Valuing Students with Impairment

In this book, the author Joy Cumming draws on knowledge of law, assessment and measurement to provide an original analysis of the inclusion of students with impairment in educational accountability assessments in the U.S., England and Australia. Equitable education of students with impairment is worldwide policy. Educational accountability for improvement of educational outcomes is also a worldwide phenomenon. The U.S., England and Australia are well placed economically and politically to pursue best educational practice for students with impairment and well advanced in both provision and educational accountability systems. Examining these three systems enables an analysis of possible optimal practices to guide other countries. The book identifies three models of impairment in place in legislation, policy and enacted practice for educational accountability with students with impairment. Intentions of legislation and policy reflect a social model of impairment-while an individual has an impairment, social practice creates the barrier that leads to a disability. In implementation, legislation and policy rely on a medical model of disability-categorizing disability in medical or specialist terms. In educational accountability practices, it is argued in this book, a third model of disability is created-a psychometric model, with impairment constructed through overemphasis on standardization of assessment processes. Eight explicit and implicit assumptions that underpin the ways students with impairment are valued in educational accountability are identified and discussed. Three recommendations are made to promote equitable inclusive educational accountability practices for students with impairment, to inform future policy and practice in all countries.

Professor Joy Cumming has had a long career in education and education research, engaged as Chief Investigator in numerous state and federal funded research projects in Australia. Her research has included work on adult and child literacy and numeracy, and assessment and accountability. She has been a consultant and policy advisor to state and federal government.?Current assessment research projects investigate teacher use of national assessment data to improve student learning and effective use of standardised test data to improve student learning, and the impact of assessment format on children's demonstration of achievement.?In addition to educational qualifications, she has completed formal law studies, and has been admitted as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of Queensland. Her education law research integrates her education expertise to focus on legal and policy issues in assessment and accountability. Current research examines teacher competency testing, issues in discrimination and disability and standardised assessment, and judicial interpretation of educational measurement statistical data.