First category
The first category in Chaterjee’s framework concerns teaching and learning as the purpose of assessment used by students, teachers, and parents. In other words, all the parties concerned have an opportunity to assess students’ knowledge including themselves as a way to improving the results. Special education as well as the professional one is of my interests. It can benefit of assessment applied by all parties concerned as an extra motive for improvements. Moreover, if parents take part in their children’s education, they will be interested in assessing their knowledge in order to make sure that a teacher uses the right approach.
Second category
The second category in the same framework concerns evaluation, policy context, and program planning developed by policy-makers and administrators that are competent in the issue of special education and other areas. It is done to adapt the programs to special needs of students and specific approaches introduced by educators. The modification is needed in this category because educators and parents should also be involved into the process of developing programs because they spend more time with children and know their needs better.
Third category
The third category presented in Chaterjee’s framework focuses on exceptionalities, their diagnosis and screening by counselors, psychologists, social workers, and the main interested parties. Identification of special needs may also deal with participation of policy makers. This category is related to measurement of intelligence and evaluation of students’ needs with regard to validity and tests.
Fourth category
The fourth category is related to the guidance and counseling performed between tutors, students, and parents in the process of choosing the career path. It is important to take the validity (bias and fairness) concept discussed in the reading into account. When children are involved into special education and choose their career, they have to face all the problems that may occur with regard to their special needs. Besides, test development is another concept from the book by Cohen and Swerdlik (2010) which is related to this category because students should pass certain tests to identify their preferences, skills, and other relevant data.
Fifth category
The fifth category by Chaterjee dwells on awards, recognitions, and certification when students are granted scholarships and other ways of assessment. It can be really helpful in working with children who have special needs and are engaged into the special education framework. Agencies which grant those scholarships have to develop specific tests that will also take into account the special needs and skills of such students. These tests should be formed on general bases.
Sixth category
The sixth category by Chaterjee in the framework of purposes for assessment concerns research and development as a way to meet the needs of students analyzing educational phenomena and exceptions that may occur with regard to consents of parents and students for such an exploration. The test development, validity and measurement of intelligence are concepts from the reading that can be practically applied to this category of assessment.
Conclusion
I believe that the second and the third categories should be used as two stages of the same phase because diagnosis and screening should be initial steps before policy making. In other words, structuring of special programs should be made only when analysis and identification of special needs of the students are done.
Reference
Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2010). Psychological testing and assessment. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.