Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement of Students with Special Educational Needs

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.

Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement of Students with Special Educational Needs

Professional Practice GuidelinesLaunch of the

2 Nov 2011

Integrity, the Foundation . People, our Focus . Learning, our Passion . Excellence, our Pursuit


Launch of Professional Practice Guidelines on Psycho-educational Assessment and Placement

of Students with Special Educational Needs

Dr Mariam Aljunied Dr Mariam Aljunied Lead Specialist Lead Specialist

Educational PsychologyEducational Psychology


Overview

1. Background

2. Guiding principles

3. Chapter highlights

4. Reliability of SEN category

5. Next Steps

6. Q & A


Professional Practice Guidelines for Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement

of SEN children

RATIONALE• Changes and diversification of special needs

landscape• Clarity and consistency in professional

advice needed to help parents make informed choices

• Shared understanding and standards among professionals across different settings


• Developed by a Multi-Professional workgroup from MOE, KKH DCD, NUH Department of Pediatrics, IMH, NCSS, SPED Schools from March 2010 to September 2011.

• Focus on students with SEN (6 – 18 yrs).

• Use by psychologists and allied health professionals who are involved in the psycho-educational assessments of students with SEN

Background


Guiding Principles

• Contextualized

• Evidence-informed

• Implementable

• Guide (not replace) professional judgment


Chapter 1: Definitions1.1 Psycho-educational Assessment

1.2 Special Educational Needs (SEN)

1.3 Educational Placement


Special Educational NeedsA student is considered to have SEN when all of the criteria, a, b, and

c, stated below have been fulfilled:

a) Has a disability and b) Displays:

– Greater difficulty in learning as compared to majority peers of the same ageOr

– Difficulty accessing educational facilities catered for the majority of peers of the same ageOr

– Some areas of impairment, in terms of social, academic, physical or sensory functioning (i.e., the student is not on par with the majority of the peers)

andc) Requires different and/or additional resources beyond what is conventionally available

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“As a student’s SEN are an interaction between the student and the environment, the type and level of needs may change over time and across different contexts.”

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Chapter 2: Psycho-educational Assessment Data

2.1 Sources of Assessment Data

2.2 Types and Areas of Assessment

2.3 User of Assessment Tools and Data

2.4 Factors to Consider in Selecting and

Using Different Assessment Measures


User of Assessment Tools and Data

2.3 User qualifications

Based on the criteria defined by test publishers, the person conducting Level C tests (e.g., individually administered tests of intelligence, personality tests, and projective methods) could be an independent user or a supervised user of the test.

• An independent user is a registered psychologist with certification by the Singapore Psychological Society or by any of its recognized professional bodies

• A supervised user should only administer such tests in the context of a planned supervisory relationship with an independent user of the test.

Pg 12


Chapter 3: Assessment for Specific Purposes3.1 Assessment to Ascertain Appropriate Special

Educational Placement

3.2 Ascertaining Student’s Suitability for Placement into

a Mainstream School

3.3 Ascertaining Student’s Suitability for Placement into

an Appropriate Special Education (SPED) School

3.4 Assessment for Access Arrangements (or

‘Special Arrangements’) and Curricular Exemption

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Chapter 4: Assessment Considerations for Specific Populations 4.1 Students with Visual Impairment

4.2 Students with Hearing Impairment

4.3 Students with Cerebral Palsy

4.4 Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 4.5 Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

4.6 Students with Central Auditory Processing Disorder

4.7 Students with Dyslexia

4.8 Students with Intellectual Disability

4.9 Students with Multiple Disabilities


Chapter 5: Framework and Pathways for Educational Placement of Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

5.1 Framework for SEN

5.2 Categorisation of SEN

5.3 Pathways


• A “Differentiated” and “Many Helping Hands” approach in supporting students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS ( MILD SEN) (MODERATE-SEVERE SEN)

Increasing support, resources, community partnerships

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Local SEN Policy


Ascertaining a student’s Special Educational Needs

A balance of consideration of all of these factors:

• Child’s Cognitive functioning

• Child’s Adaptive Functioning

• Resources & provisions in current landscape


Categories of SEN

Cognitive functioning

Adaptive Functioning

Adequate cognitive functioning

Mild cognitive impairment(>2SD)

Moderate to severe cognitive impairment(>3SD)

Mild deficit in adaptive functioning(delays of 2-4 yrs)

1A1

2A 3A

1A2

Moderate to severe deficit in adaptive functioning(delays of >4yrs) 1B 2B 3B

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Purpose of Categorisation

• Common frame of reference for professionals across different agencies

• Common language between referral agencies and receiving schools

• Facilitate transition and resource planning


Conclusion

• Good consensus among professionals in the use of the categories for placement

• Agreement ranged from ‘moderate’ to ‘almost perfect’

• Agreement improved when quality of assessment data improves, e.g.:– Information about intervention received– Adaptive beh obtained from multiple sources (parent,

teacher, direct observations)


Next Steps (2012 & beyond)

• Parents’ Version of the Professional Practice Guidelines

• Joint Continued Professional Development sessions involving multi-agency professionals

• Coordination and streamlining of SPED applications

• Clearer articulation of admission’s criteria into specific SPED schools

• Availability of locally normed standardised tests

• Continued consultation and collaboration with all stakeholders, e.g. VWOs, CDC, CGC, SPED Schools, NCSS


Q & AThank you

Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement of Students with Special Educational Needs

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