Goal Attainment Scaling as a Useful Tool for Evaluating Progress in Special Education

Abstract

Goal attainment scaling is presented as a method to assist special educators to become accountable and effective and to increase the likelihood that special education will become student centered rather than method centered. The method involves devising a set of goals with involved persons, assigning weights to these goals, developing a set of expected outcomes for each goal, scoring the outcomes, and calculating a summary score of the outcomes across the goals. Both individual progress and program effectiveness can be assessed regardless of theoretical orientation. Mutual determination of goals and their weightings insures relevance and meaning to parents, teachers, and students. Visibility and clarity meet administrative needs. The scoring system enables research questions to be answered, while overall evaluation enables administrators to make program decisions. Examples of specific scales applicable to special education are presented and several methods for scoring are illustrated.