Discussion Groups: Assessment

This conference will explore ideas regarding how assessments have been done during Covid and any advantages and/or disadvantages of those changes and the expected challenges involved with special education assessments as students return to full-time in-person schooling.  In addition, we will discuss the importance of schools implementing a universal screening process at the start of the year to obtain baseline data for each grade to develop appropriate expectations regarding what a student in that grade should be able to do (academically, socially, emotionally, etc.). Finally, time allowing, we will touch on the impact of student engagement during remote learning, student success with remote learning, what language is primarily spoken in a student’s household, and the impact of traumatic experiences on a student’s performance and test results post-covid. 

Safe Schools NOLA

Presenter Ms. Laura Danna recommeded the Trauma-Informed Schools Organizational Readiness Assessment, by Safe Schools NOLA. 

The Trauma-Informed Schools Organizational Readiness Assessment consists of 16 items across three domains: general capacity of the school to implement trauma-informed schools, specific capacity of the school to carry out trauma-informed approaches, and overall level of motivation for implementation. The tool is intended to be completed by the school team that will eventually become the trauma-informed schools steering committee, which typically consists of administrators, teachers, school mental health professionals, key staff, and organizational champions. Involving caregivers, older students, district-level partners, community partners, and members of the broader community may also be helpful, depending on the structure and function of the school’s committees.