Comprehensive Assessment Doesn’t Just Happen: Using Active Implementation to Move the Needle with School Practices
About |
To comply with IDEA guidelines, school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) must complete assessments that document the educational impact of a disability. Recommended assessments include curriculum-based assessments, criterion-referenced assessments, dynamic assessments, and language samples. Administration of multiple assessment tools allows SLPs to use a converging evidence framework to make eligibility decisions by triangulating data to reach accurate decisions (Castilla-Earls et al., 2020). When these multiple sources of data include assessments of functional speech and language skills, SLPs can assess the functional impact of an impairment and generate meaningful individualized education plans (IEPs). Paradoxically, SLPs report that many of these assessments have limited feasibility, citing complexity and time as the major barriers for true comprehensive assessments (e.g., Fulcher et al., 2019; Pfeiffer et al., 2019).
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Aims |
During the fall of 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) introduced a rule change for the Speech & Language Impairment (SLI) criteria. This revised rule encourages administration of multiple assessments and de-emphasizes the role of norm-referenced tests, leading to more accurate identification decisions along with a strong understanding of the academic and functional needs of students. Initial feedback from SLPs positively supported the rule change; however, SLPs expressed a desire for additional support in training, coaching, and access to multiple types of assessments.
To address this gap in the SLP workforce’s assessment repertoire, the Wisconsin DPI allocated IDEA funds to support SLPs in their assessment practices. This project, named the Wisconsin Collective for Comprehensive Assessment (WiCCA), will use the Active Implementation framework (Fixsen et al., 2019) to support SLPs through a) Professional Learning and b) Continuous Improvement. Professional Learning consists of training and coaching to address multiple types of assessment techniques, such as criterion-referenced assessments, dynamic assessments, and language sample analysis. Continuous Improvement focuses on system-level supports that promote SLPs’ execution of comprehensive assessments within their local contexts. During Continuous Improvement, administrative teams collect data to understand facilitators and barriers to successful practices, identify strategies to overcome barriers, implement a plan, and collect additional data to determine if the strategies were successful. |
Partners |
Wisconsin Collective for Comprehensive Assessment
Wisconsin Department of Pubilc Instruction Central Michigan University UW Milwaukee |
Team |
John Heilmann, PhD, UW-Milwaukee Jessica Bizub, UW-Milwaukee/CUPH |
