Launch of the
Professional Practice Guidelines
Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement of Students with
Special Educational Needs
2 Nov 2011
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Launch of Professional Practice Guidelines on
Psycho-educational Assessment and Placement
of Students with Special Educational Needs
Dr Mariam Aljunied
Lead Specialist
Educational Psychology
Integrity, the Foundation
. People, our Focus . Learning, our Passion . Excellence, our Pursuit
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Overview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Background
Guiding principles
Chapter highlights
Reliability of SEN category
Next Steps
Q&A
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Professional Practice Guidelines for
Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement
of SEN children
RATIONALE
• Changes and diversification of special needs
landscape
• Clarity and consistency in professional
advice needed to help parents make informed
choices
• Shared understanding and standards among
professionals across different settings
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Background
• Developed by a Multi-Professional workgroup from MOE,
KKH DCD, NUH Department of Pediatrics, IMH, NCSS,
SPED Schools from March 2010 to September 2011.
• Focus on students with SEN (6 – 18 yrs).
• Use by psychologists and allied health professionals who
are involved in the psycho-educational assessments of
students with SEN
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Guiding Principles
• Contextualized
• Evidence-informed
• Implementable
• Guide (not replace) professional judgment
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Chapter 1: Definitions
1.1
1.2
1.3
Psycho-educational Assessment
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Educational Placement
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Special Educational Needs
Pg 6
A student is considered to have SEN when all of the criteria, a, b, and
c, stated below have been fulfilled:
a)
b)
Has a disability
and
Displays:
–
–
–
c)
Greater difficulty in learning as compared to majority peers of the
same age
Or
Difficulty accessing educational facilities catered for the majority of
peers of the same age
Or
Some areas of impairment, in terms of social, academic, physical or
sensory functioning (i.e., the student is not on par with the majority of
the peers)
and
Requires different and/or additional resources beyond what is
conventionally available
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Pg 7
“As a student’s SEN are an interaction
between the student and the environment,
the type and level of needs may change
over time and across different contexts.”
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Chapter 2: Psycho-educational Assessment Data
2.1
Sources of Assessment Data
2.2
Types and Areas of Assessment
2.3
User of Assessment Tools and Data
2.4
Factors to Consider in Selecting and
Using Different Assessment Measures
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
User of Assessment Tools and Data
Pg 12
2.3 User qualifications
Based on the criteria defined by test publishers, the person conducting
Level C tests (e.g., individually administered tests of intelligence,
personality tests, and projective methods) could be an independent
user or a supervised user of the test.
•
An independent user is a registered psychologist with
certification by the Singapore Psychological Society or by any
of its recognized professional bodies
•
A supervised user should only administer such tests in the
context of a planned supervisory relationship with an independent
user of the test.
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Chapter 3: Assessment for Specific Purposes
3.1 Assessment to Ascertain Appropriate Special
Educational Placement
3.2 Ascertaining Student’s Suitability for Placement into
a Mainstream School
3.3 Ascertaining Student’s Suitability for Placement into
an Appropriate Special Education (SPED) School
Pg 19
3.4 Assessment for Access Arrangements (or
‘Special Arrangements’) and Curricular Exemption
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Chapter 4: Assessment Considerations for Specific
Populations
4.1 Students with Visual Impairment
4.2 Students with Hearing Impairment
4.3 Students with Cerebral Palsy
4.4 Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
4.5 Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
4.6 Students with Central Auditory Processing Disorder
4.7 Students with Dyslexia
4.8 Students with Intellectual Disability
4.9 Students with Multiple Disabilities
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Chapter 5: Framework and Pathways for
Educational Placement of Students with
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
5.1
Framework for SEN
5.2
Categorisation of SEN
5.3
Pathways
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Local SEN Policy
• A “Differentiated” and “Many Helping Hands”
approach in supporting students with Special
Educational Needs (SEN)
MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS
( MILD SEN)
SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS
(MODERATE-SEVERE SEN)
Increasing support, resources, community partnerships
15
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Ascertaining a student’s
Special Educational Needs
A balance of consideration of all of
these factors:
• Child’s Cognitive functioning
• Child’s Adaptive Functioning
• Resources & provisions in current
landscape
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Categories of SEN
Cognitive
functioning
Adequate cognitive
functioning
Adaptive
Functioning
Mild deficit in
adaptive
functioning
(delays of 2-4 yrs)
Mild cognitive
impairment
(>2SD)
Pg 39
Moderate to severe
cognitive
impairment
(>3SD)
1A1
2A
3A
2B
3B
1A2
Moderate to severe
deficit in adaptive
functioning
(delays of >4yrs)
1B
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Purpose of Categorisation
• Common frame of reference for
professionals across different agencies
• Common language between referral
agencies and receiving schools
• Facilitate transition and resource planning
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Conclusion
• Good consensus among professionals in the use
of the categories for placement
• Agreement ranged from ‘moderate’ to ‘almost
perfect’
• Agreement improved when quality of assessment
data improves, e.g.:
– Information about intervention received
– Adaptive beh obtained from multiple sources (parent,
teacher, direct observations)
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Next Steps (2012 & beyond)
• Parents’ Version of the Professional Practice Guidelines
• Joint Continued Professional Development sessions
involving multi-agency professionals
• Coordination and streamlining of SPED applications
• Clearer articulation of admission’s criteria into specific
SPED schools
• Availability of locally normed standardised tests
• Continued consultation and collaboration with all
stakeholders, e.g. VWOs, CDC, CGC, SPED Schools,
NCSS
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Q&A
Thank you
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