5
Observation being used as a form
of assessment is truly one of the
most valuable assessment tools
that teachers have at their
fingertips. It can be used for a
whole group or class, as well as,
for an individual student. It is
appropriate for any grade level,
any size class, and any type of
student. In working with students
with special needs, one can easily
see if the student’s needs or IEP
goals are being met. In working
with ELL students, the teacher
can use observation to determine if
students comprehend the subject
matter that you are trying to teach.

4.Journaling-Journaling
can be used as an effective
formative assessment to
determine student learning
and student perceptions of
learning activities and the
learning environment.
Students are usually given a
writing prompt and their
responses are written inside
of their individual journal
which is either a
composition or spiral bound
notebook. Journaling can
serve as a valuable tool for
teachers to be able to assess
what the students have
learned and internalized.
Journaling is a powerful
assessment tool that teachers can
use with all students. It can serve
as a daily writing activity which is
used in a very relaxed environment
in a non-threatening way. The
main purpose is for the student to
be able to write freely or draw
freely. Journaling is a formative
assessment and a reflection of
student learning. For the teacher,
journaling has multiple uses, it
serves as a great one-on-on
conversation with the students; it
allows the teacher to monitor
progress, discover student
interests, and also to reflect on
their teaching practices. Journaling
is used to support ongoing growth
and improvement.
6
Last year while working with a Journaling has great benefits for
fifth grade class, the lead all students in the classroom.
teacher would have the Journaling allows the special
students write in their journals needs student who has difficulty
as an opening activity each day with writing to be able to write
while she handled such duties: when spelling, punctuation, and
checking attendance, making a grammar do not count. They can
lunch count report, and getting express themselves freely without
ready for the day. It was feeling penalized. Journaling
routine for the fifth graders to helps ELL students to gain their
come in each day and get their confidence with writing and
journals and begin writing. monitor their own progress.
These journals were Gifted learners can use journaling
confidential; the lead teacher to express their creative ideas
told me that the students’ through their writing.
journaling allowed her to
develop a personal relationship
with each of her students. I
plan to use journals with my
first graders this school year as
they begin their language arts
daily schedule. Many of the
first graders will only be able
to draw pictures at the
beginning of the year in
response to the writing
prompts, but this journaling
will help me monitor their
progress throughout the school
year.

5.Role Playing- is a form of
assessment in which
students create a
performance. Role playing
can be used for students
individually, in small
groups, or for the whole
class to demonstrate their
understanding of a concept.
6.Portfolios- A student
portfolio is a systematic
collection of student work
and related material that
depicts a student's activities,
accomplishments, and
achievements in one or
more school subjects. The
Role playing is a strong formative
assessment strategy which can be
used multiple ways for students to
demonstrate specific decision-
making, refusal, and conflict-
resolution skills when given
sample scenarios that allow
students to grapple, in a safe
environment, with difficult
situations likely to happen during
their lifetimes (History-Social
Studies, n.d.) Role playing also
lowers the affective filter and is a
naturally more student centered
assessment strategy. In high school
theatre arts classes role playing
could be used as a summative
form of assessment, simply
because the role playing or
production at the end of the year
could be used as the final grade.
Portfolio assessments can be used
as an entry level, progress
monitoring, and even summative
assessment. Another multi-purpose
of portfolios is to provide a
process for structuring learning in
stages and opportunities for
students and teachers to discuss
I have always had a strong
understanding of the power of
role play in the classroom to
guide and aid instruction. I
come from a background of
theatre and have always
learned and gained a deeper
understanding of concepts
when seeing a visual
performance or enacting one.
In my first grade classroom,
role playing is a great way to
help students check for,
deepen, and revisit their new
knowledge all while
progressing with the
instruction. Role playing can
be used in any subject and
allows for small group, large
group, individual, and peer
interaction.
Portfolios can provide a visual
for growth and progress
throughout the year. Since
many samples of student work
can be used to fill portfolios
the examples vary. However
written assignments, self
assessments and check ins,
7
Role playing can be adapted in
many different ways to fit the
needs of all learners.
Special Needs Learners: If a
student has a behavior problem or
difficulty with social skills, role
playing can be used to create
positive behaviors or develop
appropriate social skills in a safe
environment (History-Social
Studies, n.d.)
Gifted Learners: Role playing
can be effectively used as an
assessment to help teachers to
informally assess gifted learners
and to determine their strengths
and weaknesses.
ELL Learners: Role playing
allows the ELL student to
demonstrate their understanding
and acquisition of knowledge and
skills even when their language is
limited.
Special Needs Learners: IDEA
states that teachers must conduct
classroom-based assessment that
connects assessment to instruction
and evaluation. Portfolio
assessment meets this IDEA
suggestion perfectly. Portfolios
provide a host of data upon which

collection should include
evidence of student
reflection and self-
evaluation, guidelines for
selecting the portfolio
contents, and criteria for
judging the quality of the
work (Scherba de
Valenzuela, 2002).
7.Self-Reflection- is an
individual student’s
reflection that can be used
as assessment information.
These assessments only
require a couple of
learning goals. Portfolios can be
used to monitor the progress
toward the learning goals in
structured and unstructured
conferences. Portfolios used as
assessment can guide instruction.
Any type of work that the student
produces can be placed in a
portfolio.
Self-reflections also known as
internal assessments are an
important type of summative
assessment (Module-Visual Arts,
n.d.). These are usually
administered at the end of a unit,
even artwork, multiple-choice
test, true-false tests, and end of
unit exams are all items that
can be used. In my first grade
classroom this year I have
prepared a writing assessment
that will casually be given to
my students on the first day as
an entry level assessment. I
will ask them to draw a self-
portrait and underneath their
picture write one thing that
they liked about their first day
of school. This will be placed
in their writing portfolio.
Throughout the school year
students will add more samples
to their writing portfolio.
Examples of self-reflection
assessments are self-written
critiques and discussion with
each student stating how they
are progressing, expression of
a number check in, checklists,
8
to base instructional decisions and
from which to evaluate student
progress. This particular benefit is
especially important when making
instructional decisions as it relates
to students’ IEP goals (Ezell &
Klein, 2003).
Gifted Learners- Portfolios can
be used to examine more
challenging work and to
individualize a plan of instruction
and set goals with the gifted
student or students.
ELL Learners: A portfolio
assessment can be used to examine
their growth and areas that need to
be focused on more. It can also
serve the learner to show them a
visual of their own progression
throughout the year which can be a
huge motivation to struggling ELL
learners to see what triumphs and
accomplishments that they have
made.
Teachers play a key role in helping
struggling learners develop the
self-regulatory processes, and in
creating the safe environment,
needed for honest and accurate
self-assessment. Students who are

questions, a written
journaling entry, or a steps
and can yield really useful
information about what
students are learning and
how that connects to our
overall program goals.
8.Learning Products are
anything a student can
create that demonstrates the
learning goal.
project, or new concept. However,
self-reflections can have multiple
purposes such as: progress
monitoring during a unit or
assignment that the student is
completing as a check in to see if
the student is accomplishing what
they need to complete on the
assignment, how it is going thus
far, and if the teacher needs to
steer them in the right direction at
any time.
Learning products are any creation
that creates a tangible item,
demonstrates knowledge and
serves a process-focused
assessment. This type of
assessment can have multiple
purposes. Learning products can
serve as completion at the end of a
chapter or unit as a summative
assessment. Learning products
9
rating scale, or peer question less proficient sometimes find it
and answers. (Module- Visual more difficult to accurately assess
Arts, n.d.) Last year during a their work However, special
series the school calls, learners have been shown to
“Teaching For Understanding” greatly benefit when they learn
a project based curriculum how to use input from self-
which was implemented and assessment (Brookhart & Lazarus,
included a series of discussions 2017).
held during the beginning,
middle, and end of the project
duration. Reflection sheets that
had three questions about their
progress asked students to rate
the time that they had spent
thus far on the project. The
students are told that the rubric
that is handed out at the
beginning of the project is a
good way to see where they
feel that they are by comparing
their work using the rubric.
I work in a project based Learning products are used with
learning school where we use all students. Assessments should
units throughout the year that be complex, open-ended, and a
serve teachers and students in meaningful learning experience
many ways. These projects (MS-History-SS, n.d.). Special
serve an instructional purpose, needs students can create learning
but they also can serve as a products that meet the goals of
formative or summative type their IEP. ELL students can use
of assessment. Examples of learning products that show their
projects could be creating a progress in language acquisition.

9.Checklists-A checklist is
a list of behaviors or content
area objectives. Checklists
can be used as a formative
assessment that is ongoing
to monitor progress towards
reaching specifically stated
goals. Teachers can use
checklists to focus on
specific behaviors, social
skills, math skills, writing
skills, phonemic awareness
skills, speaking skills, etc.
10
can also be used as a formative poster or handout, making a Gifted learners can produce
assessment to show student’s city out of Legos, creating a creative learning products which
mastery of concepts and skills. habitat for an animal; we have portray their gifted talents.
been researching, interviewing
peers, and learning to think-
pair-share. By using learning
products in my classroom this
year with my first grade
students, I will be able to
Checklists are very valuable During the last school year, I Checklists are very flexible
assessments to indicate if the was introduced to using documents that can be utilized for
student can accomplish the checklists by my lead teacher. all students. Checklists can be
objectives that are listed. It just She used them very effectively used for any type of student in the
shows if the objective has been to monitor individual student’s classroom; there is no need for any
completed or not completed; progress when correcting accommodations to be made if a
nothing about the quality of students with behavior teacher chooses to use a checklist
performance is included in a problems. I will be using as an informal assessment.
checklist. Checklists have many checklists in my first grade Checklists are very reliable and
valuable and multiple uses. classroom this year. In math, I easy to use. The teacher just needs
Checklists can be used with the will have a checklist of the to make sure that the checklist
whole class, with groups, or with basic math facts and concepts includes the specific behaviors or
individual students. Teachers can that first graders need to learn. learning targets that are being
use checklists to prepare for re- I will keep a checklist on each assessed for learning.
teaching objectives when individual student’s progress
necessary and to help guide in the throughout the school year.
pacing of lessons. Checklists are Also in reading, I will have a
easy to use; it is a quick way for checklist on all of the
teachers to check off what students phonemic awareness skills that
know and are able to perform. first graders need to learn on
Often times, checklists are given each individual student. This
to students to use in self- will enable me as a teacher to

10.Individual Whiteboards
Individual whiteboards are
used as a formative
assessment process which
gives the teacher immediate
feedback. Students write
their response with a dry
erase marker on their
whiteboard and hold up
their whiteboard showing
their response. This allows
the teacher to quickly
determine who is
understanding the concept
or skill and who needs
additional help.
monitoring and in peer-
assessment.
The purpose of individual
whiteboards is to hold every
student in the entire class
accountable for their work.
Individual whiteboards are a very
versatile multi-use tool in the
classroom. These whiteboards
actively involve the whole class in
the learning process. Individual
whiteboards serve as an immediate
feedback and assessment from
each student to the teacher. These
whiteboards can serve as an
assessment tool for any subject;
they can also be useful in
stimulating learning for students.
11
have documentation on each of
my student’s progress in their
math and phonics skills. Great
documentation for using in
parent conferences.
Last year I was able to observe Individual whiteboards can be
in a second grade classroom. utilized with any student in the
During one of my classroom setting. Special needs
observations, I saw the students, ELL students, and
students using individual gifted learners can use these
whiteboards to practice their individual whiteboards without
basic math facts. It was such a any special accommodations.
valuable assessment tool; it
allowed the teacher to monitor
the progress immediately.
This year in my first grade
classroom, I have already
purchased a set of whiteboards
for my first graders to use. I
will be using these individual
whiteboards for math skills,
phonics skills, handwriting,
and spelling. This will allow
me to alternate time between
direct instruction and allow
students to have time to use
their individual whiteboards.
ASSESSING STUDENT NEEDS 12

References

Brookhart, S. & Lazarus, S. (2017). Formative Assessment for Students with Disabilities.

Commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers State Collaboratives

on Assessing Special Education Students and Formative Assessment, Washington,

DC. Retrieved from

http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/Formative%20Assessment%20for%20Students

%20with%20Disabilities.pdf

Eby J., Herrell A. & Jordan M. (2011). Teaching in K-12 schools: A reflective action

approach. (5th ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Ezell, D., & Klein, C. (2003). Impact of Portfolio Assessment on Locus of Control of

Students with and without Disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental

Disabilities, 2003, 38(2), 220–228 © Division on Developmental Disabilities

http://daddcec.org/portals/0/cec/autism_disabilities/research/publications/educatio

n_training_development_disabilities/2003v38_journals/etdd_200306v38n2p220-

228_impact_portfolio_assessment_locus_control_students_with_without.pdf

Haager, D. & Windmueller, M. (2001). Early Reading Intervention for English Language

Learners At Risk for Learning Disabilities: Student Teacher Outcomes in an

Urban School. Learning Disability Quarterly, 24(4), 235-250.

Kaminski, R. & Cummings, K. (2007). Assessment for Learning: Using General

Outcome Measures. Threshold, Winter, 2007, 26-28. http://ci-

conline.org/threshold
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Venn,
v J. J. (2000). Assessing students with special needs (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River,
e
NJ: Merrill.
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