Traditionally, the teacher in a classroom was held to specific responsibilities such as the writing of an IEP, lesson planning, instruction and assessment. The role of the paraprofessional was to the lead teacher. As most paraprofessionals are well aware, there are many forms of assessments. The following is a brief description of the types of assessments, their purpose, and other terms used in reference to assessment. Screening - the purpose of screening is to determine if a problem exists that may require additional assessment.
Many schools also use a screening tool to determine readiness for kindergarten or preschool.
This testing is called assessment for eligibility. If the testing shows that the child does have a disability, then he may be eligible to receive special education services. The testing tools typically used for this type of assessment may be IQ tests, behavior tests and developmental and motor assessments. The professionals conducting these tests typically are psychologists, educators and therapists. The IEP team is responsible for determining what skills are most appropriate to teach.