 As
a teacher, it is my duty to assess my students' progress in all stages
of instruction. I use several varieties of formative assessment to
identify which teaching strategies are most effective, areas of
weakness that need to be addressed and strong points which can be used
to encourage students. Summative assessment is carefully
structured to align with the priorities and objectives of each lesson.
In response to No Child Left Behind, my exercises and tests are also
designed to reflect the structure of standardized state assessments. |
I always strive to use material that my students find
interesting and applicable to their own lives. An
excellent example is the
test on
reading schedules and charts for my 9th and 10th grade
remedial math class. The test was based on data about local interests that my students would
immediately recognize
and to which they could easily relate:
- the bus to the local mall
- the local hockey team game schedule
- distances to nearby cities
- McDonald's food
|
|
It is essential that students
know exactly what is expected of them. In my initial
lesson on word problems, I presented students with the
rubric which I would use in their evaluation. The
test from that chapter shows examples of many aspects that I
include in my summative assessments:
- Point values are listed and assessment rubrics are
included.
- Whenever possible, subjects and local references with
which my students are familiar are used.
- The test includes multiple-choice questions in the style
of the state assessments.
- Review questions from previous chapters are spiraled
into the test.
- Microsoft Word and Equation Editor were used to ensure
that the test is neat and legible.
|
I work with my students to develop their metacognitive skills.
I ask them to verbalize and often write down exactly what
processes they are following and why. This achieves
several goals:
- Students are encouraged to think deliberately and
systematically.
- Literacy is encouraged in the content area.
- Students are prepared for open-ended questions on state
assessments.
- As instructor, I can formatively assess their thinking.
Here is an example of a 9th grade student's
work
on a bell-ringer problem. Can you find his mistake?
Because his work was so clearly written, he was immediately able
to identify and correct his own error. |
