The currency of assessment for learners with SEND
Written by: Alistair Crawford
7 min read
ALISTAIR CRAWFORD, NATIONAL NETWORK OF SPECIALIST PROVISION (NNSP), UK
This article explores aspirations and meaningful outcomes beyond the school gates through the perspective of ‘experts by experience’.
… this problem of deficit framing is located within the wider societal issue of the meritocracy, life’s “sorting principle” which has narrowed what we perceive a “good life” to be and what is valued by schools and across society.
(Newmark and Rees, 2022, p. 13)
Newmark and Rees (2022) explore the challenges of meritocracy for learners with additional needs, identifying how narrow measures to assess progress and success will more than likely lead to an education system in which there are ‘winners and losers’. Sadly, for many learners with SEND (special educational needs and disability), they will fall into the latter category.
The Institute of Health Equity’s paper ‘A fair, supportive society’ (Rickard and Donkin, 2018) shares shocking statistics about
Join us or sign in now to view the rest of this page
You're viewing this site as a guest, which only allows you to view a limited amount of content.
To view this page and get access to all our resources, join the Chartered College of Teaching (it's free for trainee teachers and half price for ECTs) or log in if you're already a member.
- Carpenter B (2024) Relationships and rebuilding: Schools as congregations of compassion. In: Beyond manifestos: What does education need next? SSAT, pp. 7–11. Available at: https://webcontent.ssatuk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/31154324/SSAT-Beyond-Manifestos.pdf (accessed 1 April 2024).
- Department for Education (DfE) (2023) Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) improvement plan: Right support, right place, right time. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63ff39d28fa8f527fb67cb06/SEND_and_alternative_provision_improvement_plan.pdf (accessed 1 April 2024).
- Newmark B and Rees T (2022) A good life: Towards greater dignity for people with learning disability. Confederation of School Trusts and Ambition Institute. Available at: https://cstuk.org.uk/knowledge/discussion-and-policy-papers/a-good-life-towards-greater-dignity-for-people-with-learning-disability/#:~:text=The%20paper%20explores%20ways%20in,case%20for%20a%20more%20ambitious (accessed 1 April 2024).
- Rickard W and Donkin A (2018) A fair, supportive society: Summary report. Institute of Health Equity. Available at: www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/a-fair-supportive-society-summary-report/a-fair-supportive-society-summary-report.pdf (accessed 1 April 2024).
- Waller J (2023) The power of play: An approach to developing creativity and tolerating uncertainty. In: Imray P, Kossyvaki L and Sissons M (eds) A Different View of Curriculum and Assessment for Severe, Complex and Profound Disabilities. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 90–103.
For a long time, parents of SEND students enrolled them in regular schools and extracurricular activities with the only intention of having them interact with other people and children their age. They didn’t expect their children to have the same potential and/or abilities as others. However, this concept is getting old. SEND pupils are proven to have great learning capabilities, just like any other, as far as they are motivated and taught in a way that makes sense for them. This article critically examines the traditional methods of teaching and assessment and challenges the system, which is achievement-oriented, to be adapted for a more inclusive, student-centered approach, especially for SEND students.
The article reinforces that the current system not only fails to prepare students for meaningful, fulfilling lives but also spreads the winner-loser dichotomy. Take Billy Errington’s experience as an example; he was taken out of his PE classes, which he loved and was good at, so he could have the time to work more on subjects that he wasn’t doing so well, enhancing his feeling of inadequacy.
The text brilliantly advocated for a more expansive and inclusive approach to education with holistic assessment methods. It mentioned the experience of Sunningdale School and the Evidence for Learning (EFL) app, which tracks progress in areas such as communication, independence, and confidence. Also, Swiss Cottage School actively involves the parents in the assessment process. This way, the pupil’s progress is measured not only in the classroom but across all areas of the child’s life.
It is necessary to create a more inclusive educational system since knowledge acquisition happens in different ways and rhythms for everyone. It’s impossible to establish a rule and expect it to apply to all the individuals in a classroom in the same way.