Lance Cox

Dr. Young

Kin 527

12/15/23

Assessment Philosophy

There is a process in which the assessment must occur. There is a specific order

that it must occur in and there are some rules that one must abide by when following

this process when it comes to assessing a student for APE. For example, the very first

step in the APE assessment process is the referral process. A special education

teacher or a physical education teacher can be somebody who refers a student for a

possible assessment. The purpose is to help identify confirming or denying a child's

development. One thing you can never do during this process is, SINGLE A STUDENT

OUT. This is one of the main rules in this portion of the assessment process.

The second step in the assessment process is screening. Again the purpose of

this process is to identify any developmental concerns with the child, and to never sinlge

a student out during class. A great example of what to do and how to observe is by

watching the student play during recess time. You are far enough away where nobody

can tell your assessing a student from a distance and you can still get the information

needed to screen a child.

A screening for a child who is a possible student for APE would have several

different categories on what to look for when observing. Examples of categories would
be the perceptual motor which is balancing and heal to toe walking. Another category

you are looking for is object control. For example things like throwing, catching, kicking

and dribbling. Locomotor Movements like running, skipping, hopping, galloping, walking.

Physical fitness is another category which includes endurance, upper body strength and

lower body strength.

The third step in the assessment process is getting parent permission to do a

formal assessment. This is different and more structured and facilitated by an APE

teacher. It is very important to get parent permission because a teacher does not want

to have to face any type of legal or disciplinary consequences for not following a few

basic rules that are very important. Once the APE teacher has received a referral, and

then did a screening and observed some irregularities, and the teacher gets parent

permission, then it is time for a formal assessment with the APE teacher.

The 4th step is the formal assessment to see if a student or child qualifies for

Adapted Physical Education. This formal assessment must be a standardized

assessment. A standardized assessment is one that is backed by empirical data. It is

an assessment that cant be modified or changed because that would change the

integrity of the assessment and would then be categorized as an alternative

assessment.

As outlined in the IDEA an formal assessment must be done by a trained

professional and must be performed based on the instructions of the producer. The

assessment must be done in the native language of the child or the preferred method of

communication. There is not just one assessment done for the student to determine
placement, and a nondiscriminatory assessment is used. The only way that a

standardized test can be altered in any way is if the IEP team decides so.

How to demonstrate a need for APE

To demonstrate that a student needs Adapted Physical Education, a child must

have at least one of the 13 disabilities that are listed under (IDEA). Some of the

disabilities include Autism, deafness, deaf-blindness, hearing impairment, Other health

impairment, Emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, traumatic brain injury, and a

few others are also on the list. Once the student has been identified with one of these

disabilities, the student needs to be educationally impacted. The standard deviation

needs to be below 1.5 and the student will qualify for APE. 7th percentile or lower and

child is functioning 30% lower than chronological age. An example of this would be a 10

year old child who is functioning at a 7 year old level, that would be 30% lower than their

chronological age.

IEP Process

After the assessment process has gone through the 4 steps, it is now time to

begin the IEP process. An IEP is short for Individualized educational program. It is

specifically tailored for the unique student. It is a legal document and is developed by an

IEP team. The IEP team is made up of many different professionals who are all joining

together to create a program that best fits the strengths and the needs of this child. First

and foremost is the student, followed by the regular education teacher, school system

representative, transition services agency, parents of the student, others with

knowledge of the child, an interpreter of results, and the special education teacher or

provider.

Assessment tips and techniques

Some tips I would give somebody who is giving an assessment is to always

come prepared. Make sure that you have the assessment set up. If there are several

different stations needed to assess different categories, make sure to have them set up

and ready to go. This creates a very easy transition from one component to the next

and you can worry about other and more important things during the assessment.

Another part of being prepared is knowing the assessment that you are about to give. If

you know the assessment and have studied it prior to performing the assessment it will

be a lot smoother when you are verbally and physically demonstrating the assessment,

which can help the student better understand what they need to do. A tip I would give

somebody is to have many poly spots for students who are waiting for an assessment

themselves. The students know where they need to stand and they can watch as you

give the assessment, so they know what they need to do when it is their turn.

Assessment Ethics

Making sure that you are using proper assessments is very crucial in assessment

ethics. If assessments are not being conducted properly there could be legal trouble.

Coming prepared and being able to perform the assessment is a big part of this entire

process. If the person giving the assessment is not following the proper instructions, if
they are modifying equipment or if they are not prepared then this will affect the

assessment results. Making sure assessments are not setting up children for failure but

are given to children for the best possible outcome for them.

Assessment selection

APE services last until the child is 22 years old, so there are many stages of

assessment at different levels. The levels are preschool, fundamental motor

skills,middle school and high school, and students with high intense needs. At the

younger ages of preschool it begins with assessing the reflexes, followed by

manipulation skills and locomotor skills.

Reflection

My beliefs in assessment have evolved over the course of this semester in many ways.

As a teacher in general physical education, you use assessment in different ways to see

if students have understood the content that you have taught. For APE it is so much

more. There are so many different assessments and they are so unique to specific

students. The assessments are a huge part of APE, where in general PE it is not as

important. To be in this class and personally see all of the different assessments and

understand legal trouble, and the teams that are assembled to help this student, it is a

very awesome program.