As discussed in a previous section, differentiated teaching and instruction is one of the most important aspects of inclusion. Adapting assessment to reflect differentiated instruction is key. All teaching and assessment of students with exceptionalities should be guided by the goals outlined in their IEPs, and by the individual’s strengths and needs. Instructional rubrics are a great tool for teachers to use to help link instruction to assessment on an individual basis. Rubrics can also help students, teachers and family reflect on student work, identify process and product skills mastered and not mastered, and make suggestions to guide instruction. Since IEP goals include benchmarks that relate to student progress with the curriculum, instructional rubrics also can be used to facilitate the IEP process (Creating Instructional Rubrics for Inclusive Classrooms, Council for Exceptional Children, pg.9, 2001).
Through my research on differentiated assessment, I read an article that made quite an impression on me. The article is titled “No More Friday Spelling Tests? An Alternative Spelling Assessment for Students with Learning Disabilities”, written by Kelly A. Loeffler. The article discusses the use of spelling tests in classrooms, and the benefits of alternative assessment methods for evaluating spelling. I recognize that spelling tests are a teaching tool that have been used for many years; however, I also understand that spelling tests involve memorization and this is often a difficult skill for students with exceptionalities. Below is an example of what a typical spelling test assessment might look like. Teachers often assign a spelling list of words on Monday, and then deliver the spelling test on Friday, providing practice time during the week.
| Level | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Spelling List Week 1 | Student spells all words correctly, including the 5 challenge words | Student spells all words correctly, but 1-2, and doesn’t spell all challenge words correctly | Student misspells 3-4 words | Student misspells more than 4 words |
I will now provide an example of a differentiated rubric to use with all students for grading spelling. The process of this assessment would be as follows: Rather than providing students with a list of words to spell and be evaluated on, students are required to find their own spelling mistakes within their pieces of writing. Using an example, I would model proof reading and circling ‘words that don’t look quite right’ to the students. I would then demonstrate ways I could find the correct spelling; for instance, sounding it out, using a dictionary, or using a spell checker. What is great about this adapted assessment is that it encourages students to identify their own spelling mistakes, which encourages independence and self-regulated learning. With the differentiated rubric, students are being assessed on their spelling ability, rather than their memorization skills. Furthermore, the rubric incorporates use of assistive technology, in the form of an electronic spell checker, which is often included in the program accommodations for students with exceptionalities.
| Criteria | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Circles all misspelled words | Students found and circled all misspelled words | Students circled 75-99% of all misspelled words | Students circled 50-74% of all misspelled words | Students circled 25-49% of all misspelled words | Students circled 1-24% of all misspelled words |
| Accurately corrects all circled words | Student accurately corrected all of circled misspelled words | Student accurately corrected 75-99% of circled misspelled words | Student accurately corrected 50-74% of circled misspelled words | Student accurately corrected 25-49% of circled misspelled words | Student accurately corrected 1-24% of circled misspelled words |
| Always uses sounding-out, dictionary or spell checker to spell words without help | Student always used one of the taught spelling strategies to spell words correctly on his/her own | Student almost always used one of the taught spelling strategies to spell words correctly on his/her own | Student sometimes used one of the taught spelling strategies to spell words correctly on his/her own | Student always used one of the taught spelling strategies to spell words correctly with some help from an adult | Student sometimes used one of the taught spelling strategies to spell words correctly with some help from an adult |
| Spells all words correctly in final writing | Students correctly spelled all the words in his/her writing | Students correctly spelled 75-99% of the words in his/her writing | Students correctly spelled 50-74% of the words in his/her writing | Students correctly spelled 25-49% of the words in his/her writing | Students correctly spelled 1-24% of the words in his/her writing |
Source: Loeffler, A. Kelly. (2005). No More Friday Spelling Tests? An Alternative Spelling Assessment for Students with Learning Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, pg 24-27.