Scenarios for intake, placement testing and educational gain assessment

SCENARIOS FOR INTAKE, PLACEMENT TESTING, & EDUCATIONAL GAIN ASSESSMENT

The chart below outlines a few ways that programs might organize themselves to handle placement and assessment testing more effectively.

Scenario One	Advantages	Provisos
Intake/orientation Informal assessment for placement Goal-setting Class placement Initial test for educational gain (2-4 weeks after intake)	More diagnostic information for students and teachers Less threatening environment before class placement	None
Scenario Two
Intake/orientation Informal assessment for placement Class placement Goal setting as part of a classroom activity Initial test for educational gain (2-4 weeks after intake).	Classroom goal setting will involve teacher directly in understanding students' needs & interests and design curriculum accordingly. Also, will allow students to think of additional possibilities as they hear other students.	Initial goal-setting might best be done in a confidential environment.
Scenario Three
Intake Informal assessment for placement Waiting list Orientation Goal setting Initial test for educational gain (could be many weeks after intake because student is on waiting list but shortly before class placement) Class placement.	Allows program to place students on a waiting list according to their class level, so they can be called when space opens up in that level.	None

Advantages of using an informal process for placement and following up with the intital tests for educational gain 2-4 weeks later:

The student is more comfortable in the environment and more likely to persist in school.

The student does not have to take a long battery of tests before starting class.

You can go over the answers to the assessments and give the student some diagnostic information.
The initial tests for educational gain will be more accurate if they are not given on the first encounter.