How do you ensure your classroom assessments are inclusive and meet the diverse needs of all your students? A new study in India has explored how teachers are assessing students with disability. In this article, Anannya Chakraborty shares findings from the study, and what they mean for teachers and school leaders.
Research shows that formative assessments have a significant role in supporting the learning progress of all students. Based on assessment feedback, teachers can adjust instructions to address the learning area in which an individual student is not be performing well (Black & Wiliam, 1998). In the context of disability inclusion, teachers can adapt teaching practices and curriculum based on feedback from formative assessments (UNESCO, 2019).
In India, the National Education Policy (NEP) emphasises the importance of formative assessments to improve quality and equity in school education (Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2020). However, little evidence is available on how students with disability are included in formative assessments in Indian classrooms.
Teachers have a central role in formative assessments, right from designing the tests to offering accommodations and an appropriate test environment. In our study, we looked at how teachers assess students with disability through formative assessments. The findings have been published in the Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education (Chakraborty et al., 2024).
What did our study involve?
We interviewed 9 in-service general educators teaching in primary and secondary grades at a private, inclusive school in New Delhi. Through the interviews, we studied:
- teacher-led adaptations or modifications in formative assessments
- teachers’ understanding of accommodations and their use
- support for teachers at school and challenges
- the use of assessment data
We observed classrooms when weekly tests were being conducted for students in grades 6 to 7 and 9 to 12. We also visited one grade, each from primary and secondary levels, while teachers were conducting formative assessments in classrooms. We found the key factors enabling disability-inclusive assessments are:
- Teachers’ understanding of disabilities – How far is the teacher aware of the different kinds of disabilities? Do they have enough information on the child’s challenges?
- Teachers’ assessment literacy – How well is the teacher equipped to use modifications or accommodations to meet the diverse needs of students with disability? Do they have the required knowledge and skills?
- Support from school – Is the teacher supported by the school in strengthening their skills on disability-inclusion and assessments? What kind of professional learning support is available on assessments or inclusion?
What teachers told us about assessments
Our study showed that teachers use a range of accommodations and a wide variation of support for students with disability. They provided examples to describe the use of different supports – such as prompts, oral assessments, scribes, and enlargement of maps – depending on the needs of the child.
One of the teachers shared how she helped a child on the autism spectrum to complete a comprehension task designed for all students. He was asked to fill in the blanks with colourful stickers that had answers written on them.
We observed that a teacher supported a child with visual impairment by typing the questions on her laptop. For other students, the same questions were written on the blackboard, and they responded in their worksheets.
In addition, our study showed that teachers used assessment data to revisit topics. They reported using strategies including audio and video, laboratory experiences, peer study, and storytelling to teach topics based on insights from the formative assessment data.
We also found that assistance from counsellors, special educators, teacher observations, and information about the child from family and friends, helped classroom practitioners to provide the necessary support to students with disability. Help from experienced teachers, peer collaboration, and internal and external professional learning were additional key support structures for teachers.
The teachers in our study reported that behavioural issues of students with disability and a denial of disability by parents were the dominant challenges for them.
What do the findings mean for school leaders and teachers?
Our study brings out the voices and perspectives of teachers who are at the forefront of disability inclusion, including formative assessments. Teachers using inclusive assessments in their own settings might relate to the insights it offers.
For school leaders, the findings highlight the importance of focused professional learning on assessments to include students with disability. Additionally, professional learning is also required on behaviour management and assistive technologies. It has been suggested that courses on disability-inclusive assessments should be included as part of the 50 hours of continuous professional learning proposed in NEP.
The other key area highlighted in the study is role of collaboration to make disability-inclusive education a reality. First, the study shows the importance of collaboration between educators to advance disability-inclusion. This is in line with scholarly work in the field highlighting the importance of collaboration for disability-inclusive education (Majoko, 2019).
Second, our study suggests that disability-focused inclusive schools should be considered as resource centres, as part of the school clusters recommended in NEP. Third, our study highlights that school-based interventions have a great potential in sensitising parents and the wider community.
References
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969595980050102
Chakraborty, A., Kaushik, A., & Ramachandran, V. (2024). Teachers’ perceptions of formative assessment for students with disability: A case study from India. Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1017/jsi.2024.4
Majoko, T. (2019). Inclusion of children with disabilities in physical education in Zimbabwean primary schools. Sage Open, 9(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018820387
Ministry of Human Resource Development. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. Government of India. https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/nep/NEP_2020.pdf
UNESCO. (2019). N for nose: State of the education report for India 2019: Children with disabilities. UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000368780
How do you ensure your classroom assessments are inclusive and meet the diverse needs of all your students? How does your school promote disability inclusion?
With a group of colleagues, discuss your strategies for including students with disability in classroom assessments.
As a school leader, is inclusive assessment practice part of your staff professional development?
