This course offers an introduction to the assessment and evaluation of children with special needs. It provides a theoretical and practical basis for evaluating and applying a range of tests and measurements available to special educators. The course focuses on the use of different approaches to assessing students with special educational needs for educational purposes/goals.

1. demonstrate understanding of assessment theories adapted for students with special educational needs;


2. identify the characteristics of a range of assessment practices for different purposes and needs;


3. critically evaluate assessment strategies from the perspective of a problem-solving educator following appropriate professional standards;


4. utilise authentic assessment strategies and reflect on their practices;


5. demonstrate understanding in the enactment of assessment strategies and interpretation of assessment evidence for making consequent educational decisions.

• Introduction to theories of assessment


• Distinction between Judgmental and Psychometric approaches to assessment


• Basic psychometric concepts: scales of measurement, description of distributions, types of scores, reliability, validity


• Fundamentals of constructing Assessment for Learning in terms of task design, achievement rubrics and feedback practice.


• Types of assessment with a focus on curriculum-based assessment


• Authenticity of assessment practices: an expanded understanding of validity


• Observational assessment practices


• Diversity considerations in assessment

• Plans, designs and adapts formative and summative assessment that are fit for purpose for different student profiles and contexts (e.g. for class, department and school levels, and as part of specific decision-making process) 


• Devises procedure (e.g. marking) for making valid, reliable, and fair judgements about students’ learning based on knowledge of different student profiles and contexts 

Understanding and communicating purposes and criteria of assessment 

• Understands the unit’s, department’s and/or school’s assessment plan 


• Communicates the purposes and criteria of assessment to students, parents, colleagues and other stakeholders 


• Adapts strategies in co-constructing assessment criteria with students of different profiles 

Involving the learner in assessment 

• Adapts feedback for different student profiles and contexts, and motivates them to act on the feedback to close learning gaps and improve their learning 


• Creates a classroom culture that involves students in assessment, provides them with opportunities to self-assess and think about their learning, and ensures that these are adapted for different student profiles and contexts

• Uses assessment information to reflect on teaching practices, make decisions about student learning, close students’ learning gaps and adapt curriculum plans for different student profiles and contexts to improve teaching and learning