Special Education Achievement Test Assessment

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Assessment Type

Developed in the early 20th century, the Stanford-Binet is one of the most commonly used formal assessments measuring cognitive functioning. While it is a general assessment test instrument, the Stanford-Binet is commonly used as a means by which to screen children for exceptionalities in specific types of cognitive functioning. The specific types of cognitive functioning the Stanford-Binet test measures include memory, cognitive, processing, and general intelligence (“When Is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale Not Valid?,” n.d.). Because the Stanford-Binet test measures general cognitive functioning along certain core parameters, it may not be the most reliable means by which to evaluate the potential for specific learning, intellectual, or developmental disabilities. Nevertheless, the Stanford-Binet is among the most reputable and valid assessment tests of cognitive functioning used in education and psychology. In fact, the Stanford-Binet measures cognitive functioning in various categories including verbal and non-verbal communication, which also allows the instrument to be used as an initial means of formally assessing students (“When Is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale Not Valid?,” n.d.). The Stanford-Binet can be used as an aptitude test, too, and has also been efficacious in use for identifying learning disabilities or giftedness to help with individualized education planning (“When Is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale Not Valid?,” n.d.).

Grade Level

The grade level observed was the fourth grade, a class size of 45 children at a suburban elementary school.

Disability Category

The classroom was a blended general education classroom in which the special education instructor cooperatively taught with the general education teacher. Disability categories that were represented in the student body in the classroom included physical disabilities (including two students with motor dysfunction and one with hearing impairments), developmental disabilities as yet unspecified, and some students who through Response to Intervention had been flagged for possible intellectual or learning disabilities. Therefore, the Stanford-Binet test was administered to a diverse classroom to students who had already been diagnosed with specific disabilities and those who had not.

Service Delivery Model

As per the typical standards for administering the Stanford-Binet test, the special education teacher had acknowledged that it would take more than two hours. However, some students were given pared-down versions of the Stanford-Binet because they had already taken the test and had not exhibited any special needs. Several students had been set aside for the administration of sub-tests. Those sub-tests included the quantitative processing module, pattern analysis, and vocabulary portion of the Stanford-Binet cluster. The special education instructor selected these sub-tests based on the preliminary assessments—the informal assessments—completed by the general education teachers.

Evaluation of Location

The location for the administration of the Stanford-Binet test was an ordinary classroom in the suburban elementary school.

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There was nothing out of the ordinary in the location; there were no distractions either in terms of light or sound, and none of the students seemed to be uncomfortable. Windows provided some natural lighting, but the room used fluorescent lights. Posters and student drawings adorned the wall.

Teacher Reactions

The special education teacher and the general education teacher administered the Stanford-Binet test together, each taking turns talking to the students. Both teachers seemed to take their roles seriously, and because both had more than five years of experience administering the…

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…students but should not be the only test used.

It is also important to use standardized assessments like the Stanford-Binet with Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI). RTI methods are also grounded in federal law and are applicable in situations like these in which general education teachers recognize the ways different students react to the test taking environment (Kame’enui, 2007). Because RTI is also an evidence-based practice, it can and should become more actively incorporated into special education pedagogy. As Zirkel (2007) also points out, general education teachers can use RTI in order to become more aware of the gamut of presenting symptoms that may indicate the presence of a cluster of disabilities including intellectual, developmental, and psychological issues—as well as physical issues that impact a student’s ability to learn or function in the classroom. The gap between aptitude and achievement should also be noted through the RTI process, and via the interpretation of the results of standardized tests like the Stanford-Binet. When a student has multiple types of disabilities, it may be difficult for the general education teacher to understand how to best approach the situation, which is why the special education teacher provides support and assistance.

The complexity of issues in special education warrants a great deal of compassion for special education teachers. As valid and reliable as standardized and formal assessments are, students need to be appreciated from a holistic standpoint, never reduced to the results of any one instrument. Ongoing assessments and observations allow all teachers, counselors, and caregivers to contribute information regarding observations of the child’s performance and changes in behavioral responses to interventions. As the child progresses through….....

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