With a different glance. Dynamic assessment of functioning of children oriented at development & inclusive learning

Despite international developments towards inclusion, many children are
excluded and deprived of adequate education, because of an impairment and
or functional difficulties: there is not enough support, teachers lack knowledge
how to include different children, and assessment reports are rarely suitable
for inclusive teaching.

Current functional assessment is too much deficiency
oriented and tends to ”blame” the child. If schools have to become ”inclusive
schools for all”, as is laid down in the UN Convention on the Rights of People
with disabilities, then the assessment & coaching system needs a thorough
reform.

This book wants to propose some alternatives: next to finding out about
a child”s functional difficulties, assessment methods also need to look at a child”s
learning potential, responsiveness to teaching, and learning context (teachers,
parents). The objective of assessment should be to adequately plan and monitor
a challenging educational intervention, allowing the child to be maximally
included.

Models of ”good practice” have been collected within the context of the European
Comenius DAFFODIL project.

The book wants to make school psychologists and other assessors of special
needs, aware of the need and possibility to look at children with a different
glance: in a more inclusion-oriented and development-oriented way.

Jo Lebeer is associate professor of disability studies at the University of Antwerp,
Belgium. Adelinda Candeias and Luísa Grácio are professors of educational
psychology at the University of Evora, Portugal.