1) The document discusses how different audiences have varying needs and interests when it comes to student assessments. Teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members all want different types of information from assessment reports. 2) For example, teachers primarily want information on how to support students academically and behaviorally in their classrooms, while parents are more interested in long-term outcomes like their child's ability to gain independence and marketable skills. 3) The document emphasizes that assessment authors should consider the diverse perspectives and try to provide information relevant to multiple audiences, rather than just their own interests, so that assessment results can truly benefit all stakeholders.

1. ASSESSMENT AUDIENCES
Alex added, “Today as we focus on the assessment part of this process, we have to consider that
each of us may want different information about the academic or behavioral appraisal of the same
student. This has become really clear to me as I participate on IEP committees and observe members
be satisfied or unhappy with conclusions and follow-up programming.”
To make this point, Alex had participant teachers compile a list of information they need appraisal
staff to provide them to make an assessment beneficial. The teachers were surprised to find that,
based on their own educational specialties or teaching fields, even among themselves they wanted
to know different things.”After an appraisal, I need to know if the student can do the work in my
classroom without absorbing all my time, and if the can behave himself without disrupting others,”
Maura noted. “ I also could really benefit from specific remedial strategies to understand how to
teach him.”
“At the high school level, I have the same concerns as Maura, with a few more,” John added.”Will
the student be able to handle a college-bound curriculum, or will modifications have to be made?,
Are his academic skills so low that he won’t be able to use the same textbook, take the same exams,
or benefit from class lectures and discussions? How can teachers help the student gain socially
appropriate behaviors so he can be accepted by peers?”
“This is is really interesting, “commented Teresa.” As a resourse teacher, I have related but different
needs than Maura and John from assessment information. To develop an appropriate remedial
teaching strategy, I’m always concerned about the student’s best learning modality: visual, auditory,
or motor. I’ve tried to find out whether the learning problems stem from difficulties with word or
number perception, or from a basic language disability. When I consult with other teachers, I ask
myself how to interpret assessment information into successful objectives for their classes. Before
today I assumed they wanted to know the same things I did from testing results.”
“exactly,” responded Alex. “When assessors select which tests to give or write reports, often
we assume others want to know what's important to us. As a result, at times we don't give
enough information to answer the questions of everyone reading the reports. I never
realized the different concerns of others, even beyond teachers, I until read Carl Smith’s
(1992) comments. I have some charts to show you with the varied question about
assessment that come from different audiences, based on his paper and on my own
additional observations.”
From the questions in Table 5-1 through 5-6, it becomes clear that regular and special
educators differ in what they want to know from student assessment. As Maura indicated,
she is most concerned with students’ academic and behavioral skills and their ability to
perform at the same level as the rest of the class. Answer to these questions can allay any
threat that teachers may have about being overwhelmed by students whose performance is
dramatically different.
As indicated in Table 5-1, teachers usually concern themselves with immediate issues
(Smith, 1992), such as how to supports students in learning tasks through remedial
strategies and activities. Regular educators want to know how similar students will be to

2. peers in their ability to complete assignments, follow lectures, and adhere to rules. They
also are concerned about ways they can help assessed students interact better with peers in
order to gain group acceptance.
Regular educators are not concerned with categorizing or labeling students.
Many times the scores school psychologists spend hours computing are of little interest to them.
Their main concern is how to make inclusion work for all students in their classes. Recommendations
for facilitation tend to be far more important than test scores.
Specialists may have different concerns when reviewing test reports, as table 5-2 indicates. They
want to understand the underlying cause of the problem to devise remedial or compensatory
strategies. They are concerned that students be placed in the in the appropriate setting and that
necessary learning supports be provided to help students succeed in the general education
curriculum. Spesialists are often responsible for intrepreting the data and suggesting the service
model to the collaborative team, including the need for consultants, team teachers, or modified
intervention or materials. Often they are responsible for supporting the regular education teacher in
making inclusion work.
“As an administrator, I’ve always had to be concerned whether assessmens met legal guidelines,
such as following the review process appropriately, and including parental permission and input all
along the way,” noted Mort,” and obviously these are still important considerations. In an inclusive
school, I can see where the issues are broader than that.”
“absolutely,” added Elena.” At the high school, teachers and parents are concerned about
curriculum appropriateness for the assessed student: Do we have to alter the content or just the
way it’s taught? Based on the diagnosis, I would have to know how to support a placement when
teachers, parents, and other community members ask questions or voice concerns. For example, I
can already feel Mike Gonzale’s distress when a special education student with academic or
behavioral problems included in his son’s class.”
“At all levels, we’d have to consider the resources necessary to help all students be successfull,”
Mort obseved. “Will specialists and adaptive materials be available to meet assessed needs? We’ll
have to develop a direct line to the administration or regional service centers to obtain supports for
students with low-incidence disabilities. As indicated in Table 5-3, the primary objective for
administration has to be how to prepare regular education teachers with the skills and supports to
make inclusion work.”
“so our concerns are the same, Mort, “ observed Teresa. “We both have to help regular education
teachers be successful. What about parents? Don’t they have other concerns about assessment
results? I’ve seen a lot of anxiety and tears when students’ disabilities are first noted. I’ve also
watched parents support or disrupt their child’s program based on their understanding and approval
of what we’re doing.”

3. “ Many of you have children, ”commented Alex. “If your child been experiencing academic or
behavioral problems, you would probably be very concerned. In that situation, what would you need
to know that would help you understand and deal with the problem?”
As the discussion continued, participants compiled a series of questions parents would want
answered. As listed in Table 5-4, their primary concerns would include appropriateness of the
placement to meet the student’s assessed needs and whether or not the student would experience
success.
Alex pointed out that parents are frequently more concerned with the longterm progress of their
child. Is college in the future, or vocational training in high school? What marketable skills will the
student have? Based on assessment and placement, will their child have skills to participate in a
competitive work environment?
“Sally Smith (1992) notes how paradoxical it is that the recent movement has been to create an
environment that is highly interesting to students,” Alex observed. “ Certainly, interest and
motivation are of concern to parents, bit often are not at the top of their list. Parents want their
children to demonstrate skills in reading, math and science. Especially when students’ needs are
more extreme, parents tend to be more long-term with their questions, because their final goal is
independence for their child. They want to know if resources, ranging from personnel to adaptive
materials, will be available to underscore academic and personal success.
“too often we leave out child,” he mused, “ the very person who is the most frustrated and yet who
has expended the most effort to overcome the problem. How can we subterfuge the reason for the
assessment or not explain the results to the person most involved?” He asked teachers to consider
the varied expectations and concerns a student would have during testing and regarding the specific
outcomes.
As indicated in Table 5-5, they decided that students are concerned about academic and social
issues, with the latter growing more important as they become older. Much of their self-esteem is
based on their ability to be successful in their classes, ranging from performing on level in reading
and computational skills to being an integral part of school activities, such as plays, art projects, and
physical education.
More immediate to their concerns that their parents’, students crave friends and social acceptance
much as any child does. They may not have the social skills to make friends easily and are concerned
about anything that will make them look foolish or different, such as leaving the room for special
education services. As adolescents, they may refuse to wear hearing aids or participate in supportive
remedial training for fear they will not gain admission into a peer group. As they progress through
high school they may have serious concerns about their own future job potential, beginning to
demonstrate some of the concerns about their own future job potential, beginning to demonstrate
some of the concerns of their parents.

4. “another group with different responses are community members,” Elena added. “because many of
them are parents of children in our schools, they share those concerns we mentioned. When they
wear their business and economic hats as potential employers or retirees, they want their money
well-spent. They are concerned about overall achievement levels and whether or not our students
will compete in the workplace. They tend to be more interested in the performance of groups of
students and the school as a whole than with individuals. If a student’s behavior seems disruptive to
the group, there often is less tolerance because they are more concerned with over-all group
progress. The assessment data they question relates to how academically strong student
performance is and whether students achieving below mean levels are indicative of weaknesses at
our school or in the system. They ask questions about the relevance of curricular content, but also
about overcoming any academic problem areas early in the student’s schooling.”