Why are assessments and re-assessments Important in Education

Assessments in special education is a crucial part. Assessments are conducted in order to measure achievement and to inform the modification of special education intervention programmes. It is an objective way to quantify what is being done. It provides an avenue for teachers to test new methods and see its efficacy.

Re-assessments are done bout once year. This too is important. Very often, parents argue about re-doing assessments because of its cost. The thing is, it is necessary. Without good assessments, there is no way effective teaching can take place. The assessments I speak of are not like the end of year and mid terms that learners do in school. Those are there to measure the level of learning based on syllabus objectives.

In special education assessments are used to measure against IEP goals. One cannot just go on and on teaching without using evidence from these assessments to proof or disproof a particular intervention approach and outcome.

Most special education provisions in Malaysia do not have qualified or trained staff. That is why no once conducts these types of assessments and that is why so  many programmes fail to help the learner with special educational needs achieve their fullest potentials especially in school. If effective intervention is occurring based on assessment outcomes, then,  these learners will face minimal difficulties completing high school. 

Most homeschool programmes do not have exams and so there is no way to know how a learner is doing until they fail to obtain a high school diploma!

So please... if you save about RM 15 per day.... that is plenty budget to conduct assessments and re-assessments. This is not expensive folks. If u want special education to be successful then you have to have these done. Not many professionals train to run assessments so there are very few people in the region who can do it as well. 

Get your assessments done and keep them updated. Most universities are now not allowing students who do not have a history of learning difficulties to obtain the kind of disability support they offer because most parents out in Asia have not kept up with assessments and re-assessments over time.

I am not talking about IQ tests. IQ does not need to be re-done every year. Its achievement testing that needs to be done.