Blog #6 Checklist, Rating Scales, Rubrics

Informal evaluations are useful tools for teachers to use when they need specific information about their students.  I think informal evaluations are very important, and to me are the best ways to test children and get authentic results.  This chapter talks about three main informal evaluations; checklist, rating scales, and rubrics.  Depending on what grade level you are teaching, tells the teacher what evaluation would be the best for your classroom.  I can say that I could probably see myself using checklist and rating scales in my classroom.  I like them because they are practical and easy to use.  I like that I can tailor them to fit my needs, and that they provide immediate feedback.  When reading the conflicts about informal assessment results case I was surprised that the second grade teacher said that the first grade students don’t know the objectives to be passed to second grade.  Can’t all teachers say that?  Not just first, second, or third.  Students lose the objectives during the summer if they don’t have parents, or summer programs that challenge them enough to maintain and keep all the content that they learned throughout the year.  My question is, don’t second grade students have objectives that need to be passed to move on to the third grade?

Any evaluation has advantages and disadvantages, you just have to decide what assessment works better for your style of teaching and would work in your classroom.

When they talk about the rating scales and a disadvantage being rater bias, what do they actually mean by rater bias?  I understand that these assessments don’t exactly replace their actual performance so how do they become rater bias?

My final question when reading the chapter was about rubrics.  When the chapter talked about students using rubrics, how do the students use the rubrics in elementary?  Do they actually let the students check themselves in elementary when they are doing homework?

I liked this chapter and I know that I plan to use a diverse system of assessment when trying to assess how my students are doing.  What might work with one student or class one year might not work the next year.  Teachers are supposed to be flexible and willing to not only teach diverse lessons, but also be diverse when assessing them.

Blog #5 - Observations

I believe that observation is the best way to assess how a child is learning and developing.  This allows the teacher to observe the child’s behavior and the teacher getting to know the child as an individual.  Observation is important for pre-k and primary age because it’s the most direct way to see how or if the child is progressing in learning or developing.

 When reading about using technology while observing, I wondered if we can videotape a student without getting parental consent first.

 I believe the advantages of informal assessment do outweigh the disadvantages.   The text said that the focus of the classroom assessment is to encourage students to produce knowledge, rather than to reproduce knowledge.  Piaget’s believed that children construct knowledge; assessments can stress the child’s active involvement in learning, which is displayed through performance of tasks or examples of work, rather than through assessments that are limited to mastering the skill.  When reading this, I wondered, why do we have standardized testing if it really limits their learning.  Anecdotal records are quick and easy to do.  The running records give a better snapshot of what has occurred over a period of time and really is a great tool to aid the teacher in what and if the child is developing and learning.  When reading, I wondered if anecdotal records are used for more than just the behavior of a child.  Can anecdotal records be used to record how they are doing in reading or math?  You could put post-it notes in their file about other observations other than just behavior.  To me, the informal assessment allows the child to act in a normal way, and they feel comfortable doing so, and the teacher in turns gets a more accurate example of what the child can do.  

Blog #4 Using and Reporting Standardized Test Results

The two main concepts the book talks about in this chapter are the norm-referenced test and the criterion-referenced test.  In this chapter it talks about how to analyze the information gathered from the test scores and then how to improve curriculum and instruction.  It also describes the differences between the two tests.   Both tests are important and I feel that I will be using both in my classroom.  The norm-referenced tests could be used in preschool or primary grades.  Norm-referenced test are used to measure achievement and this is important to know where your student is and whether or not they are grasping the content. 

The criterion-referenced tests are used more for developmental screening and diagnostic evaluation.  An example of how I would use a criterion-referenced test in my classroom would be the DIBELS.  Last semester in Fair Play I used the DIBEL test to examine literacy in one of the third graders in my classroom.  It really gave me a good picture of where that student was in her fluency, story retelling and general idea of how her reading skills were.  The Early Screening Inventory would be a great screening tool that I could use in my classroom if I was to teach Kindergarten.   This test really helps the teacher to know whether or not they are ready to move on to the first grade and if they grasp all the content learned in Kindergarten. I feel that I would use the criterion-referenced tests more than the norm-referenced test because the norm-referenced is more the performance of one student compared to another student.  The criterion-referenced test is more the performance of one student. 

One of my questions is how would I really use the norm-referenced tests in my classroom as a kindergarten or first grade teacher?  When reading about how to interpret the test scores I wondered when we assess our children will we need to figure the bell-shaped findings? or will that be figured for us.  I mean do we send the test in and does the state grade and determine where each student is?  My final question when reading this chapter was, how often and when exactly do we assess our students?

Blog #3 Standardized Tests

In the book, Mrs. Wortham talks about some of the concerns with assessing young children.  One of them is making sure that they are assessed one on one.  This is difficult in the classroom setting if there are not enough teachers to do this.  One on one assessment is easier for the child to stay focused.  Another concern with assessing young children is their short attention span.  You have to make the assessment short, to the point, and get them out of there quickly.  Finally, the last concern would be the willingness to respond to an unknown examiner.  Sometimes, when the child is shy or not used to talking to strangers they will hesitate to answer or even communicate with someone that they do not know.

I think the most important thing to remember when choosing a standardized test is the purpose of the test.  You have to state a rationale for the test, what you hope to measure, and then what you will do with the results.  I think as long as we examine the test manual and it states the purpose of the test clearly, it will be the right assessment for the student. 

My first question I had when reading this chapter was about the intelligence test.  Do we just give this test when we think a child might have a learning disability?  Or do we administer an intelligence test to everyone? My next question was not really pertaining to the reading, it was just a question in general to the standardized testing.  I thought that students under the third grade did not take standardized testing like the MAP testing…. So, are these standardized tests different from the MAP test that they start in the third grade?  It seems like all the standardized test are designed to help students with learning disabilities, are there just regular test for students in the early grades before third grade?

Blog #2- Assessment- How It Should Be

In my opinion, the most important principle of assessment should benefit the child and improve learning.  I think that most assessments are done so that schools get funding.   Some teachers are only teaching to the test and the students are left behind.   If the assessment is truly to benefit the child, then assessments are crucial.  Assessments are beneficial to preschoolers getting into the program.   Another strength of assessments are if the child has a learning or speaking delay, assessments can help them diagnose what is wrong and help them move in the right direction with the student for their success.

I think the ongoing assessment is the most important because it is continuous throughout the year. Formative assessments are ongoing and they access where a student is and where they need to go next.  This to me is very important in helping our student succeed in becoming a successful student.  I also agree with the summative assessment where it monitors how the student is at the end of the year and where they need to go next year.  All these assessments I just mentioned will only strengthen my task on being the most successful teacher I can be and reach the needs of all my diverse learners.  If I know what the students’ strengths and weaknesses are then I will be able to support my student successfully.

One of the questions I had when reading this chapter was:  If we see a problem that a student is having like on the Margie Phillips case (having trouble copying information from the board), do we refer the student and family to a professional outside the school district like the book suggested or do we handle it within the school district?

Secondly, if we have a special needs student in our classroom and they cannot be assessed like the rest of the class, do we wait until their aid can help since we have to assess them orally?

Lastly, this question does not really pertain to the reading but, I have a friend who is an aid in a school district and she says that there are some students who cannot physically or mentally perform any of the assessments and she has to do them for her.  Is this right?  Should we be filling out the assessment for them?  What would we learn from this? or is this only for our benefit as a district?

Blog # 1 Overview of Assessment

When I read chapter 1 in the textbook, the concept that stood out the most to me, was how important assessments really are.  The textbook said that even medical doctors do a form of assessment or diagnosis when they are examining a patient for an illness.   As an educator, we need to be able to evaluate whether our curriculum is meeting the needs of all students.   I need to be sure that my students are developing skills in language and mathematics and not just assessing at the end of a lesson but before, during and after a lesson.  Assessment allows educators to help diagnose a developmental delay or identify causes for poor performance in learning.  In reading this chapter I did not realize that standardized testing had been around since the 1900's.  I guess that goes to show you that assessment really has been around for a long time.

      I learned from my reading that without our scientist, and child behavior studies we would not know the importance of assessing what the students are learning.   Also, without early assessment in day cares and preschools we would not be able to help our students overcome or even diagnose the issues they have to be a successful learner.   I guess I did not realize that Charles Darwin was a leader in the development of the child movement.  To be honest, I did not realize he studied children at all. I remember Darwin in science or evolution, but not the child study movement.  

When I was reading about the NCLB, I wandered if they have plans to change the act after they have seen that penalizing districts for the performance does not fix the problem.  I know a lot of teachers have pretty strong opinions against the act. 

 I liked the stories of Head Start and the little boy who did not have regular checkups as a baby.  Without early childhood intervention, may it be just regular checkups or early educational programs, our children’s learning disabilities might not be detected so early and easily corrected. 

      In the textbook, Wortham also conveyed that without the laws for children with handicap, our children would not be mainstreamed into the regular classroom.  I believe that all students, no matter what disability they have, deserve the right to an education within the regular classroom.