Assessing learning for students with special educational needs and disabilities in times of disruption

Abstract

During COVID-19 lockdowns, teachers worldwide had to quickly adapt to emergency remote teaching, impacting their instruction and assessment practices. This transition resulted in increased perceived workloads for teachers. Through a moderated mediation model using data from 3675 Portuguese teachers, this study found that the relationship between teachers’ adaptation to remote teaching and their perceived workloads was mediated by instruction and assessment. Moreover, changing assessment methodologies, as proposed in an emergency assessment policy, moderated this relationship. However, for special education teachers, these changes did not moderate the relationship, suggesting that their challenges extended beyond assessment adjustments. These findings emphasize the unique difficulties faced by special education teachers and the importance of avoiding a one-size-fits-all assessment policy in future disruptive events.