Embedded HLP
HLP 4
Use Multiple Sources of Information to Develop a Comprehensive Understanding of a Student’s Strengths and Needs
To develop a deep understanding of a student’s learning needs, educators compile a comprehensive learner profile using a variety of assessment measures and other sources (e.g., information from students, parents, general and special educators, other partners) that are sensitive to intersectional backgrounds, experiences, and needs, to (a) analyze and describe students’ strengths and needs, and (b) analyze the school-based learning environments to determine potential supports and barriers to students’ academic progress. Educators collect, aggregate, and interpret data from multiple sources (e.g., informal and formal observations, work samples, curriculum-based measures, functional behavioral assessment [FBA], school files, analysis of curriculum, information from families). This information is used to create an individualized profile of the student’s strengths and needs that reflects the whole child while considering sociocultural or intersectional context.
| Download Leadership Guide | This resource is intended for school leaders (Administrators, Teacher Coaches, Mentors, etc.) to support their teams in effectively implementing the high-leverage practices (HLPs) in the classroom. |
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HLP 4 Information
Well-prepared and effective educators recognize that any assessment on any given day only provides a snapshot in time of a students’ abilities. This is further complicated by the context for and content of the assessment. As educators collect more data to inform a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (Hoover et al., 2020), it is an ethical imperative to ensure the assessments are appropriate to the learner, including the student’s input, and the caregivers’ perspectives (Reese et al., 2018).
Collecting multiple forms of data related to students’ learning and progress is essential to ensuring their success (Powers et al., 2004). Research has demonstrated that students bring diverse cultural repertoires, strengths, and needs into the classroom (Trent et al., 2014). Their complex backgrounds might include being identified as having or being at-risk for disabilities. Therefore, educators must take a multi-disciplinary team approach to developing and implementing individualized instruction and intervention for each student (McCray et al., 2021). This means actively collaborating with multiple professionals from a variety of disciplines and with varying perspectives and expertise.
A key aspect in creating a comprehensive student profile based on multiple data sources includes considering how culture and language might be influencing a student’s performance (Cioè-Peña, 2020). Many assessments are known to include bias, skewing results based on a student’s race, ethnic background, home language, or economic status. Using only one source of data or not considering the potential for culture and language to impact assessment scores results in incomplete or inaccurate student profiles and may lead to students being over- or under-diagnosed with disabilities (Artiles, 2015). When educators use multiple sources of data, including informal assessments that validate and consider students’ linguistic and cultural identities, it provides a stronger and more robust student profile that will assist in making instructional decisions (Riddle, 2017). Educators should always incorporate self-questioning when interpreting assessment data to consider cultural and linguistic implications.
Examples of self-questions may include:
- Is the assessment congruent with the student’s cultural repertoire? Examples:
- Asking a student in Florida to write about a snow day.
- Is the assessment sensitive to the student’s linguistic background? Example:
- Having an emerging multilingual student take a formal standardized assessment in English.
- Was the context appropriate and conducive for the student to perform well?
- Conducting an assessment when a student comes to school upset.