UDL+Assessment

Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age
===[|Chapter 7: Using UDL to Accurately Assess Student Progress]===

There are 4 Factors (or Barriers) to Accurate Assessment:
 * Individual Learning Differences
 * Media Constraints
 * Lack of Appropriate Supports
 * Lack of Integration with Curriculum

**[|1. Individual Learning Differences]**
 * In some select situations, standardized administration of an assessment is appropriate.
 * Students' learning differences can influence performance in ways that are often unrelated to the skills and knowledge teachers are trying to assess. (Traditional assessments measure things like visual acuity, decoding ability typing or writing ability, and motivation.)
 * Engagement: For an assessment to an assessment to reflect what students kow and can do, those students must be giveing their best effort. Making a test "all-important" is not the best way to motivate all students.

[|2. Media Constraints]

 * Demonstrating knowledge through various media outlets: hand written, typed, verbal, dramatic presentation, visual presentation, etc.

[|3. Lack of Appropriate Supports]
>
 * Even if students use supports and scaffolds when learning, teachers tend to feel that these supports should be removed for testing in order to determine what students "really know."
 * As long as the goal itself is not being scaffolded by a particular tool, it is wrong to remove a learner's daily supports during assessment.

[|4. Lack of Integration With Curriculum]
- What we learn about the students: What cues does the student attend to, what strategies does the student use, what motivates the student? - What we learn about the curriculum: What changes in the content presentation are helpful? What kinds of feedback and supports help build skills? What content and what kinds of activities are most engaging?
 * Formative assessment is more beneficial than summative assessment
 * Formative assessments: Observe and talk to the students and have the students keep a portfolio or journal.

- Embedded, Flexible and Ongoing Assessment - Flexibility in Presentation, Expression and Engagement 1. Presentation- makes content accessible and provides information on the learning process 2. Expression- use tools that are familiar and appropriate for a student's styles, needs or preferences 3. Engagement- assessment is a constant part of learning and vary content with assessment tool 1.Teacher gain valuable insights about students as learners, their interests and motivation 2.Teachers are able to align teaching goals and methods with assessment 3.Tools for guiding teaching
 * [|Increase Accuracy and Access with UDL]**
 * [|The value of UDL in Assessment]**