31. Grow Your Toolbox: Outcome Writing Assessments for Students with Complex Learning Needs​

Speaker: Janet Sturm, Ph.D., Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHA-F, BCSCL

Session Description:
Educators have a growing appreciation of the need for science-based writing instruction for students with complex learning needs (CLN). As a result, authentic academic measures are being sought to drive and align this high-quality instruction with standards and measure progress. In this session, you will discover how the Developmental Writing Scale (DWS), partnered with additional writing measures, can reframe how educational teams conceptualize and work with beginning writers of all ages, many with complex learning needs. The progress monitoring outcome measures shared in this session can be used by school teams to identify present performance levels, establish goals, design instruction, and monitor progress. Participants will hear case studies and classroom examples applying the assessment tools to increase academic success!

Credits: Act 48, ASHA, Psych
Audience: Special Education Teachers, Speech therapists, Supervisors/Administrators, Assistive Technology Specialists, Occupational Therapists and/or Physical Therapists, Parents, Guardians, Family Members, Paraprofessionals

headshot of Janet SturmSpeaker Bio:
Janet Sturm, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is a professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Central Michigan University. She has been working in classrooms for over 30 years. Her research and development work focuses on writing instruction for students with disabilities, computer-supported literacy, measurement of beginning writers, and classroom communication. She is a Fellow of ASHA and a Board Certified Specialist in Child Language.

Email: sturm1j@cmich.edu