What teachers and administrators should know
about my
assessment philosophy!
To truly understand my assessment philosophy
it is necessary
for you to understand my students. I
work with a large variety of students.
Some of my students have been diagnosed with LD (learning
disabilities),
ED (emotionally disturbed), Autistic, SI (speech impaired), Downs
syndrome, and
ADD/ADHD. Some of my students also have
physical disabilities and have behavior issues that co-inside with
their
diagnosis. It is not uncommon for my
daily routine to consist of instructing students (first graders) in
printing
their name, initial consonant sounds, formation of letters, and
counting. I also deal with students who
have emotional
meltdowns and proceed to throw tables, chairs and virtually any thing
that they
can get their hands on.
When I hear the word TEST I know that I
personally get
very nervous and uneasy. So I believe in
giving ongoing assessments or several small assessments rather than one big test is more
beneficial for my students. I also try to
assess my students with out
them knowing that I am doing it. For
example, I tend to constantly check for students understanding of the
material
by asking strategic questions and asking students to explain things in
their
own words. I also assess students on a
daily basis by using their daily assignments, and class work.
When I do give typical tests I use familiar
pictures,
and materials. I will even use portions
of worksheets or past assignments as part of the test.
I also try to give short and concise tests
that can be completed with in one session.
Many of my students require one-to-one assistant to complete an
assignment or test. In regards to state
or standardized test, I expect my students to try their best to
complete the
test, but I tend to down play the importance of the assessment. I do this because I have found that some of
my students will become stressed when they are under pressure and
therefore
they will often brake down and not be able to complete the test.
I use the results of my daily assessments to
plan for
future lessons, and to evaluate my instructional practices.