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Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education |
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How Handheld Computers
Are Improving the Way We Evaluate Student Behavior and Performance
130
by
Jennifer Daley
In this age of education reform, accountability, and
high-stakes testing, educators and school psychologists are faced with the
challenging task of addressing new accountability mandates. Consequently, "the
pressure is on for us to find technologies and methods that deliver efficient
and affordable tools that provide ongoing assessment data to effectively monitor
students' progress" (Hudgins, 2003). The core of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
legislation requires that schools demonstrate steady gains in student
achievement while closing the gap in achievement between various subgroups of
students (Linn, 2002). One reliable way to ensure that students are making
progress that is aligned with the goals of NCLB is to perform ongoing, effective
monitoring and evaluation of student behavior and performance. This task
presents a challenge to school personnel mainly because current observation and
assessment systems are difficult to administer and score in a timely fashion,
frequently resulting in delayed feedback with little benefit for students and
planning teams. This techno-brief explores how traditional assessment practices
can be performed more efficiently with handheld technology.
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Classroom/Behavioral Observations
Today, school psychologists are looking for more efficient
ways to conduct and collect data from behavioral observations.
Despite the increased use of software (e.g., Observe and
Behavior Observation Assistant) aimed at organizing data
(Dumont & Chafouleas, 1999) and the many new handheld products
developed for classroom observation, the field still heavily
relies on paper and pencil methods (e.g., SECOs, TIES) for
collecting behavioral observations. Paper and pencil
observations require several materials and the ability to
multi-task. During a typical classroom observation, school
psychologists record behaviors according to a system, maintain
an awareness of time intervals, observe the student, observe a
same-age peer, observe the activities in the classroom, and
identify antecedents in the environment. This process is
time-consuming, cumbersome, and susceptible to human error. In
order to reduce the time and materials needed to conduct a
thorough behavioral observation, handheld companies have
developed specialized products to meet this growing need.
The Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC)
Portable Observation Program, published by AGS Publishing,
simplifies the process of direct classroom observation by
providing scheduling information, BASC observation forms, and
a timing function on a handheld or laptop. The direct
observation form allows the school psychologist to collect
diagnostic information, create focused treatment plans,
monitor the effects of treatment, track a child's behavior
electronically over time, and quickly retrieve details from
one's observation to include in Individualized Education Plan
(IEP) reports. After completing the behavioral observations,
educators can synchronize the information back to their
desktop computer for reporting a child's behavior and
archiving as many as five observations over time (AGS
Publishing, 2003). School psychologists using this product can
concentrate on making critical behavior observations rather
than focusing on the mechanics of timing and recording.
The
GoObserve system is a GoKnow product that enables
educators to plan year-round behavioral observations, collect
minute-by-minute recordings, and detail graphical reports. In
the classroom, educators can use the handheld component of the
GoObserve system to unobtrusively record activities by using
time sampling and other categorization features that can then
be synchronized to a desktop computer (GoKNow, 2003).
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