Assessment Referrals - Essay Example

ASSESSMENT REFERRALS Assessment Referrals Word Count: 276 page) What considerations must be made before making a referral for additional assessment in determining whether a student has a communication disorder or not? What are two strengths of observational assessment? What are the limitations? As a teacher, would you prefer to use a checklist for assessment or an anecdotal record? Why? Support the claims with evidence from the text. Assessment is a crucial centerpiece of any teacher’s toolbox.

According to Otto (2010), assessing students continually is paramount to students’ success (pp. 36). Especially important, however, is the element of communication. According to Deiner (2003), “Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between two or more individuals” (pp. 273). Before making a referral for additional assessment in determining whether or not a student has a communication disorder, thorough amounts of interventions should be completed—as well as copious note-taking and recording evidence of a student’s behavior.

Two strengths of observational assessment are: 1) that a teacher can physically see with his or her own eyes what problem or problems the student is dealing with; and then 2) record these observations for further discussion at some point in the future. The limitations of observational assessment are that: 1) there is no feedback provided by the student unless verbal or written; and 2) there is no way to know, short of asking, what the student’s viewpoint is during the assessment. Anectdotal records would be preferable to keep records—and then later on, the school psychologist might be able to take such notes and go down a checklist of his or her own about what these behaviors together might mean.

According to Boyles and Contadino (1998), “Poor communication skills can interfere with every aspect of the childs life. Learners with communication disorders quickly fall behind in school. Vocabularies dwindle, memories fail, and problem solving becomes difficult” (pp. 158). Therefore, if the diagnosing individual can pinpoint what the student is having difficulty with, that might make the student be able to more effectively handle his or her schoolwork. REFERENCESBoyles, N.S. & Contadino, D. (1998). The learning differences sourcebook.

US: McGraw-Hill Professional.Deiner, P.L. (2009). Inclusive early childhood education: development, resources, and practice. US: Wadsworth.Otto, B. (2010). Language development in early childhood, 3rd ed. NJ: Merrill.