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Chapter 5 Intructional Approach Part 1

The Importance of an Instructional Strategy Regarding Assessment Withi...
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Education

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The Importance of an Instructional Strategy Regarding Assessment Within the Context of Inclusive Education

Assessments for children with disabilities have recently received additional focus in the Republic of Armenia. This is part of a multi-tiered reform that is intended to make assessments more relevant and useful to educators working in inclusive schools and preschools, as well as in regular classrooms. A brand new scoring method has been designed and is in the process of being rolled out across the country of Armenia in its various provinces. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth (ICF–CY; WHO, 2007) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Armenia adopted in 2010, have been the driving forces behind the reform. Prior to 2013, the evaluation of children with impairments was conducted according to a conventional medical model, and diagnosis was accomplished by the application of a categorical approach. The Medical-Psychological-Pedagogical Assessment Centre (MPPC), which is now known as the Pedagogical-Psychological Support Centre (PPC) in Yerevan, was in charge of the assessment procedure, which led to the classification of children with disabilities into the following categories: speech impairments, hearing impairments, sight impairments, mental underdevelopment, impairments of movement system, psychological development problems, and behavior and emotional impairments (Castro & Palikara, 2017; Hunt, 2009).

This diagnostic method to assessment did not provide significant assistance to teachers in mainstream and inclusive classrooms in the process of developing meaningful individualized learning plans (ILPs) with the relevant instructional adjustments and modifications. The diagnostic labels and condition descriptions did not provide any guidelines or suggestions to teachers for adapting learning environments and adopting alternative instructional approaches based on the children's specific needs. This was because the diagnostic labels and condition descriptions were created by medical professionals. In addition to this, the evaluations were carried out in the MPPC, and the teachers were not involved in the evaluation process in any way.

In 2013, UNICEF formed a collaborative collaboration between international consultants and the local team of experts from the PPC in order to solve the flaws that were present in the procedure that was being used for the assessment at the time. The consultants came from the Porto Polytechnic Institute in Portugal, and their areas of expertise included the evaluation of special education policies, the examination of inclusive education principles and practices, and the utilization of the ICF–CY. The Armenian PPC specialists had educational credentials in psychology as well as social work. Representatives from other important organizations in the fields of education and inclusion in Armenia, such as Bridge of Hope, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Pedagogical and Yerevan State Universities, and the National Institute of Education, were all involved in the collaborative effort (Sanches-Ferreira et al., n.). In 2013 and 2014, as part of the effort to revise and improve the assessment system for children in Armenia who have disabilities, a switch was made to a biopsychological model. This was accomplished by aligning assessment tools and methodology with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF–CY). In 2014, it was decided to make several changes to the Law on General Education, and those changes were approved. The purpose of this law is to bring the education system in the Republic of Armenia in line with the standards of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as well as to "provide inclusive and equitable quality education and encourage lifelong learning opportunities for all." After the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was signed, a plan of action was prepared to meet the primary requirement of making the education system inclusive by the year 2025. This process is currently underway and includes, amongst other components, the reform of special schools into psychological-pedagogical support centers (PPCs), training of teachers and school administrators to introduce IE principles into their practice, as well as establishing regional PPCs with multidisciplinary teams to conduct special needs assessments and supporting teachers in the development of individualized learning programs (ILPs) and resources for specialist support to children with disabilities. In addition, this process includes training of teachers and school administrators to introduce IE principles into their practice (A. Poghosyan, personal communication, 17 October 2017). One of the primary overarching goals of the reform has been to shift the focus of all activities, including evaluations, more toward the interests of the children.

A Brand-New Evaluation Method with Three Stages

The newly implemented grading scheme in Armenia consists of three stages:

  1. Teachers in schools are responsible for administering Level 1. The members of a multidisciplinary team that is present at the school and that consists of experts such as a psychologist, speech therapist, and special educator are able to provide assistance to the teacher as well. Teachers make use of observations, and when the data from an assessment have been analyzed, a review is carried out with the kid, the parent, and any other relevant professionals. It is advised that the Functional Assessment Measure (FAM; Wright, 2000), which is based on the ICF with a focus on rehabilitation, be used as a tool to assess the child's functioning during the observations and reviews. This measure was created by Wright. The FAM is used to describe the actions of the child, either independently or in conjunction with another person, across a variety of domains of activity. At this level, the different sorts of learning problems that occur within the context of the classroom are determined. At Level 1, the focus is often on a kid who has just mild difficulties with learning and conduct. As a result of the Level 1 assessment, teachers design an intervention plan with the support of a multidisciplinary team, whenever one is available. The plan to mediate the problem consists of a development strategy, short-term measures, responsibilities, and time periods for implementing such steps.

  2. If the issue at hand is more complex, and the kid in question has more significant educational requirements, the child's support plan will be directed by a Level 2 evaluation that will be carried out by the regional psychological-pedagogical support center (PPC). Based on the Individualized Caregiver Support Framework (ICF), the center's multidisciplinary team, in collaboration with the teaching staff, conducts an exhaustive evaluation of the child's development from the medical, social-psychological, and pedagogical points of view. This all-encompassing evaluation may include a plethora of different assessment instruments, such as a questionnaire regarding the health history of the child, a questionnaire regarding the social history of the child and the family, a "everything about me" questionnaire, and a diagnostic package for evaluating the student's mental development. These questionnaires can be found in this comprehensive evaluation (Papoyan, Galstyan, & Bejanyan, 2009). This includes the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) by Schopler and Reichler (1971, 1980), the Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment (TPBA) by Linder (1993), the Child Occupational Self- Assessment (COSA) by Kramer et al. (2014), the School Function Assessment (SFA) by Coster et al. (1998), the Support Intensity Scale (SIS) by Thompson (2004), the Child and Family Follow-up Survey (CFFS) by (Wehmeyer, 1995). The Medical-Psychological-Pedagogical Assessment Center, which is now known as the Republic Assessment Center, as well as experts from Yerevan State University and as part of a collaboration between Porto University in Portugal and UNICEF Armenia, have adopted and localized all of the tools that are discussed in this chapter.

At this level, participation in the evaluation by the parent is required in order to pass. The findings of the assessment are connected to the education standards by multidisciplinary teams, and the instructor is involved in discussions regarding the suggested new method. In most cases, the intervention that has been proposed will be carried out by the specialists. The student is typically identified as having a handicap and their level of function is evaluated as part of the evaluation that is performed at this level. It is the responsibility of the multidisciplinary team to establish an individual learning plan (ILP) for the student; however, the assessment center is not responsible for monitoring the quality of inclusive education. Training for the newly established regional assessment centers is currently taking place around the country on a regional basis. It is the mission of the center to provide training for multidisciplinary teams as well as teachers in schools.

  1. The Republic Evaluation Center in Yerevan, which is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the several regional PPCs, is the organization that carries out the Level 3 assessment. It administers evaluations to kids who have more severe disabilities, as well as those whose situations are controversial or more challenging. The evaluation procedure and instruments are exactly the same as those used at the regional assessment centers. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Republic Assessment Center to design general assessment procedures and policies, in addition to conducting trainings for the PPCs.

This new method of evaluation has already been put into place in the regions of Syunik (2016), Tavush (2017),

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Chapter 5 Intructional Approach Part 1

Course: Education

999+ Documents
Students shared 9665 documents in this course

University: Bohol Island State University

Was this document helpful?
The Importance of an Instructional Strategy Regarding Assessment Within the Context of Inclusive Education
Assessments for children with disabilities have recently received additional focus in the Republic of Armenia.
This is part of a multi-tiered reform that is intended to make assessments more relevant and useful to educators
working in inclusive schools and preschools, as well as in regular classrooms. A brand new scoring method has
been designed and is in the process of being rolled out across the country of Armenia in its various provinces.
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth (ICF–CY; WHO,
2007) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Armenia
adopted in 2010, have been the driving forces behind the reform. Prior to 2013, the evaluation of children with
impairments was conducted according to a conventional medical model, and diagnosis was accomplished by the
application of a categorical approach. The Medical-Psychological-Pedagogical Assessment Centre (MPPC),
which is now known as the Pedagogical-Psychological Support Centre (PPC) in Yerevan, was in charge of the
assessment procedure, which led to the classification of children with disabilities into the following categories:
speech impairments, hearing impairments, sight impairments, mental underdevelopment, impairments of
movement system, psychological development problems, and behavior and emotional impairments (Castro &
Palikara, 2017; Hunt, 2009).
This diagnostic method to assessment did not provide significant assistance to teachers in mainstream and
inclusive classrooms in the process of developing meaningful individualized learning plans (ILPs) with the
relevant instructional adjustments and modifications. The diagnostic labels and condition descriptions did not
provide any guidelines or suggestions to teachers for adapting learning environments and adopting alternative
instructional approaches based on the children's specific needs. This was because the diagnostic labels and
condition descriptions were created by medical professionals. In addition to this, the evaluations were carried
out in the MPPC, and the teachers were not involved in the evaluation process in any way.
In 2013, UNICEF formed a collaborative collaboration between international consultants and the local team of
experts from the PPC in order to solve the flaws that were present in the procedure that was being used for the
assessment at the time. The consultants came from the Porto Polytechnic Institute in Portugal, and their areas of
expertise included the evaluation of special education policies, the examination of inclusive education principles
and practices, and the utilization of the ICF–CY. The Armenian PPC specialists had educational credentials in
psychology as well as social work. Representatives from other important organizations in the fields of education
and inclusion in Armenia, such as Bridge of Hope, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Pedagogical and
Yerevan State Universities, and the National Institute of Education, were all involved in the collaborative effort
(Sanches-Ferreira et al., n.d.). In 2013 and 2014, as part of the effort to revise and improve the assessment
system for children in Armenia who have disabilities, a switch was made to a biopsychological model. This was
accomplished by aligning assessment tools and methodology with the International Classification of
Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF–CY). In 2014, it was decided to make several changes to the Law on
General Education, and those changes were approved. The purpose of this law is to bring the education system
in the Republic of Armenia in line with the standards of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD), as well as to "provide inclusive and equitable quality education and encourage lifelong
learning opportunities for all." After the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was
signed, a plan of action was prepared to meet the primary requirement of making the education system inclusive
by the year 2025. This process is currently underway and includes, amongst other components, the reform of
special schools into psychological-pedagogical support centers (PPCs), training of teachers and school
administrators to introduce IE principles into their practice, as well as establishing regional PPCs with
multidisciplinary teams to conduct special needs assessments and supporting teachers in the development of
individualized learning programs (ILPs) and resources for specialist support to children with disabilities. In
addition, this process includes training of teachers and school administrators to introduce IE principles into their
practice (A. Poghosyan, personal communication, 17 October 2017). One of the primary overarching goals of
the reform has been to shift the focus of all activities, including evaluations, more toward the interests of the
children.
A Brand-New Evaluation Method with Three Stages

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