Mid-Spring Semester Goal SettingThrough collaboration with my Collaborating Teacher and University Supervisor, I have set professional development goals to better my teaching. During my midterm evaluation, I identified assessment as an area of improvement. The Florida Educator Accomplished Practice associated with assessment is FEAP 4, which includes: The effective educator consistently: (a) *Analyzes and applies data from multiple assessments and measures to diagnose students’ learning needs, informs instruction based on those needs, and drives the learning process; (b) *Designs and aligns formative and summative assessments that match learning objectives and lead to mastery; (c) *Uses a variety of assessment tools to monitor student progress, achievement and learning gains; (d) *Modifies assessments and testing conditions to accommodate learning styles and varying levels of knowledge; (e) *Shares the importance and outcomes of student assessment data with the student and the student’s parent/caregiver(s); (f) *Applies technology to organize and integrate assessment information. Through my participation in this quarter's Parent-Teacher conference night, I have met FEAPS 4e. Additionally, through composing various literacy portfolios and English Language Learner case studies I have contributed to the accomplishment of FEAPS 4a. I have evaluated student performance of the entire class with varying assessments: the Primary Spelling Inventory, the Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation, Running Records, Miscue Analysis' and weekly Sight Word checklists. Also, I have given Unit Tests in math or science to students who were absent on the original testing days. In those scenarios, I have been able to meet FEAPS 4d, by accommodating student's preferences for learning. Most of the lessons I have taught thus far do not call for summative assessments. However, varying my formative assessment methods is an area for potential improvement in the classroom. Assessment is a requirement in all schools, but providing students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in meaningful ways promotes student success, effective teaching and improved student attitude. My collaborating teacher suggested exit tickets, taking notes during instruction or including a checklist of objectives to offer variety in formative assessment. My supervisor has provided countless resources to develop my understanding of various assessment methods. In order to further my own learning about assessment, I researched the topic. Assessment has always been a word students tremble at and from what I've heard from my teachers, they aren't shaking in excitement for testing either. Words Their Way clarified assessment from its' roots in Latin, "assidere", which means "to sit beside". Instead of seeing assessment as grading or standardized test scores, Classrooms That Work emphasized assessment is utilized to support grades being given. Assessment is also an indication of achievement, performance and growth. Analyzing assessment allows teachers to look through the window of student performance as an indication of their abilities. To determine instructional reading level or specific problem areas, diagnostic assessment is given. Summative assessment judges a student's competence or the program's effectiveness. Finally, formative assessment is used as a tool to inform instruction based on student needs. In classrooms were formative assessment is applied, I was surprised to read that standardized test scores are 15-25% higher. To tailor instruction to student needs, Words Their Way suggests differentiated instruction can be given by grouping students according to their instructional level. While in these groups, frustration or not being challenged implies students should be moved to a group more met to their level. I loved the "Circle-Seat-Center Schedule" included in Words Their Way that allows for differentiated instruction at various levels and differing study methods. Gregory and Chapman addressed assessment differentiation in One Size Doesn't Fit All. Differentiation is a belief system that educators hold to plan strategically and meet the needs of diverse learners to achieve targeted standards. The differentiated classroom considers the content, process of the learners and various products for the unique needs of students. Assessment tools should assess knowledge and interests prior to learning and be a blend of formal/informal strategies for ongoing assessment. Performance tasks can also be differentiated. In planning my remaining two observed lessons, I have varied my data collection of student comprehension formats. For my second Collaborative Teacher observation, I included in the lesson plan: Formative evidence of learning will result from student’s active participation in class, teacher observations and the student’s accuracy of completing the Decomposing Dominoes! worksheet. Also, students' ability to justify their reasoning orally will indicate understanding. Summative assessment will provide data of student as comprehension as students complete the Decompose This! activity sheet independently. Also, the end of unit test will further specify student’s level of learning. In order to track student understanding, I maintained a checklist during my second Collaborative Teacher observed lesson that included participation, student's abilities relative to the lesson objective (dominoes, number bonds, number sentences), student quotes and accuracy/completion of the worksheets. The checklist can be viewed below:
In the future, I plan to utilize differentiation in assessment. I hope to offer my students more performance tasks as a way to demonstrate their understanding. Also, I hope to consider learning styles when planning assessments. Testing in the way students learn best will guarantee all learners are presented equity in assessment. Finally, I will be integrating the use of technology for data analysis and keeping a running record of student's progress over time.
By including a checklist, I am able to ensure that every student is held responsible for participating and that students are provided equitable access to learning. Also, by their participation and ability to answer questions correctly, I am able to infer student's understanding. Having a single sheet with a record of student's behavior during the lesson is an excellent source for planning further lessons.
1 Comment
C. Banks
4/14/2016 05:22:04 pm
Fantastic Mekayla! Formative assessments are key to helping a teacher understand their students' thinking and to know where to go next in their teaching.
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