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Introduction |
Lesson 2 |
Lesson 1:
Purposes of Data Collection and Behavior Observation
Data collection and behavior observation are important activities in the
special education classroom. One of the ways in which special education programs provide
more intensive services to students with learning difficulties is by more
carefully monitoring and adjusting the learning/teaching process. The
paraeducator can play an important role in gathering and organizing information about student progress.
This information is particularly important when the paraeducator is providing
all or part of the instruction during a tutoring or small group format. The
systematic collection of data allows the teacher to continue to make
instructional decisions without being physically present during the learning
activity.
Data collection and systematic behavior observation provide an objective
basis for making decisions and documenting student behaviors and performance.
It can make teacher judgment more accurate and reliable. When carried out
systematically, it also provides more frequent
information on student progress.
Supporting Classroom Instruction
Teachers gather information about student performance in order to determine where
to begin instruction, in order to determine which instructional approaches might
be the most effective, and to assess student mastery of skills. This information
is most helpful when it is collected as early as possible. This avoids students
making repeated errors and missing vital basic information or skills. It allows
the teacher to employ additional resources or to fine-tune educational strategies for students. To
maximize the benefits to students it is important to find out what is working
and what is not working as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Data on student performance can also give the teacher clues about how to adjust
the classroom environment. This may include deciding on grouping strategies,
adjusting the number and type of practice activities, changing locations in the
room and a variety of other variables in the classroom. When student progress
is monitored the effect of these changes is easier to determine.
For example when a student with a learning difficulty is participating in a
regular classroom activity, the special education teacher may ask the
paraeducator to observe and record the amount of time that the student spends
on assigned tasks. This may lead to recommendations or changes in the way
assignments or procedures are adjusted in the classroom. After the changes
have been made, an observation can be used to determine if the amount of time the
student spends working on the assigned tasks increases. This allows the
special education teacher and the paraeducator to provide support to the
regular classroom teacher.
Providing Feedback and Reinforcement to Students
Data on student performance is also critical to providing information
to students themselves. This information may be gathered from scoring practice
activities and worksheets but also may involve observation of behavior or
performance by the teacher or paraeducator. These alternatives allow a greater
range of immediate feedback and provide additional opportunities to identify
areas in which students are successful. Observation techniques may sometimes
provide a more accurate reflection of what a student has learned than more
traditional methods.
As an example, the teacher has developed a plan to encourage a student to
remain in their seat during silent reading time. A part of the plan is a
daily discussion with the student about their improvement in in-seat time.
The teacher asks the paraeducator to observe the student during silent reading
and record the amount of time that the student is out of their seat. The
paraeducator creates a chart which displays the percentage of time the
student is in their seat for each day of the week. During a daily
conference the teacher shares the chart with the student and puts a copy in
their folder.
This procedure provides a record of the student's progress which can be used by
the teacher and also can be used to share and reward successes with the
student.
Summarizing and Reporting Student Progress
Data collection and behavior observation is also an important part of reporting
student progress. In the previous example of charting in-seat behavior, the
teacher could use information collected by the paraeducator to keep the
student's parents informed of their progress and classroom behavior. Charts
and data summaries can become important elements of a students portfolio.
Supporting Diagnosis and Verification of Disabilities
Collection of data regarding a student's performance is an important part of
the process of verifying a student's eligibility for special education
programs. The eligibility requirements which the Multidisciplinary Evaluation
Team must use are discussed in Unit 8. One criteria
was that a student's observed performance in the classroom must
be consistent with test results. Information about a student's actual
performance in the classroom is important because it provides information about
how a child performs in a real classroom situation with real teachers,
curriculum and materials. It helps to substantiate that a problem exists. The
observation process is also used to collect information about the classroom and
the performance of the students peers so that the MDT can make judgments about
the classroom and learning environment of the student. With some disabilities,
information about the frequency and seriousness of behavior problems may be one
of the primary criteria used to determine whether they are identified as having a
disability.
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Project PARA
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Lincoln, NE 68583-0738
(402) 472-8737
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