Students with Disabilities using Computer Technologies Order Instructions: your white paper is almost complete, and the superintendent reviewed and provided feedback on both of your submissions.
For the final section of your white paper, you will focus on identifying the technology implications. Finally, you will make your recommendations to the locally elected board of the school district for its members’ consideration.
Write a three to five (4-5) page paper in which you:
Revise Assignment 2 using the feedback that the superintendent provided. (The revision of the previous assignment is not included in the page count for this assignment).
Ascertain three (3) new advances in computer and Web technologies which would benefit K-12 assessment that is related to your topic. Highlight one (1) of these new innovations that might be practical for the district to implement in the near future. Provide a rationale for your response.
Propose the strategic manner in you would conduct a training needs analysis for teachers related to your topic.
Provide at least two (3) additional reliable, relevant, peer-reviewed references not previously used and published within the last five (5) years.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Assess various measures for assessing learners’ progress, including formal, test-based measures, and informal and observational measures.
Evaluate strategies for a variety of assessment instruments and the theories behind them.
Utilize a methodology for linking assessment practices to learning objectives.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in educational assessment.
Write clearly and concisely about educational assessment using proper grammar and mechanics.
Students with Disabilities using Computer Technologies Sample Answer
Assessing students with disabilities using computer technologies or other innovation (select 3 disabilities)
In this paper, three new advances in Web and computer technologies are ascertained that could aid K-12 assessment. In addition, one of these new innovations which may be practical for the district to execute in the near future is highlighted in this paper. Lastly, the strategic way in which I could carry out training needs analysis for educators related to the topic is proposed.
Three new advances in computer and Web technologies which would benefit K-12 assessment
- Galileo K-12 Online innovative tool for assessment
Galileo K-12 Assessment Technology is research supported, standards-based, and comprehensive. This new technology provides a range of innovative and standards-aligned curriculum, reporting, instructional effectiveness and assessment tools (Assessment Technology Incorporated, 2015). Using this system serves to facilitate developments in instruction strategies, K-12 assessments, as well as the execution of instructional effectiveness programmes. It is notable that assessments within the Galileo K-12 assessment system are reliable, valid and in alignment to standards such as Next Generation Science, Common Core and local standards (Assessment Technology Incorporated, 2015). The testing interface of this technology provides streamlined navigation and in fact supports tools like the ones that learners are likely to come across in statewide testing such as marked-for-review, calculators, strike-through and note capabilities (Assessment Technology Incorporated, 2015).
- Apperson’s Online K-12 Assessment solution
In the Teacher Tools category, this assessment solution managed to win the Best Assessment Tool. The Apperson Evo assessment solutions are cloud-based and designed for the purpose of making a positive impact on the entire child by means of comprehensive measurement of a student’s social-emotional and academic strengths (Cozens, 2015). The technology is rooted in the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), which is basically an evaluation developed with the goal of identifying the competencies of a student in 8 crucial areas of resilience which are confirmed to be necessary for a student’s academic success (Cozens, 2015).
Apperson’s Online K-12 Assessment program allows teachers to develop assessments and then deliver them totally online, or along with paper and scanners, and to share assessments with other teachers. Moreover, it allows educators to have real-time access to assessment data. All in all, Apperson’s K-12 Assessment technology helps teachers to develop a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree panorama of the learner and the learner’s strengths, in addition to areas of opportunities, which could inform curriculum decision-making and create positive learning outcomes. Apperson’s K-12 assessment technologies, by focusing on the entire student, provide teachers with the insight that is required to change lives and foster the well-being and development of the whole student (Cozens, 2015).
- CORE XLR8 ™
CORE XLR8™ is an all-inclusive and wide-ranging K-12 formative learning management assessment solution. Teachers can use a single platform to create, manage and share assessments, instructional resources and reports across the school system (CORE, 2016). This new innovation is very intuitive and scalable as it allows teachers to easily utilize assessments in a school, within the classroom, or throughout the region or district. It is worth mentioning that this new innovation puts the educators in the driver’s seat so that they can utilize it to create and design their assessments and assessment items (CORE, 2016). CORE XLR8™ provides a test item-authoring tool which gives assessment personnel and educators the flexibility which they require as well as the independence they want to create and align their own assessments and test items.
Whether the educators are preparing for the upcoming standardized test, a teacher-parent conference, or writing a proposal or grant, this innovative technology puts the data the educator requires at his/her fingertips. School and district administrators could utilize analytics and dashboards in identifying opportunities for professional development and determine trends in the achievement of a student with disaggregate data analysis (CORE, 2016). Educators utilize the real-time performance metrics of CORE XLR8™ which offer actionable data that can be used to guide and adjust instruction.
One of the aforementioned new innovations that might be practical for the district to implement in the near future
Galileo K-12 assessment technology is the new innovation that may be practical for the Orange County school district to implement in the near future. This is because this innovation is cost-effective and affordable for the district to execute compared to the other innovations. Besides, the assessments within the Galileo K-12 assessment technology are dependable, valid and in alignment to various standards such as Next Generation Science, Common Core, as well as local standards (Assessment Technology Incorporated, 2015). The testing interface of Galileo K-12 assessment technology offers smooth navigation and in fact supports tools like the ones that learners would find in statewide testing such as marked-for-review, calculators, strike-through and note capabilities. Instructional Dialogs support the development and implementation of local online charter/district specific curricula with lesson plans, units, homework assignments as well as formative assessments. Dashboard information offers easy access to valid, reliable and actionable data at administrator and educator levels (Assessment Technology Incorporated, 2015).
Furthermore, the instructional effectiveness component of the Galileo K-12 assessment system provides teacher rating scales that are in alignment to the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISSLC) and Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC). Moreover, third party, local and state rating scales could be imported for usage in the Galileo K-12 assessment system. Equally important, this technology has a Score Compiler which can compile and weight data from several sources such as surveys, educator proficiency ratings, and student performance data in generating an individual instructional effectiveness score (Assessment Technology Incorporated, 2015).
The strategic manner of conducting a training needs analysis for the educators
The strategic manner in which I would conduct a training needs analysis for teachers related to the topic is through the use of a questionnaire and personal interviews. There are instances that would necessitate filling up a form and others may require carrying out a personal interview. It is notable that the correct questions of the survey are crucial, in addition to how the data is obtained (Kusumoto, 2013). In situations in which personal interviews are necessary, the investigator can either carry out the interview with a group or one-on-one. The data gathered from the questionnaire surveys and interviews would be analyzed and conclusions would be made. The process that would be used to interpret the findings of the interviews and surveys will entail some knowledge of the skill to evaluate whether or not there is really a need for improvement (Kusumoto, 2013). Carrying out a training needs analysis is of major importance to ensure that training is actually not wasted, and to ensure that maximum benefit is received not just by teachers, but also by the schools’ administrators (Kusumoto, 2013). The training needs analysis will also help to improve the productivity and quality of the school’s educators.
Students with Disabilities using Computer Technologies Conclusion
To sum up, three new technologies that could aid in K-12 assessment include Galileo K-12 Assessment Technology, CORE XLR8™ assessment solution, and Apperson’s Online K-12 Assessment program. Out of these three, the new innovation which may be practical for the district to execute in the near future is Galileo K-12 Assessment Technology. The strategic way in which I could carry out training needs analysis for educators at Maynard Evans High School is by means of personal interviews and questionnaire surveys.
Students with Disabilities using Computer Technologies References
Assessment Technology Incorporated. (2015). Galileo K-12 Spotlight. Retrieved from http://www.ati-online.com/galileoK12/indexK12.html
CORE. (2016). K-12 formative assessment & learning: CORE XLR8. Retrieved from http://www.coreecs.com/k12_education/k12-formative-assessment-learning
Cozens, P. (2015). Apperson’s Online K-12 Assessment programs win the 21st annual BESSIE awards. Retrieved from http://www.apperson.com/k12/bessies-awards
Kusumoto, Y. (2013). Needs analysis: Developing teacher training needs analysis. Boston, MA: CRC Press.
