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4. How
have you applied a variety of strategies and educational technology to
strengthen assessment in classrooms and schools? How might the involvement in
the assessment process by families and other professionals be enhanced using
technology? Schools and teachers have an
obligation to all of their students to provide the best education
possible. Students need to be prepared
for the world around them, but need to know how what they are learning
applies to their everyday lives.
Students do not take lessons or tests seriously when they feel it is
irrelevant to their lives and future.
Teachers and schools need to assess their students’ knowledge and
progress to see if the students are receiving the best education
possible. These assessments need to be
varied, so teachers can get a decent picture of their students’ understanding
and not just the students’ talents in regurgitating facts. Parents need to be
actively involved in their child’s education for a student to truly achieve
the best education possible. Parents
and teachers need to form a partnership to ensure the children are gaining
the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in future endeavors. Data from tests can be used by
teachers to help identify weaknesses in the curriculum as well as the
individual students (Herman & Dietel, 2005). I
use the results of a variety of assessment methods to identify weaknesses in
my instruction and to help individual students strengthen certain
concepts. I use the results of tests
and other assessment tools to evaluate if students need more time on a
concept and what areas I need to re-teach to strengthen the students’
weaknesses. I also use the results of
the assessments to evaluate my teaching and the set up of the
curriculum. I have tried to foster
parents’ active involvement with their child’s education and participation in
their schooling. With the strong
support system that can be built with the partnership of teachers and
parents, students have a much better chance of succeeding. I have applied a variety of
strategies and technology tools to assess my students. The students are given standardized tests,
end of the unit tests, and performance based assessments that allow them to
reflect and self-assess. When student
teaching, I created a test, using Word, to assess my students’ understanding
of the sound unit we had just completed.
I have also used alternative assessment tools, such as experiments and
maps, to allow students to convey their understanding of a concept. In the future, I will also use other
alternative assessment tools such as: journals, letters, model construction,
oral reports, and Internet transmissions (“Alternative/Performance-Based Assessment,” 2006). Rubrics have also been used to help assess
students’ writing. I will begin to use
portfolios and e-portfolios to help students self-assess their progress
throughout the year and to help me and future teachers assess the progress
they make. A student’s grade should not only
consist of scores on the various assessments, but also on participation in
class and passing in homework.
Homework is a good tool for me to assess if the students are grasping
a concept or if they need more instruction.
Homework also allows me to see which students are putting there best
effort forth and which students need more motivation to learn. Projects and papers have also been
incorporated into my classroom as a tool to assess my students’
understanding. When student teaching,
every student in my class had to create a state project to show their understanding
of the culture and symbols of a state which is different from the one in
which they live. Future projects done
with my students can incorporate technology into their learning. I will give my students the opportunity to
create PowerPoint presentations to show their knowledge of a concept. Students will also be given the opportunity
to use Word and the Internet to write research papers. This will allow students to further their
understanding on a topic while showing me they have the basic understanding
of the skill and that they are capable of being life long learners. A couple times a year, I will give students
the chance to create plays and short stories of their own that they can share
with younger students. The plays and
short stories will be on a topic we have discussed in class, but students
will have the chance to be creative with the topic and show if they truly
understand the concepts. These types
of projects can be used to integrate more than one subject into one
project. Students will be given the
option to choose from a list of assessments for any given project, but will
not be allowed to do the same type more than once (See Appendix
I). Rubrics,
given out beforehand, will be used for papers and projects. Rubrics provide a scoring guide,
which can be qualitative or quantitative, for reports and projects. A rubric should be specific on its
intentions; is it being used as a guide for student feedback or for a
numerical score. Rubrics need to allow
for a full range of knowledge and skills with clear indicators of what is
expected at each level (“Automating Authentic Assessment with Rubrics,”
2001). Before beginning any paper, my students are shown a generic rubric
that is used to grade their papers. I
then assess my students’ final product using the criteria mentioned in the
rubric. The rubric is also used by both
the students and me. Students assess their own paper by filling in a rubric.
I use the rubrics to assess the effectiveness of my students’ work and to
also provide feedback on the project or papers. I will start using rubrics to grade
projects, and create a rubric that has unique characteristics for different
types of papers. I will also allow
students to assess each other’s projects by filling in the rubric as one
presents (See Appendix J). Students learn best through
experience and direct instruction, so they need to be given the opportunity
to explore concepts hands-on (Bruning, Schraw, Norby, & Ronning, 2004).
While student teaching in fourth grade, I provided students with the
opportunity to explore scientific concepts through experiments, while
teaching a unit on sound. I also
conducted an experiment with a third grade class which asked them to use
their senses to identify objects in a canister. During the experiments, students were asked
to fill out worksheets, or lab reports, so they were able to discuss what they
learned with the class after the experiment (See Appendix K). I
will continue to use experiments to help me assess if students are grasping
concepts in science. I will also have students use Excel in both math and
science to create tables and graphs of their own that pertain to the topics
at hand. I currently use
manipulatives, such as base 10 blocks and fraction tiles, in math, so
hands-on students can demonstrate their understanding of a topic. Portfolios can be used to help
assess students’ progress. I will
continue to administer tests, but portfolios will also begin to play a role
in students’ grades. Portfolios allow for students to self-reflect on their
work and for teachers to be able to assess understanding and growth without
limiting creativity. Parents and the
community will also be able to measure their child’s progress in the context
of the curriculum instead of just by seeing grades. Portfolios allow students to be held more
accountable for all their work. There are many pros and cons to portfolios,
but once I am able to form an effective method for portfolio assessment, it
will be beneficial to all (Epstein, 2006).
I would like to also incorporate e-portfolios into my classroom. Students will be asked to create an
e-portfolio to place on the class website.
E-portfolios allow students to showcase their work for a wider
audience: parents, community, fellow students, and other teachers. Each student’s e-portfolio will contain personal
information, awards and certificates, assignments and projects,
self-reflection on assignments, and teacher comments. I will continue to incorporate a
variety of new assessment tools by using many other forms of assessments
along with the ones already discussed.
I will provide students with study guides before each test, so
students know what will be covered. I
will also try to incorporate discussions and blogs
onto the classroom webpage where students can discuss topics from class. Parental
involvement can have both negative effects and positive effects on students’
success in school and on assessments.
For this reason, I try to involve parents in the assessment process as
much as I can. While student teaching
in first and fourth grade, I sent letters home to parents to keep them
abreast of the units and topics being discussed (See Appendix L). In my classroom, I
will begin to take this one step further by sending letters and emails home
at the beginning of the year outlining my grading process, the classroom
rules, my expectations for my class, how they can help their child succeed,
and with information on the best way and time to contact me with any
questions, concerns, or for conversation in general. I will also create a classroom webpage that
students and parents can access. The
webpage will provide the classroom rules and policies, any upcoming projects
and tests, the homework for that night, and any other events occurring in the
class and school. Parents will also be
able to access the study guides and rubrics for upcoming tests and projects
(See Appendix C). I will send home, or email, letters to
parents that provide helpful hints on how to help their child prepare for
tests. Parents will be given bimonthly
progress reports, so they can see how the child is progressing and any issues
can be addressed before it is too late Some types
of assessments can kill student creativity through the practice of comparing
students’ scores to other students instead of focusing on how the student
compares to him/herself (Beghetto, 2005). In addition to the assessment tools I
already use, I will begin to incorporate a variety of assessments that not
only meet the state standards, but also encourage the use of creativity on
the part of the students. I will
promote healthy relationships and respect with parents by communicating often
with them about positives and concerns, by sharing specific expectations
early and regularly, and by letting parents know I appreciate their support
and follow-through at home (Brandes, 2005). |