Personalizing Progress: Balancing Data and Holistic Growth for SEN

Measuring and Labelling Beyond Academic Achievement

Think of two children you know. Now describe those two children, their attributes, interests, personality and wellbeing. In your head, you are slowly building a profile of the strengths and positives of that child. The characteristics that make them as a whole. You might be thinking of future careers they may enjoy. These are probably aspirational ideals. If you are thinking about your own child you might of stated you “just want them to be happy”.

This is not a statement where “just” is an appropriate adverb, this is a seriously aspirational objective for young people with SEN (Special educational needs). The social, emotional, and academic skills needed to achieve this are many and varied. Moreover, the ability to apply these in the correct situations to determine future happiness is an incredibly nuanced and difficult task.

As a teacher, I am required to build up a profile of the children I teach. I have many profiles for each child, the one I share with parents in which I build a portfolio of their skills, achievements, successes and anecdotes. I like this one it’s meaningful and accessible and paints a picture of the individual. The assessment profile defined by attainment, identifies areas to focus on in planning and lessons, for teachers and support staff. With careful analysis, this can identify strengths and inform teaching methods & support requirements. I have yet to meet the parent who wants to see this in detail.

EHCP Outcomes

Legally speaking I must set my student’s outcomes (EHCP) to make progress. Can these be achievable but still convey the high expectations needed? Can they be aspirational but not set the child up to fail? I would love to hear your views on this.

Target setting in SEN is a whole other blog but label them as you wish, target, outcomes or objectives. These are often linked to the official data that follows them throughout the school. Data is to all intents despite assessment without levels still a quantitative measure of progress (most of my students are still using P-Scales). Data places children into categories, quartiles and other groupings that don’t reflect the individual’s personality, their hard-earned successes or self-esteem-boosting achievements. Ofsted is due to visit this term. I hope they ask for the stories behind the Data.

10 ways to measure progress for Special Educational Needs (SEN) pupils

Individual Education Plans (IEPs)

• Benefits: Tailored to each student’s needs; specific, measurable goals; involves parents and teachers.
• Cons: Time-consuming to create and update; may not cover all areas of progress; relies on accurate, ongoing assessment.

Standardized Tests

• Benefits: Provides a benchmark against broader standards; objective measurement; useful for identifying specific areas of need.
• Cons: May not account for individual learning differences; can cause stress; not always reflective of true abilities.

Observational Assessments

• Benefits: Naturalistic setting; captures a range of skills and behaviours; flexible.
• Cons: Subjective; requires skilled observers; time-intensive.

Portfolios

• Benefits: Comprehensive view of student work over time; includes various forms of evidence; encourages self-reflection.
• Cons: Labor-intensive to compile and review; subjective evaluation; may lack standardized criteria.

Teacher Assessments and Checklists

• Benefits: Tailored to classroom activities; frequent and ongoing; specific to individual progress.
• Cons: Subjective; teacher bias; may vary in rigor and consistency.

Peer Assessments

• Benefits: Encourages social interaction; provides different perspectives; can motivate students.
• Cons: May be inaccurate; potential for bias; can be difficult for SEN pupils to understand and engage with.

Self-Assessments

• Benefits: Promotes self-awareness and responsibility; helps pupils set personal goals; encourages reflection.
• Cons: May be challenging for some SEN pupils; requires guidance and support; subjective.

Progress Monitoring Tools (e.g., software programs)

• Benefits: Provides data-driven insights; can be tailored to individual needs; often engaging for students.
• Cons: Requires technology access; can be costly; may not capture all areas of progress.

Behavioural Tracking

• Benefits: Focuses on social and emotional development; helps identify patterns; can be used to set behavioural goals.
• Cons: Can be subjective; time-consuming; may require specialized training.

Parental Feedback

• Benefits: Involves parents in the educational process; provides insights into home behaviour and learning; strengthens school-home connection.
• Cons: Can be subjective; not all parents may be equally involved; may not always align with school observations.

By combining multiple methods, educators can create a more comprehensive picture of a SEN pupil’s progress, balancing the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.