| The Round Table on Assessment and Learning
Disabilities
On June 17, 1999 the
PEI Literacy Alliance gathered
together people with knowledge and interest in assessment and learning
disabilities to participate in a roundtable discussion. The following are notes
from that discussion. Participants were asked to comment on the state of
assessment services for three age groups.
| Adults |
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- The access has improved over the last five
years. In the last two years it has worked well and helped improve situations
for people with disabilities.
- The assessment service for adults is
misunderstood. Although the assessment in itself is valuable, there isn’t
adequate follow-through.
- People access the assessment service for the
wrong reasons for example, as a prerequisite for entering the Learning Centre.
The right reasons are to find out what a person’s strengths and weaknesses
are and to use that information as a starting point for both a career and
learning assessment.
- People who come for assessment often have
high, unrealistic expectations. For example, they often expect the way to be
paved for them to education and training.
- There is a misconception that everyone should
be assessed. It is a very costly service and in some cases, those who need it
can’t afford it.
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- There needs to be more buy-in by larger
agencies such as Employment Enhancement at Social Services. The agencies need
to understand that an assessment could start a change in someone’s life.
As well, referring agencies seem to misunderstand the role of the
service.
- Since the assessment service is costly,
people need to put the theory of assessment into practice.
School age
children |
- Children are no longer assessed in Grade One.
As a result children are suffering – those with difficulties are suffering
from lack of attention or those without difficulties are suffering because the
teacher’s time is taken dealing with the others.
- Reading Recovery Program is restricted to
six-year-old children, although some 7 and 8-year-olds would benefit from
it.
- Resource teachers have to work with larger
groups than previously and need to deal with a variety of disorders or behavior
problems.
- There is a lack of guidance counseling
services in elementary schools.
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