asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the system of diagnostic testing of primary school children currently undertaken by teachers; the age at which it takes place; if it is reported upon to principal teachers and if there are any schools or classes in which diagnostic testing does not take place.
Written Answers. - Diagnostic Testing of Children.
107.
The use of standardised tests, diagnostic or otherwise, is not formalised in our primary schools. Children who are demonstrating signs of serious learning disabilities are referred for assessment to clinics administered by the health boards. These referrals are often initiated by routine school medical examinations and it is now normal practice to report back to the schools on any areas which have a bearing on the child's education.
Remedial teachers use standardised diagnostic tests as a matter of course when children are first referred and at regular intervals thereafter. The results of such tests are made known to principal teachers and class teachers as appropriate. All remedial teachers receive training in the administration and interpretation of these tests. For the past number of years, in-service courses have been held at a number of venues for teachers of small schools which do not have the services of a full time remedial teacher. These courses include familiarisation with the use of diagnostic tests.
Teachers generally use informal methods of diagnosing particular characteristics of children's learning. Both pre-service and in-service courses for teachers highlight the importance of observing children's learning strategies by analysis of errors and by the use of techniques such as cloze procedure. It is felt that such techniques are more appropriate in the generality of cases than the use of standardised measures. Information based on these observations is shared with principal teachers and other class teachers. When more serious problems arise children are referred for more sophisticated testing as outlined above.