March 8, 2021. Two ways to assess student growth. There are two ways to assess student growth in the special education classroom. More specifically, students can tell you what they know or show you what they know. Before I begin, there are two types of questioning techniques which include receptive and expressive language. Disclaimer, I am not a speech or language pathologist. A teacher can use receptive language and expressive language to help assess student growth and progress in the classroom. Expressive language. First, expressive language is used when you want to tell a student you know what they know. Some questions I like to ask include, what is this? Where can you find blank? Tell me blank. What is your name? These types of questions allow students to give a verbal response and typically take higher level thinking. You can also use this by giving choices for students that need that accommodation. This is one way to assess student growth. Receptive language. Next, receptive language is used when you want a student to show you what they know. Some prompts I like to use include, point to blank. Show me blank. Touch the blank. Where is the blank? Students do not need to give a verbal response. They can use their fingers, devices, or eye gaze to communicate their answer. Typically multiple answers are displayed in front of the student. This is the second way to assess student growth. Why use one way to assess student growth over the other? For me, the two ways to assess student learning depend on the student. I have spent many years working with students that are nonverbal and early communicators with a device. For my students with little to no verbal communication, primarily, I test them using receptive language. I ask a question and they point to the picture, word, item, etc. For my students with some verbal to fully verbal skills, I primarily use expressive language. This allows the student to use higher thinking skills. They typically have to formulate a response that directly relates to the question. I do not rely solely on one type of assessment for my students. I make sure I use a variety of questioning techniques for all students. If you are looking for an assessment that works on receptive and expressive skills to assess student growth, check out my Basic Life Skills Assessment. Have you considered using virtual check-ins to support your students?