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2.3.1 Purpose of assessment for students with special educational needs

International reviews of the literature on the education of children with special educa- tional needs consistently identify early intervention as essential in their support (Parsons & Guldberg et al, 2009, Marschark & Spencer, 2009, Douglas et al, 2009, Cooper & Jacob, 2010). Early intervention and preventative measures can help to ameliorate the difficulties the child experiences before these difficulties become more deeply entrenched and thereby more resistant to intervention.

Timely and appropriate identification and assessment are important factors in ensuring that appropriate intervention commences as soon as is feasible. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (Government of Ireland, 2004) clearly states that where a student is not benefiting from a school’s education programme (after the school has put measures in place) and where it is considered that his/her problems may arise from a special educational need, the school should arrange for an assessment of need. The Act gives detailed guidance on timelines within which any assessment should occur,

the matters that should be addressed in the assessment report and the people considered qualified to carry out such an assessment. These people include a psychologist; medical practitioner; the principal of the school which the child is attending or a teacher of that school nominated by the principal; an appropriately qualified social worker; and a thera- pist who is suitably qualified to provide support services for the child’s special educational needs.

The National Educational Psychological Service (DES, 2007 and 2010) advocates a grad- uated approach to assessment of students’ special educational needs. At the first level of classroom support (support for all), the teacher is responsible for the assessment of students in the classroom and may consult, as appropriate, with other teacher colleagues or educational psychologists where concerns arise about the progress of individual students. At the second level of support (support for some), assessment and intervention are directed at some students who require additional input. This usually involves consul- tation with school support staff and substantial assessment by teachers, with possible classroom observation by the psychologist. At the third level, assessment is generally char- acterised by a more intensive and individualised approach. Here, it is recognised that a few students will have more severe or complex difficulties which require the direct involve- ment of the educational psychologist in assessing the student’s needs using a range of more formal assessment methods.

The purpose of the assessment process, as envisaged under the EPSEN Act and as subse- quently outlined through the NEPS Continuum of Support guidelines, is focused on identifying student educational needs so as to inform the development of the teaching and learning plan for the student. This approach is supported by a number of studies of international practice.

One such study, commissioned by the NCSE, involved a review of the procedures for the diagnosis of a disability and the assessment of special needs education (Desforges & Lindsay, 2010). This study examined practices and standards in seven countries and a number of jurisdictions within these countries and compared them with the practice and standards in Ireland. The authors concluded that assessment of students with special educational needs should not be regarded as a once-off diagnostic event but rather as an on-going process closely linked to intervention. Assessment, as understood in this way, is viewed as an integral part of the cycle of assessment, planning, teaching and re-assessment. The authors advocated an ‘interactionist/ecological’ approach to assess- ment which builds up a picture of how an individual student is interacting with all aspects of the educational environment and which identifies barriers to participation, as well as supports needed to overcome those barriers (ibid). As part of this approach, a wide vari- ety of different assessment methods is encouraged and the choice of methods is left to the clinical/professional judgement of those involved.

The report suggested that more emphasis should be placed on curriculum-based meth- ods whereby assessment focuses on skill levels, plans interventions to move the child to the next stage and after a period of teaching monitors progress. The report referred to the three-tier intervention process outlined in the NEPS Continuum of Support Model and identified a strength of the approach as its capacity to promote ongoing, productive and serious collaboration between mainstream and special educators. Rix more recently

expressed concerns that medical assessment in Ireland is not always translated into educational practices that can inform teaching and learning in schools (Rix et al, 2013). The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education examined policy and practice in inclusive assessment across 23 European countries. While the report recognised the role of diagnosis within assessment procedures, its recommendations highlighted the need to shift the focus from an over-emphasis on initial diagnosis linked to resource alloca- tion to continuing assessment conducted by teachers and other professionals that directly guides and informs teaching and learning. The agency’s final report recommended that all assessment policies and procedures should ‘support and enhance the successful inclu- sion and participation of all pupils including pupils who are vulnerable to exclusion and especially pupils with special educational needs’ and ‘all assessment procedures should focus on informing and promoting teaching and learning’ (EADSNE, 2005:47-48).

Key finding 2

The assessment of students with special educational needs should be understood as an on-going process which is used to inform intervention and is an integral part of the cycle of assessment, planning, teaching and re-assessment.

2.3.2 Limited availability of assessments

The PwC survey (Kane, 2010) indicated some parental concern with the assessment process (12 per cent) which was mainly directed at the waiting time for health assessments or the limited availability of educational assessments for children with special educational needs. The forthcoming review of the NCSE allocation process (Kinsella et al, forthcoming) will confirm parental concerns in this regard and signal that a serious consequence of the limited access to professional assessment is that such access becomes dependent on the ability of the parent or the school to fund private assessments. The authors, who conclude that this challenges the equity of the system, recommend that where access to resources is linked to formal diagnosis and/or assessment, then access to such professional assess- ment must be equitable.