In class this week, we discussed assessments, and the challenge of selecting and creating appropriate assessments that are fair and meet the needs of all students. Assessments are always a "hot topic" in education, especially because of legislative demands that every single student receive state assessments or alternative assessments to demonstrate progress. We discussed the challenges of assessments for students with special education, and that adaptations that we make for these students. One issue that I find very frustrating is that if we, as educators, believe that every single student learns in a unique  way, how is it responsible and reflective of their actual learning for us to assess their knowledge through a single assessment? 


As a volunteer at a classroom for students with multiple disabilities and health impairments, I have watched a teacher design a different "alternative assessment" for each of her six students that are tailored to their needs and abilities, thus and accurately assess their learning. Clearly, it is impractical for a school district with hundreds of students to have hundreds of personal assessments, and to ask a teacher to individualize assessments for her class of 30 students, but perhaps their is a "happy medium"  that is possible? Could we create a state assessment that could come in multiple versions that can be accessed through various modalities, and allow teachers to give students the tests that play to their strengths and thus accurately reveal what they have learned? 


While teachers always complain about having to "teach to the test", I personally feel that the requirement to assess every student a tremendous benefit to the world of special education, because it holds special education teachers accountable, and requires them to adapt the curriculum and teach the grade-level curriculum to their student, rather than just preparing special education students to work in sheltered work shops. I think it benefits all students to access the curriculum for their grade in some adapted manner, and for their teachers to be held to a high standard. National and state assessments hold special education teachers to a high standard, and while clearly their are tremendous problems with teaching to the test and with state assessments, I believe they have a benefit, too.