Using Adjustments to Support the Learning and Assessment Needs of Students with Disabilities: Macau and Mainland China Teachers’ Report

Abstract

Adjustments are considered necessary for students with disabilities to be fully included in classroom instruction, classroom assessment and external accountability tests. The 67 item Checklist of Learning and Assessment Adjustments for Students (CLAAS), translated for the Chinese community, was used by 74 teachers from Macau and Mainland China to document their application of adjustments for 319 students with special educational needs across these three settings. Results indicated consistently large gaps between adjustment use in classrooms compared with national tests, with the allowable adjustments for public testing reportedly used very little. Findings also provided evidence for the content validity of the checklist for teachers of students with disabilities in China and its utility in documenting applied adjustments. This study also indicates the potential for CLAAS to provide teachers across China with a comprehensive list of adjustments, to reflect on and review adjustment decision-making and assessment protocols for all students.

Keywords:

• Adjustments
• adjustment gaps
• assessment
• checklist
• China
• instruction
• national tests
• valid test results

Notes

1. The CLAAS is available for use by contacting Dr. Michael Davies at [email protected].