Lesson 3: Assessment
Assessment is the starting point of a child’s education. Awareness of key principles involved in assessment will help you support families in understanding the importance of a high-quality assessment and how it informs decisions made about their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.
Knowledge and Skills Addressed
- Basic awareness of the role assessment plays in educational decision making
Learning Activities
Readings
Authentic Assessment (4 pages) provides an overview of how to assess children who are deafblind in order to accurately identify their abilities and needs.
HomeTalk is an assessment tool that families can use to help them participate in planning their child’s educational program.
Assignment
Families know their children best, so helping a family identify and articulate the strengths and needs of their child is an important skill for a family engagement coordinator. For this assignment, watch this 28-minute video of Dr. Jan van Dijk discussing the importance of child-guided assessment. Write a summary of three key takeaways that may inform a family's thinking about assessment.