Assessment

Introduction

For confidentiality purposes the pupil in this case study was referred to as Sam.

This case study was based on a pupil who was demonstrating an area of delay within their social development. This area has been carefully selected from notes and close observations with Sam over a period of time. The writer has included the special education needs statement for Sam to demonstrate a detailed profile of his requirements.

The information gathered has been obtained from the school Sam is currently at. Results from key assessments subjects such as English, Reading, Writing and Maths has been collected to illustrate how Sam is performing in school (see Appendix 1).
Questionnaires have been carried out on staff who work closely with Sam to provide further information about Sam’s personality and behaviour.
Formal and informal observations have been conducted to observe what Sam’s characteristics and how he related to children socially in the school setting.
Other documentations such as the Pivots programme has been included to support this case study.

Case study:
Sam attended a mixed, large School situated in the North East of England. The school was mixed with two classes in each year group. It was based in an area of high deprivation with a high level of unemployment with adults possessing very little or no qualifications.

The school last Ofsted report highlighted,
“Children join the school in Year 3. Assessment on entry suggests attainment broadly in line with national averages.
“Pupils with SEN are high in the school, currently 24% under School Action, 7% School Action with 2% of pupils statement.
Stability is generally good with many families spending their entire lives within the confines of the local Estate”. (see Appendix 0)

Sam was 7 years of age pupil and learning in Year 3. He was a special education needs pupil who was in the Autistic spectrum. Sam possessed severe learning difficulties and required a lot of one to one support in school. These included speech and language difficulties, hearing impairment and multi sensory impairment. Sam chronological age in his last Test for Reception of Grammar indicated that he was 3 years old. Sam was in full time care of his Grandparents and lived with his elder brother. Unfortunately Sam’s mother passed away last year, which he was not in the care of since birth. Sam does not have a relationship with his biological father.
Sam was a well known child and he appeared to be a quite a happy boy in school. It was however observed over a period of time that Sam struggled to demonstrate good interactive skills of a boy of his age. Sam found it difficult to integrate with his peers and express his opinions fully. The Writer understood part of this would be due to his speech and language difficulty. It was observed that during social play situations or befriending children Sam lacked confidence and can easily be led astray by children who may sometimes take advantage of him. According to Jean Piaget a Theorist of cognitive development, he suggested that there are five stages that children go through and they needed for each one to be experienced in an order. Based on his theory Sam was at the ‘Sensorimotor stage’. This was based on children who were between two to six and seven years of age. This was where children started to associate words to objects and learned how to manipulate the environment. Piaget described how children applied incomplete knowledge to logic, such as explaining that trees created wind when it is blown. The Writer agreed with parts of Piaget’s five stage theory, as Sam sometimes applied incomplete knowledge to logic at times, such as birds could only fly because they were not very heavy. Lev Vygotsky was another Theorist of cognitive development. He suggested that when children talked with more skilled and experienced learners they were able to build on their knowledge of language and awareness of a particular way of thinking. According to his theory children observed and then reacted to speech. They gauged body language, facial expressions as well as interpreting the context. This enabled them to solve practical tasks by talking with others and using language as a tool.
Another part of Vygotsky’s theory was the ZPD which stood for (Zone of Proximal Development). This was where the child development was achieved through social behaviour. This was developed upon full social interaction and was gained through adult guidance and peer partnerships compared to what can be learned alone.
Sam has demonstrated delay in his social development as he struggled to engage with pupils independently and according to Vygotsky this indicated that he was missing out in an area of development which would have provided him with the opportunities to further his learning and develope his social skills. The writer believed that Vygotsky’s theories would benefit Sam to build on his social development.
The writer and the Special Education Coordinator in school understood that mainstream assessment tools would not be suitable to present Sam’s results accurately. So a programme using P scales and Pivots was used instead. P scales and Pivots were developed to assess pupils between the age of 5 and 15 years who are working below the National Curriculum Level 1. P scales are split between 8 levels. P1 was being the lowest and P8 being the highest. According to this Sam was performing at Pivot Level 7.
The writer conducted a questionnaire on Sam to understand how he felt in and out of school (see Appendix 2). Emotive faces were used for Sam to answer the questions. The results indicated that Sam was generally happy child and he had fun over the recent holidays where he played with friends and family. The only question Sam asked for a sad face to be used was next to question 4 where he was asked if he liked the school holidays. The Writer concluded that although Sam answered with a happy face for most of the questions a possible reason for the answer for question 4 may be because Sam was out of school and he was around children he may not have been familiar with. Based on the Writer’s observations Sam struggled to make new friends independently and therefore may have not have socialised well with new children. Sam however in school received structure and boundaries with staff and peers who were familiar to him so therefore that may have been much more comfortable and enjoyable to him.

A questionnaire was also conducted on Sam’s class teacher (see Appendix 3). This asked questions about what Sam was like in class and how he socialised in school with his peers. The results demonstrated some of the characteristics and social qualities Sam possessed. The teacher wrote that Sam was a happy and pleasant boy who was nervous and slightly reserved in whole class situation. She explained that Sam worked better in a small groups however at times struggled to engage and listen to others. She also described that although Sam had made good relationships with his peers he had not made any close bonds to a particular child. She also suggested that Sam does not enjoy a positive play outside of school and tends to pick up bad habits and mirrors bad behaviour, which he sometimes brings into school. Another questionnaire was carried out on a Teaching Assistant who worked closely with Sam in school (see Appendix 4). She expressed similar views on Sam. She described that he was quiet and considerate boy who seemed quite happy. She explained that whilst working with him Sam required a lot of time and attention to keep him on task and she also believed that he worked better in a smaller groups and seemed to socialise at this level more effectively. She would place Sam in groups however he would not do this independently. She also suggested that Sam needed to be encouraged to take more ownership and responsibilities at home so he could do things more for himself. The questionnaires concluded that although Sam was a pleasant and happy pupil in school he lacked confidence and the ability to socialise with pupils independently during work and play time. It also indicated that Sam worked better in smaller groups than in a whole class situation. Both teachers made suggestions on how Sam could have a positive impact outside of school.
The writer also conducted three observations on Sam. Observation 1, 2 and 3 was carried out in an Art, Maths and Philosophy lesson.

Observation 1 Art.
The Art lesson presented a sensitive subject about Mother’s Day. Sam was in an art lesson with a class teacher and about 8 other children from his class. The pupils settled down to commence a piece of painting based on Monet. The class teacher instructed the pupils with the lesson objectives and the techniques tools required. To support Sam assistance was provided to help tie his apron and collect art materials and to also explain the task so that he understood. Art is a subject that Sam enjoys and is very happy to do without much prompting to commence.
The subject of Mother’s Day arose during the lesson in response to a child asking when Easter was. All the pupils discussed what they were going to do that day for their loved ones. It was observed that during the conversation Sam was quiet and did not seem to understand what was being discussed in the group. Sam as the support staff what the pupils were talking about. It was explained to him that it is Mother’s Day soon and that pupils were talking about what they were going to for their mums on that day. Sam paused without displaying much emotion. The support teacher directed a question to him, being aware of Sam’s background and suggested that it may be nice for him to do something for his Grandmother who looks after him.
Although Sam was aware that his mother was not around anymore he was not emotionally displaying any reaction or any signs of sadness to the support staff. The opportunity to discuss the subject was presented to Sam by providing him with open questions however he seemed much more interested in the finger painting he started.
The Writer noticed that Sam seemed quite detached about this subject and once he knew what Mother’s Day was he was happy to not listen to his peers and continue with his work. In this observation the Writer picked up on some childlike qualities in Sam which he presented throughout the lesson. Although Sam was capable he asked for assistance with performing small duties like tying his apron and pouring out paints. Sam demonstrated a positive and easy going persona during the lesson and he was happy to work alongside his peers. He did not participate in detailed conversation or socialise with anyone other than the support staff.
Observation 2 Math.
During the Maths lesson Sam was working in a small group. Sam and three other pupils in a lower Maths set are in the learning garden, which is situated next to the classroom for intervention groups. Sam was familiar with working with the other pupils and had got a good relationship working in small groups with them. Having worked with Sam before the pupils are ware that Sam has special needs where he sometimes requires extra time to speak due to his stammer.
The teacher has instructed the support teacher to work with this group of pupils and help teach them addition and in particular adding two digit numbers. Immediately it is observed that one of the pupils in the group is presenting some bad behaviour by not following instructions and calling out when their hand should be raised. Sam has noticed this and starts to mirror some of this behaviour. The pupils behaving badly is provided given a warning and asked to settle down or they would be sent back to class.

Sam started displaying silly behaviour by giggle, tapping the table and making eye contact with the pupil who has been reprimanded. The support teacher speaks to Sam and it is explained that the behaviour the other pupil is presenting is not acceptable and that he should not copy this as he would sanctioned and sent back to class as well where he will not get as much support.
Sam continues and is needed to be asked again and the support staff remind Sam of his reward chart and that he has lost two minutes of his golden time, as he has been told twice to listen. Sam settled down and quickly places his finger on his lips and sits up straight and demonstrates that he is ready and listening. It illustrated how Sam was easily led astray when working closely in a small group. Sam came back on track soon enough when presented with rewards and incentives by a member of staff. This is a tool the support staff used daily to encourage positive behaviour. Sam seemed to work confidently and was able to display emotions, even if this was bad behaviour much for comfortably in this small group situation.
Observation 3 Philosophy.
The whole class was sitting in a circle with observer and the class Teacher on either end of the circle. To allow Sam some independence the observer who usually provides one to one support to Sam was sitting close but not right next to him.
The subject the class was discussing was about a ‘tracking jacket’ that allows people to track where children are. An image was projected on the white board displaying a cartoon poster of a parent on one side and children playing football wearing a special jacket with a chip visible on the other. One of the ideas discussed was how the jacket would be great for parents to know where the child was. The question was open to use in any situation and the benefits and the drawbacks. The pupils put their thoughts forward and areas such as safety, durability and fashion was discussed.

Throughout the discussion Sam seemed content. He sat amongst the other children quietly and fidgeting slightly with his shoes, but he did not seem to be fully engaged in the topic. Some children discussed their ideas and other questioned these however Sam remained detached and did not put forward any ideas. He did at times listen to some of the comments and made some expressions. When the observer prompted Sam to where it was obvious Sam was drifting from the discussion and asked him to listen and pay attention Sam immediately put his finger on his lips and sat up straight demonstrating that he was ready. This was something Sam usually did when he was asked to listen and it earned him stickers.
Throughout the philosophy session the observer observed Sam and seemed reluctant to put thoughts across on the subject. To ensure that Sam understood the observer asked Sam a direct question as to what he thought about the jacket. From experience Sam would stutter slightly with his speech when he was excited, overwhelmed or at times put on the spot. Sam looked around all his peers and after some encouragement he responded by saying that he thought the jacket was good. He thought it would help mum know where her children were. This was acknowledged by the Teacher and other children and they said well done to him Sam seemed very pleased and proud of his comments.
In Observation 3 it was noticed that Sam enjoyed working within a small group again and he found at times that being in a whole class situation quite overwhelming. Sam seemed to be calmer in situations where there were less children and where was able to be given more one to one support from staff and peers. The Writer also believed that Sam liked to be around children but he did not necessarily engage with them verbally. Sam felt comfortable in these situations.

The results taken from Professor Susan Gathercole and Dr. Tracy Alloway. Working Memory Checklist suggested that Sam is very dependant on support and struggled to keep on task without continued prompting and assistance. Sam scored mostly 2’s and 3’s on the checklist which demonstrated for example that Sam is very reserved in group activities and frequently asked for help. The feedback from the questionnaires conducted on Sam’s social behaviour also confirms some of these findings.

Conclusion:
The information collected throughout the case study and the results gained from it has reinforced the Writer’s theory that Sam has a delay in his Social development. It is clear from the evidence collected that Sam has a statement and would not be achieving the same level academically as his peers. However is also highlighted that his social development is closely linked to his academic development and that this is an important area that needed to be looked at. The Writer has learned that Sam needed further support to build his confidence so that he can interact with his peers and staff more effectively. Using the positive findings from this case study such as providing Sam with praise and encouragement, making him feel comfortable will help support this.
This information was presented to the class teacher and actions, such as encouraging independence has been undertaken, which will reinforce Sam’s development. Building a closer relationship with Sam’s Grandparents by presenting them with some of this information could also lead to support outside of school.
During this case study the Writer discovered that Sam was assessed as part of the Pivots programme within X X X. However as Sam was not statemented for any social and emotional delay he was not assessed against Pivots to provide the Write with a P scale of where he was. This was a suggestion the Write has put forward to the class teacher as the Writer believed it would be beneficial to measure and have an indication of where Sam was in comparison to this case study.