3 Tiered Assessment 1

3 Tiered Assessment Plan

Special Education Technology Training

Justin Roberts
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Formative Assessment

What strategies did you use to determine the needs of your TA? To determine the needs

of your target audience you need to identify the target audience. The profile of a target audience

will help an instructional designer to develop more effective training. Demographics of the target

audience for special education. My audience consists of 70% Baby Boomers and 30% Gen Xers.

High school diploma would be held by all paras. Maybe 20% have an undergraduate degree.

Two paras 20% have been in the role less than a year. Maybe 10% have been in the role for 3-5

years. About 70% have had the role of para for more than five years.

The paras know their role well. They gain their experience year by year as they work with

different students. For special education, a para can know the daily procedures of the job, but

they can still have new experiences with each of the students. Experience with each student can

vary. Each student has their own special needs, they could have autism, they could be blind, they

have down syndrome, or they could have Cerebral palsy. Paras know how they role fits onto the

bigger picture of education.

Paras perform their position adequately. The performance cannot be measured accurately

in a quarantine state. The measure of performance would be a competence list identifying what a

para does, and how they interact with students and teachers. The buy-in for this group would be

clear goals set for them, with a plan to achieve them. The best plans will not work if paras do not

feel they are being supported by the administration. Training would be received well if it is

applicable training to paras. Current state standards for a “Highly Qualified” paraprofessional

includes passing a 50 question test covering language arts and math questions that a person with
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two years of college could answer. A test that has nothing to do with special education for

students.

Most have a computer or have access to one. The experience can be varied. Some may

not have the internet unless they use a computer at school. The daily tasks for paras may include

helping a student log onto their computer, open and edit Word document or Google documents.

Each para has their own email but does not have their own computer to use at school.

Paras are part-time employees with no benefits except for 2 PTO days and a sick day.

Shifts are about six hours a day, total hours a week is 30. Training could be considered a staff

meeting. Currently, a state training will be held next week. This training will entail studying for a

basic skills test of math and English questions. The test will be taken during the same session.

This training will be held during a weekday when there is no school. Training for all paras would

be on the same day after the test.

The training designed in week 4 was to help address the different needs of the students in

the special education department. The technological needs are addressed for the students by

presenting examples of assistive technologies. This presentation helps paras to understand the

role of the devices that their students use. During the lesson, there are times when the learner will

need to give their input on the topic. Their responses will allow the instructional designer to see

if the lessons are addressing the subject effectively based on their answers.

Summative Assessment
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A summative assessment determines the effectiveness of a program. It includes seven

evaluations methods for this assessment. The assessment will be applied to the program for

special education paras.

Program Objectives

The program objectives are for paraprofessionals to be informed about educational

technology and develop an action plan for special education assistive technology.

The following are the objectives of this program. Technology helps special education

students in the classroom. Assisted technology helps a special needs student with their needs.

There are different kinds of assisted technology for different needs. Knowing how to use

technology helps paras in special education. Paras need to know how to utilize educational

technology and assistive technology with mobile devices in special education.

Determining Evaluation Design for each group

By having a pretest and post-test for the group, it allows the instructional designer to

evaluate the effectiveness of the program and what instructional materials to include. The target

audience for this program could take a pretest or survey that would indicate their level of

understanding of educational technology and assistive technology. The pretest could have

varying results based on each para’s experience working with students. The post-test could help

determine how relative the material was for the paras.

Develop Data Collection Tools

By creating surveys and questionnaires the instructional designer can evaluate each

objective. The paras would be tested at the end of the program. It would help the instructional

designer know how well was the program taught and how did the learners respond to it. Surveys

would allow paras to share their feelings about the content of the program. Paras could share
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what other topics they would want training on. The training had specific objectives about

technology, but paras would need a variety of different programs for training.

Carrying out the Evaluation

Scheduling a time to collect the data for education staff can be done during school time.

Paras would need to take a paper or emailed survey during the school day. Paras are part-time so

and they may not all work on the same day, so surveys need to be offered on different days.

Analyzing the Results from each Instrument

By analyzing the results the instructional designer can form conclusions about the

objectives. Did the program provide the information that met the goal of the objectives? Was

there training that the paras wanted instead? By analyzing the results and the opinions shared in

the survey, the instructional designer can change to support the objectives. By having the paras

share in a survey the instructional designer can look at other material for other programs to be

developed

Interpreting the Results

Interpreting the results can help determine how well the objectives were learned. Did

outside factors determine if the program was effective for the target audience? Was the location

and environment suitable for the program? The target audience has learners with years of job

experience, was this effective training for those learners? Was this effective training for those

with little job experience?

Disseminating the Results and Conclusions

After conducting surveys and analyzing evaluations from the program instructional

designers need to find conclusions from the data. What portions of the training need to be

changed? What parts need to be removed and what needs to be added? If learners can display the
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desired behavior from the objectives then those objectives can be used for further training. If

discussion questions do not produce the desired responses, then further development is needed

for those topics. The attitude of the paras need to be taken into consideration if the program was

effective, was the material appropriate for the target audience? The paras would need to let the

instructional designer know if there was content that they want to know more about. By looking

at the results an instructional designer can apply the changes needed to the program based upon

the results from the evaluation. The changes will be improvements for the next version of the

training.
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Confirmative Assessment

The program for the paras addresses the need for continuing education in the area of

educational technology. This can be a dynamic topic since technology constantly changes. A

para’s job is to assist the needs of the students, so they need to be aware of the technology the

student uses. Each year the program could be updated for current technology that is being used

by the students.

The program addresses software that the students use every day. The program could

expand to included tutorials for specific software each student uses. This would help the para’s if

they need to assist a student with the software. To build upon this are, basic computer skills could

benefit some of the target audience.

Performance in the area of technology for special education would have paras with a

proficiency in technology for the students. Daily activities could involve computers being used

with the students and the paras. The performance could be simply measured in a para’s

willingness to help a student check their grades.

The learner’s reaction to the training helps the designer if it was effective. The designer

can modify the content make it more relevant to the learners. The designer could include learning

aides in the content of the lessons. The content could include more games, evaluations, or media

to help the learner understand the objective. Evaluation questions may not be challenging

enough, so content may change to make the objective more challenging to learn.

Group size of learners could change depending on how effective the learning was for the

paras. A smaller group could allow the target audience more hands-on experience with the

objectives. Since the paras want to learn more computer skills a smaller group could lead to more

effective learning to meet the objectives.

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Since paras are continually assisting students when they are at a school they may not be

able to provide feedback to the training department. A survey may be sent via email or paper

copy to the paras. The challenge can be that paras may not have enough time to check their email

at school daily. Observations can be made by staff to let a training department know if the paras

retained their knowledge.

Post-testing can be repeated for paras each month. This could be as simple as having

instructional designer email the paras with a comprehensive question about the training. A chart

could be created reminding the paras of the objectives of the program.

Effectiveness can be measured by comparing the objectives with the evaluations from the

paras. The instructional designer may need to look at the evaluations to see if they support the

objectives. Do the answers to the evaluations support the objectives?

Are learners still retaining knowledge of the training? Do the paras still have questions

about the training, do they need a review months later? Are there any aides that have been

produced for them refer to the educational technology?

Are the materials current for the training, do they still meet the objectives? What about a

year later? Are there better videos that can be used for the training? An instructional designer

will need to evaluate if the media and materials used for a training are up to date. They will need

to decide if the material addresses the learning objective. Previous learners can be used to

evaluate if the material was supportive or not.

If paras are remembering the training, are they having as many challenges with using the

technology? Do the learners feel like they have enough training? As paras go back to work they

may slip back into old habits. If they are having trouble with computers or software they may a

refresher training.
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