EDUT 612: Sec 5U2
Development and Assessment of Diverse Learners (K-3)
Fall 2001
Instructor: Bridget Weisel,
M.Ed.
Office Hours: After class or by appointment
Place:
Robinson
A349
Phone:
703-838-2952
Time:
9:00am-4:00pm
E-Mail:
bridgetweisel@aol.com
Dates: Aug. 29;
Sept. 12,
26
Credits: 3
Oct. 4; Nov. 28; Dec. 5, 12
Anderson, W., Chitwood, S., & Hayden, D. (1997). Negotiating the
special education maze: A guide for parents and teachers. Bethesda, MD:
Woodbine House.
Gardner, H., (1991). The
Unschooled Mind: How Children Think
& How Schools Should Teach. New
York, NY: Basic Books.
Harry, B. (1992). Cultural
Diversity, Families, and the Special Education System: Communication and
Empowerment. New York: Teachers College Press.
O’Malley, J.M. & Pierce, L/V. (1996). Authentic assessment for
English language learners: A practical approach for teachers.
Addison-Wesley.
Ovando, C.J. & Collier, V.P. (1998).
Bilingual and ESL classrooms: Teaching in multicultural contexts.
Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Trawick-Smith,
J. (2000). Early childhood
development: A multicultural perspective.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Course Purpose:
This course is offered as one of the strands in the
Unified Transformative Early Education Model (UTEEM), a teacher-training model
providing an integrated approach to preparing teachers to work with culturally,
linguistically, and ability diverse young children and their families.
Teachers are prepared to work with children with diverse learning needs
in a variety of inclusive classroom settings.
This strand is offered in conjunction with three other courses and linked
to a full-time field placement with diverse children.
Students participating in this course are enrolled full time in the UTEEM
program.
Course Description:
This course provides students with an understanding
of the forms, functions, methods, and roles of assessment for planning and
implementing effective early childhood programs for children from diverse
cultures and with varied learning needs. The
students will learn to use both quantitative and qualitative approaches to
evaluation and assessment. Students
will gain an understanding of appropriate strategies for conducting, reporting,
and decision making related to specific functions of assessment in relationship
to children’s developmental needs. They
will learn about assessment strategies necessary for second language learners
and about adaptations for children with specific disabilities.
They will use selected assessment strategies with children in their field
placements and are expected to become competent in the use of authentic
assessment strategies to plan and evaluate instruction.
Course Objectives:
At the completion this course, students will:
1.
Describe legal mandates and their implications for diverse learners.
2.
Demonstrate knowledge of the various forms and functions of assessment
used with diverse school-age
children.
3.
Demonstrate the ability to use assessment information to develop IEPs and
to plan for instruction.
4.
Demonstrate the ability to develop an ongoing assessment plan to document
child progress and to
adjust instruction.
relevance and to reduce language bias.
7.
Report assessment results in a manner that is relevant for family members
and other educators.
Course Requirements:
Students will be expected to:
2.
Conduct practice assessments as assigned, develop a written report, and
complete a self-evaluation on the
assessment
process.
Grading:
Grades will be determined by the following criteria:
Points
distributed as follows:
a) Attending all classes (on time) unless prior arrangements have been made
with instructor
c) Participating in whole class discussions and activities on a regular basis
d) Participating in small group discussions and activities on a regular basis
e) Maintaining reflective journals
2 Points
f) Completing collection of assessment, reflection, and
link to readings:
September 12
2 Points
September
26
2 Points
October 4
2 Points
November
28
2 Points
10 Points
Process
at your school report
5%
Group Project Assessment Plan (Intersession)
15%
Connections (4)
45%
Portfolio & IEP
25%
Date
Topic
Reading
Aug. 29
Syllabus Review; Beginning of Year Assessment;
Anderson et al., Ch.1, 2, 3, 6, 10
Portfolio
Assessment; Legal Mandates;
O’Malley & Pierce, Ch. 1, 2, 3
Referral Process; Writing an IEP;
Harry, Ch. 1, 3, 4
Teaching with an IEP;
Cultural Influences
Ovando & Collier, Ch. 1
Guest Speaker:
Connie Sullivan
Sept.
12
Assessing Oral Language, Math, and Social Skills;
O’Malley & Pierce, Ch. 4, 7
(Wed.)
Assessing Children’s Progress Using
Ovando & Collier, Ch. 6, 7, 8
Cultural Influences; History and Theories of
Child Development
Guest
Speaker: Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce
Due: Process at your school report
Sept.
26
AM: Meet in pairs; class meets at noon
O’Malley & Pierce, Ch. 5, 6, 8
(Wed.)
Assessing Reading and Writing;
Gardner, Ch. 1, 11
Interpreting Rubric Assessments; Sharing
Trawick-Smith, Ch. 15, 16
Examples of Assessment Tools; Cognitive,
Language, and Literacy Development;
Learning Styles
Due:
Connection #1
(Due: Draft of Intersession Assessment Forms)
Oct.
4
Running Records;
Physical and Social/Emotional
Article: Thorp (1997)
(Thurs.)
Development; Learning Styles; Family,
Trawick-Smith, Ch.14, 17, 18
Cultural, & School Influences on Children’s
Harry, Ch. 2
Development and Learning
Ovando & Collier, Ch. 3, 4, 5
Guest
Speaker: Nanci Kurtz
Due: Connection #2
Oct. 8-19 Intersession
Oct. 24-Nov. 21 Full-time Internship
Nov.
28
Off-site visit to Bailey’s Elementary with
Harry, Ch. 10, Epilogue
Assessment and Learning With Families
Gardner, Ch. 13
In the Community;
Article:
Harry et al. (1993)
Reflections and Connections of Intersession;
Review of Portfolio Process;
Review Connections for Portfolio;
Due:
Connections #3 & #4
Dec.
12 & 13
Family Stories Presentations
Developed in Curriculum
(Wed.&
Thurs.)
1. Assessment Process At Your School Report Due September 12 5 points
Identify the established procedures at your site for referring children for
special education services. Talk with school personnel to determine the informal and
formal procedures used to assist children who are in need of
additional support services, including those with special needs as well as
English as Second Language Learners.
In your report, provide information regarding with whom you spoke,
existing written procedures, and
personal experiences of staff and
families.
2. Assessments For Intersession Project Due October 4 15 points
Each group must develop a plan for assessing the children’s
understanding of the concepts you will present during your intersession project.
This should be based on a rubric/checklist.
This information will be shared with each child’s homeroom teacher and
family, so the assessment format must be easy to understand and provide details
about concepts targeted for learning. This
form should be developed as part of your planning process so that there is a
clear link between what you are teaching and your objectives for the
children’s learning.
3. Connections
Develop
an assessment portfolio for a child in your placement site.
Select a child with a special learning need
1. Oral Language
Due September 26
5 points
Reflect
on the assessment assignment from the Language and Literacy Course and provide a
brief summary of how that information and the information that you have gathered
on the child’s oral language development will contribute to your overall
understanding of the child. Attach
a copy of the assignment you submitted for the Language and Literacy Course.
2. Math Comprehension Due October 4 5 points
In
connection with assignments from your Math Course, reflect on your assessment of
the child’s math skills and provide a brief summary of how this information
will contribute to your overall understanding of the child. Attach a copy of the
assignment you submitted for the Math Course.
3. Social Studies Due November 28 15 points
Observe the child’s social functioning in relation to his or her peers in several different settings. Identify various strategies the child uses when interacting with peers and/or adults. In addition, conduct conversations and interviews with the child and/or his/her family to learn about the child’s home-culture. From these observations and conversations, discuss how you perceive the child’s cultural influences of family and community life, gender roles, and ethnicity may affect his/her understanding of the content of social studies learned in school. Describe actions and outcomes of the child that portray his/her learning in social studies. Comment on the child’s ability to appropriately monitor and adapt his/her behavior to various situations including independent work, small group, and whole group activities and assignments.
4. Creative Arts/Learning Styles/Cultural Influence Due November 28 20 points
Identify the potential impact of the child’s culture on his or her performance in school. Identify the child’s home-culture by talking with the child and/or the family. Consider questions and judgments you may have before conducting the interview. In addition, observe the child in the various specials offered at your site. Describe the child’s interest and involvement in the various specials and how the child’s actions compare to what you have learned about the child’s interests and experiences at home. Using the information that you have gathered in your interview and observations, discuss what you see to be the child’s learning style. Comment on how the child’s home-culture may or may not influence this style, and how you, as a teacher, can teach to support the child’s learning style. Provide insight, based on your class readings, regarding the potential bias this child may face due to his or her cultural background. Further, discuss why and how various learning styles should be met. Observe and comment on your understanding of this child’s experience in school and possible assumptions made about his or her behavior and potential for learning.