Classroom Assessments: Essential Educational Tools
Context:
This entry is comprised of several artifacts showing different assessments used during my student teaching experience in first grade. Among them are writing and mathematics assessments that show improvement and development of subject matter over time, as well as a reading assessment that is used to track individual development on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
UW TEP Goals and Targets:
Goal 1: Effective Teaching, Assessment and Evaluation
Learning Target 1D: Subject Matter Assessment
The TEP student will understand and use formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support learners' development of concepts, thinking/inquiry strategies, and strategies of communicating in the disciplines.
Throughout my student teaching, I gained experience with several different assessment techniques and strategies. The assessments I found to be most beneficial were those that gave evidence of improvement and development over time. These were assessments that I could actually sit down with the students and say, ''Look how much you have improved!'' The kids were able to see and understand their improvement and this was exciting for them. Assessments such as these become a great motivation for the students, while at the same time showing the teacher that his or her instruction was on track and worthwhile.
Goal 2: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
Learning Target 2D: Assessment of Development
The TEP student will understand and use formal and informal assessment strategies to ensure the continuous social, emotional and physical development of the learner.
This continuous assessment of development became increasingly important to me throughout my student teaching. I realized that assessments were not only concerned with how students were progressing, but they were also a reflection of my teaching and the degree to which I was reaching all students and meeting the needs of each individual in the class. Reading development, in particular, was a challenge because it was a daily focus. It was necessary for me to know what each student was reading and how they were progressing with the text. Some children needed more direct help than others, and it was my job to be aware of everyone's needs and to provide support to every student.
Reflection:
The various examples provided in this artifact demonstrate two important aspects of assessment for me. They represent the differences (and similarities) between assessing growth over time and assessing daily development and progression. The writing and math assessments are informal inventories of student abilities at different points during the school year. They would be insightful entries in a student portfolio, the goal of which would be to show a student's growth throughout the school year and make sense of student work in a larger context. The reading assessment artifact, however, shows a different approach. It is a record of book-reading progress that begins in September and is carried out through the end of the school year. The books being read are leveled by letters, which also correspond to the number levels of the Direct Reading Assessment (DRA), a district-wide assessment of reading. This assessment is able to formally and continuously record how students are progressing in reading and comprehension skills according to a district standard. At the same time, it serves as a practical way for a teacher to document and keep track of student progress, always being aware of where students are at currently, where they need to be, and how to support them along the way.
Each form of assessment highlights growth and accomplishment in a different way. For example, portfolios can become purposeful collections of student work that tell the story of a student's effort, progress, and achievement in a given area over time. Portfolios are beneficial because they allow students to become directly aware of their own learning and progress, making them a form of personal development. According to Ellen Potter (1999), portfolios and assessments that show growth over time, give students the opportunity to ''look back on their earlier work and to reflect proudly upon their progress'' (p. 210). This reflection is important to student learning, as it gives students a ''real sense of accomplishment'' (Potter, 1999, p. 210). Assessments similar to the reading record I described take these ideas of tracking progress and improvement even further. In this form of assessment, students are actually able to monitor their own progress and to challenge themselves to continue improving. In this way, not only is the teacher assessing student development, but the students are also assessing their own development and taking control of their own learning. For example, the first graders I worked with knew the ''secret'' that all good readers know: Good readers read a book over and over again. They were also aware of how to know if they were ready to change book tubs (i.e. move to harder books). They asked themselves three questions: Do I know all the words in the book? Do I read with a quick pace? Can I retell what I read? Knowing these things was empowering for the students and made assessment a shared activity. This awareness of their own development and learning is important, as ''children need to know that they're making progress and that their abilities are appreciated'' (Kamii, 1990, p. 121). Furthermore, similar to the sense of accomplishment derived from reflecting on achievement presented in a portfolio, being in tune with the process and results of literacy evaluation can bring children ''greater access to the pleasure and benefits of reading'' (Kamii, 1990, p. 134).
Both types of assessment mentioned have a common goal in mind - allowing students to be more involved in their own learning and responsible for their own progress. Additionally, each allows students to witness improvement, which leads to pride in their accomplishments, an important factor in how much enjoyment and satisfaction they are able to glean from school. By being involved in their own learning, my hope is that this important concept reaches my students: Learning is fun! This directly relates back to one of my core beliefs about teaching, that school should be a non-threatening place where students can build on moments of success and where learning is an enjoyable and exciting endeavor. When students are challenging themselves and are excited by the process, they are beginning to understand that learning and being a learner is not only fun, but it is also a lifelong process. Assessments in my future classrooms will be designed with this knowledge in mind, so that children can take control of their education, be proud of their successes, and share with others a passion for learning.
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