Final Growth Statement

Haidee Garcia
EDUG 787
Professor Sheehan
December 16, 2014

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A major component in ensuring that all students are receiving equal and appropriate education
as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is for teachers to acquire performance data, by
gathering an assortment of information from running records, observations and formal or informal
assessments, for the purpose of making decisions. As a special education teacher it is my responsibility
to initially evaluate students to determine what changes and accommodations will effectively help the
student achieve academic success.
In designing instruction and curriculum, administering an assessment is an effective approach in
determining a students strength and weakness. Therefore, it is fundamental to comprehend the process
and what form of assessment to use on students. The course EDUG 787 Psycho-Educational
Assessment for the At Risk and Disabled Student allowed me the opportunity to experience what it is
like to administered a test. It provided me with an understating of the connection that exists among
testing and educational instruction. I learned about the different types of testing used by educators,
such as criterion and norm referenced tests. Which measure a student command on content, what they
know and how much they know respectively. Most importantly I was able to practice administering and
scoring a norm referenced test, which was the WIAT-II and apply all of our knowledge by meeting
individually with an elementary school student once a week.
The key to administering a test successfully is to acquire a keen awareness of the factors that
can ultimately affect the results. Factors such as the environment, the relationship you establish with
the student, the emotional and behavior state of the examined and examiner, as well as, the knowledge,
competence and fairness distributed by the evaluator. Understanding how to administer a test by
carefully reducing these factors will help to properly acquire the results to effectively plan and
differentiate the lessons to fit the needs of the students.
Administering the test marks only the beginning in making decisions about the services a

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student may need. Understanding what the purpose of response to intervention and how it was
developed to minimize the number of students labeled as requiring a referral to an IEP has been
beneficial to me. I learned how prior to referring a student to a special education evaluation, there are
several steps to ensure that I have applied all of the strategies and that I documented and gather data to
support the findings. Having the knowledge of RTI had helped me because it serves as an outline of
how to properly approach a student who may or may not need additional services.
For this course I assessed a 10 year old boy with the Fountas and Pinelle Running record and
The Weschler Individual Achievement Test- Third Edition (WIAT-III). As part of the process I began
by observing the student in the classroom, paying close attention to his emotional, social and academic
behavior. I focused on observing how he carried on with his assignments and how he interacted with
his classmates. I proceeded to establish a relationship with the student by assisting him in the classroom
and by giving him an interest inventory to see what he likes, such as his favorite food, show, or
activities.
In administering these tests I was not only able to learn how to give and score the test but I also
learned a lot about myself as an educator. As I reflect on the journey of this process, I realized that I
have come a long way. I began the process with a sense of trepidation as I have never been in
classroom, let alone interact with young students. I questioned my ability to show competence and
knowledge and I feared I would erroneously skew the score by administering it incorrectly. I realized
that my fears in testing stemmed from the fear of doing something new. It is because of this that I
realize how important it is to understand the assessment process. I believed this course has prepared me
as an educator to fully exercise my knowledge into administering tests for my future students and to
effectively address and implement modifications to fit the needs of all students.