Reflection Prompt 5 How has technology impacted or changed your classroom assessment and evaluation? Has your data collection methodology changed with technology? If technology has not impacted your assessment and evaluation, what would you like to change? Discuss technology and your own productivity and professional practice.
1. Description. Briefly describe your experiences (class activities, reading assignment, your school or job experiences). Do this in a descriptive rather than a judgmental way (merely record events without editorializing or agreeing or disagreeing). Make connections.
Classroom assessment, evaluation, and data collection have become a focus at my school, and probably many schools in the United States. We do baseline testing at the beginning of the year to determine what the students know. Throughout the school year the students are tested at least three more times, winter, spring, and end of the year, to see if their knowledge has increased. The students are tested on their math and reading skills using AimsWeb. They are tested on their reading comprehension using Accelerated Reader and math using ALEKS. They are also tested in language arts using assessments from the Treasures program. The students also take the Terra Nova assessments and the OAA in the spring. The OAA will soon be replaced by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers; the PARCC assessments which are designed to help students know if they will be ready for college or a career when they graduate. Assessments and data collection are a hot topic right now because many people believe that this is the way to make schools and teachers accountable. The assessments and the data from the assessments provide teachers with information to help them with their lesson planning and instruction and parents with information about their child's progress.
2.Impact. Tell what you have learned (or confirm what you had already believed, or how what you have learned differs from what you believed). How do you feel about what you learned?
With the addition of the PARQQ Assessments and SLO's, teachers are experiences many changes in the education system. While I believe the Common Core State Standards will greatly impact student learning, teachers need more time to prepare for PARQQ, SLO's, and new curriculum. Teachers also need training and the right tools and resources to help make the implementation of the Common Core successful.
There are also dangers to an over-emphasis on testing students. Many students are feeling the pressure of all this testing. If their scores are low they get upset and their self-esteem and self-worth suffer. The sheer number of tests and the frequency of those tests could eventually inhibit the learning process. Teachers need to be aware of the effects that an over-emphasis on testing has on students and the learning process. The other danger of testing and assessments is the affect it could have on the livelihood of teachers. Many teachers are concerned that half of their evaluation is based on state assessments. Teachers are feeling the pressure of one assessment that could eventually determine if they keep their job.
3.Intent. Make a statement about what you intend to do as a result of your learnings and feelings. BE SPECIFIC! Phrase this in a personal and positive way ("what I will do is . . ." rather than "what I won't do is . . .").
As a result of what I have learned I want to use assessments that improve student learning. Instead of just using the traditional assessments of multiple choice, true/false, and short responses, I want to also use authentic assessments. Those authentic assessments include performing a task, portfolios, e-portfolios, and oral and mulit-media presentations. Authentic assessments are valuable because they are real-life scenarios where students are applying what they have learned instead of recalling it. They also engage the students in higher-order thinking.
I want to use Schoology, Google Forms, and survey websites like Poll Everywhere and Survey Monkey to help me collect and organize data. I also want to utilize Project Based Learning in my classroom and Collaborative problem-solving where students work together to solve a common challenge and exchange ideas, knowledge and resources to achieve the goal. These types of assessments will also measure the 21st Century Skills the students need to acquire.
Finally, I intend to plan my lessons differently to maximize student learning. I intend to utilize the backwards planning approach. In this approach I would start where I want my students to end. In other words, I would start with the goals of the lesson. What specifically do I want my students to know. When I have determined the goals, I would plan the activities around the goals. Next, I would integrate mini/short assessments along the way to check for learning. Lastly, the students would work on an authentic real-life assessment so I can determine if the students has met the goals.
Below is a website that made sense to me why traditional assessments might not accurately measure what a student has learned.
How has technology impacted or changed your classroom assessment and evaluation? Has your data collection methodology changed with technology? If technology has not impacted your assessment and evaluation, what would you like to change? Discuss technology and your own productivity and professional practice.
1. Description. Briefly describe your experiences (class activities, reading assignment, your school or job experiences). Do this in a descriptive rather than a judgmental way (merely record events without editorializing or agreeing or disagreeing). Make connections.
Classroom assessment, evaluation, and data collection have become a focus at my school, and probably many schools in the United States. We do baseline testing at the beginning of the year to determine what the students know. Throughout the school year the students are tested at least three more times, winter, spring, and end of the year, to see if their knowledge has increased. The students are tested on their math and reading skills using AimsWeb. They are tested on their reading comprehension using Accelerated Reader and math using ALEKS. They are also tested in language arts using assessments from the Treasures program. The students also take the Terra Nova assessments and the OAA in the spring. The OAA will soon be replaced by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers; the PARCC assessments which are designed to help students know if they will be ready for college or a career when they graduate. Assessments and data collection are a hot topic right now because many people believe that this is the way to make schools and teachers accountable. The assessments and the data from the assessments provide teachers with information to help them with their lesson planning and instruction and parents with information about their child's progress.
2. Impact. Tell what you have learned (or confirm what you had already believed, or how what you have learned differs from what you believed). How do you feel about what you learned?
With the addition of the PARQQ Assessments and SLO's, teachers are experiences many changes in the education system. While I believe the Common Core State Standards will greatly impact student learning, teachers need more time to prepare for PARQQ, SLO's, and new curriculum. Teachers also need training and the right tools and resources to help make the implementation of the Common Core successful.
There are also dangers to an over-emphasis on testing students. Many students are feeling the pressure of all this testing. If their scores are low they get upset and their self-esteem and self-worth suffer. The sheer number of tests and the frequency of those tests could eventually inhibit the learning process. Teachers need to be aware of the effects that an over-emphasis on testing has on students and the learning process. The other danger of testing and assessments is the affect it could have on the livelihood of teachers. Many teachers are concerned that half of their evaluation is based on state assessments. Teachers are feeling the pressure of one assessment that could eventually determine if they keep their job.
3. Intent. Make a statement about what you intend to do as a result of your learnings and feelings. BE SPECIFIC! Phrase this in a personal and positive way ("what I will do is . . ." rather than "what I won't do is . . .").
As a result of what I have learned I want to use assessments that improve student learning. Instead of just using the traditional assessments of multiple choice, true/false, and short responses, I want to also use authentic assessments. Those authentic assessments include performing a task, portfolios, e-portfolios, and oral and mulit-media presentations. Authentic assessments are valuable because they are real-life scenarios where students are applying what they have learned instead of recalling it. They also engage the students in higher-order thinking.
I want to use Schoology, Google Forms, and survey websites like Poll Everywhere and Survey Monkey to help me collect and organize data. I also want to utilize Project Based Learning in my classroom and Collaborative problem-solving where students work together to solve a common challenge and exchange ideas, knowledge and resources to achieve the goal. These types of assessments will also measure the 21st Century Skills the students need to acquire.
Finally, I intend to plan my lessons differently to maximize student learning. I intend to utilize the backwards planning approach. In this approach I would start where I want my students to end. In other words, I would start with the goals of the lesson. What specifically do I want my students to know. When I have determined the goals, I would plan the activities around the goals. Next, I would integrate mini/short assessments along the way to check for learning. Lastly, the students would work on an authentic real-life assessment so I can determine if the students has met the goals.
Below is a website that made sense to me why traditional assessments might not accurately measure what a student has learned.
http://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/msd/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/authentic_assessment.pdf