Acknowledgements:
The format for the Participation and Supported Independence
Observational Assessment booklets is modeled after the Wesley
School (Muskegon, Michigan) Observational Assessment form.
The work on this Observational Assessment model was sponsored by:
Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education
(MAASE), with particular involvement from the subcommittee,
Supervisors of Low Incidence Programs (SLIP).
November, 2006 (original)
January, 2010 (revised version)
Participation & Supported Independence Curriculum
Observational Assessment Manual REVISED
The content of the Participation and Supported Independence Curriculum Observational
Assessment booklets aligns with the corresponding Participation and Supported Independence
Curriculums. The format for the assessment booklets is modeled after the Wesley School
(Muskegon, Michigan) Observational Assessment form. Not every item from the curriculum could
feasibly be contained in an assessment tool. The committee of educators from across the state used
the following criteria for selecting items to be contained in these assessment booklets.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Should be Observable
Should be Relevant to students’ outcome of educational planning
Should lack Redundancy – should not occur in other parts of curriculum.
Should not include student specific items, such as for individual behavior plans.
Should be Short/Concise statements – eliminate examples, extraneous words, etc.
Can be Reworded to reflect a theme of several objectives from the curriculum.
Be Limited in Quantity for each Short term goal area (under each A, B, C, D,…….) – suggestion
of 3-5 for short sequences and no more than 8-10 for longer sequences.
Even so, both assessment books are still quite long. (approximately 40 pages in the revised
version). The Appendix Committee that worked on the assessment booklet determined that instead
of attempting to cut it down even further, that each individual school district should have the option
to review the document and edit the information according to the needs in their own district. At the
same time, individual districts could determine other formatting/content changes. Examples:

Options for printing the assessment booklets could be on standard size (8½ x 11) back to back
pages or on single pages. They could be bound in loose leaf notebooks or spiral bound. The
pages could be arranged into a book style (1st and last pages printed on same page) and printed
on 11 x 17 in. paper, folded and then stapled in center to make booklets.

The revised version as explained in the document, "IMPORTANT NOTES - READ ME
FIRST", does not list ages across the top. It is left blank for the user to write in the ages. If a
district/program desires to have the ages listed using the revised content, the revised version
could be edited to include ages.
Educational
Setting
&/or School Year
Age:

The scoring key is identical for both Participation and Supported Ind. Booklet. The scoring key
matches to the same scoring key that is used on the Task Analysis Forms. However a school
district could change the scoring key to match other school district forms, if desired. One
possible scoring revision code is included in a file in the Observational Assessment Folder titled,
"Modified Code Document".
1. Passive Cooperation
2. Physical Assistance
K 3. Physical Prompts
Verbal/gestural/visual prompts
E 4.
5. Independently
a. Independently with accommodations
Y
b. Independently with supervision
c. Independently w/out supports

Shading has been used in the assessment booklet to highlight beginning of new sections (30%
gray shaded) and mark off areas where you would not record information (50% gray shaded).
Pending on the type of printer/copier used to print the documents and how it handles shaded
areas, the level of shading could be changed to fit individual needs. (see example below)
I.
DEVELOPS LEISURE/RECREATIONAL SKILLS
A.
Interacts with others during leisure activities.
Enjoys physical interaction/play with familiar individual.

The Participation and Supported Independence Curriculum Observational Assessment
booklets contain a Progress Notes page on the last page of each booklet. The purpose of
this page is to record more specific progress notes that are unable to fit in the small
boxes of the assessment booklet. An asterisk would be placed in the appropriate box
within the booklet to refer to the Progress Notes page. An example of where this may
be useful is on items that are written in broad terms, (i.e., Identifies numerals). Some
objectives were purposefully left broad, to reduce the amount of space used in the
assessment booklet.
Example from Record Booklet:
School Year
G.
Learns selected math skills.
03/04
Using 1 to 1 correspondence matches 1 set of objects to another.
Identifies numerals.
Progress Notes Page Example
Date or PE Section/Goal
Age
#
5/04
5/05
5/06
1
1
1
III G
III G
III G
*5c
04/05
05/06
*5c
*4
Objective/Skill
Progress Comments
Identifies Numerals
Identifies Numerals
Identifies Numerals
Identifies 1-5
Identifies 0-10
Identifies 0-31 (calendar)
Individual school districts could choose to use the Progress Notes page or break down
the broadly written items and include them as separate items within the Assessment
booklet.

Two blank lines have been included at the end of each goal area for teachers to add specific
items that they address with a given student, but may not be included in the listing of
objectives/skills in the assessment booklet. School districts could choose to eliminate using one
of the lines to save space or add additional blank lines to suit the needs of their district.