Signer: Dr. Gloshanda Lawyer 

Historically our Deaf Education field has heavily focused on Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing students’ cognitive and language skill development. Our assessment approaches have also addressed cognitive and language skill development.

However, now I want to discuss a different way of framing assessment. Assessment is not only applied to schooling. Assessment can be applied to any new skill development. Assessment can be defined as an ongoing process wherein we observe and support new skill development in school, community, home and other environments.

Dynamic assessment is one approach for ongoing support and assessment of student skills. Dynamic assessment emphasizes an important component: mediated learning. Mediated learning includes five foci: parent, teacher, or school staff observing:

1. The child’s problem-solving abilities
2. The child’s flexibility and adaptability to new situations
3. The child’s motivation for new skill acquisition
4. The child’s response to feedback and support
5. Whether the child is oriented to and involved in new skill acquisition task

All five of these areas are important parts of dynamic assessment. Our assessments have traditionally expected the child to demonstrate their skills; to demonstrate their cognitive and language abilities. Dynamic assessment shifts this frame and instead of expecting the child to demonstrate their skillset, now I self-analyze my supports. Am I providing the appropriate level of support? Am I matching the student’s needs? Do I need to adapt my approaches?

I think that with appropriate supports, our Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing students can flourish. Children are always driven to acquire, grow, learn new skills, and improve. Parents in the home, and teachers in the schools can both apply dynamic assessment to support the development of Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing students.