Elise Johnson

Fall, 2003

EdPsych 490ASA

Week 2 Reflection

Types of Assessments Used in
Elise Johnson’s Fourth Grade Classroom and
in Passow School

When completing the chart with my own school and classroom information, I was amazed to see that I am providing a variety of assessment techniques on which to evaluate my students. However, it also pointed out some problem areas.

Though I do try to provide a range of different assessment tools, I realize that in some subjects, I often use the test provided by the textbook company. Many times, these tests are written above the level of my students. In the past, I have always had a few students who have difficulty reading any test, including the ISAT tests in Science and Social Studies. Here they are supposed to be tested on the content, yet because these students have difficulty reading the test, they often score very low. However, during class discussions about a topic, this same student shines because he/she is able to use his/her auditory and attention skills to help overcome these reading difficulties. When report cards are completed, I find it difficult to calculate grades, since the student should not be penalized in science, simply because reading the test did not allow him/her to demonstrate the understanding of the unit.
In the past, so many paper and pencil tests did not allow my students to necessarily demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. It was a rote memorization of the facts that they probably forgot when the test was completed. I have been teaching awhile, so learning new and appropriate assessment techniques has been difficult for me.

I would like to change my assessment techniques in science and social studies, where the students have to demonstrate their knowledge by completing a project or an experiment. Though I did explain in the chart that I do some of these types of assessments, I realize that I need to provide my students with more of the “hands-on” methods, especially since these are the concepts that they will remember much more than the memorized facts.

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Week 4 Reflection

After reading the article by Shepard, I had never understood just what was involved in a learning culture. It appears that quality teaching is definitely a prerequisite, but isn’t quality learning a big factor, too? I do use a few of the strategies outlined by Shepard, and feel that it is a combination of these strategies that help to make my classroom a success.

I am constantly giving my students feedback about how they could improve in their learning, and why a question was wrong, but often find that they are not interested why something was right or wrong, just what was the assessment outcome – a good or bad grade? Therefore, feedback as part of the learning culture does not always provide a useful role in the learning process.

Prior knowledge is a strategy that I often use at the beginning of the year, though I disagree with Shepard when she states that teachers “do not use information from the pretest in instruction”. (Shepard, p.11) If the teacher is not going to use the information, then why give the pretest? I find that prior knowledge really shapes the path that my curriculum will follow. Every year, I need to find out whether the students know their multiplication facts or do I need to teach a refresher? The answer is different every year, so my lesson plans need to reflect those changes. The students seem to be very calm during these tests, since they know that I am not using the test for a grade, but only a way of informing me of their past knowledge of the subject. On the other hand, since it doesn’t count for a grade, some students may not take it seriously and try their best.

When discussing the transfer strategy of the learning culture, the disadvantage is the time allotted to the unit being taught. Much as I would like to further my lessons by assessing whether my students will transfer their new knowledge to new situations, I find that I am out of time and need to move on to the next unit of study. We have so much to cover in one year (and so much is being tested on ISAT and ITBS tests), that I must admit that I often cannot take the time to see if a particular lesson will transfer. In Science and Math lessons, it seems to follow much more naturally to transfer what they have learned into new situations, since many of the concepts build on what was learned in the previous lesson.

I think the advantage of self-assessment would be that the student would not feel like he/she is being compared to the other students in the class and would only be concerned about how he/she is doing in the class. At the fourth grade level, I wonder just how many will truly be honest with their assessments and lie to get a good grade. (Many parents still pay their children for A’s) I have discussed this with other teachers who have used this method and was surprised to learn that their students were extremely honest and did a good job for the most part.

As far as the teaching evaluation strategy is concerned, I believe that most teachers are already involved in this aspect of the learning culture. I am constantly searching for a better way to teach various units so that my students will be more actively involved in the learning process. When I formally ask for feedback at the end of the year about how we can improve

I further researched the learning culture concept and found some recommendations that address improving the learning culture. One such quote said, “Whereas the teacher has the responsibility to apply effective teaching methods and learning tools, overall improvement in learning can take place only if the student responds responsibly to the teacher and applies the learning tools as instructed.” (Penn State Faculty Senate, 2001). To me, that says it all. The teacher has to have a strong relationship with the learner and vice-versa in order for true learning to take place.

Resources:

Penn State Faculty Senate, 2001, "Promoting a Vibrant Learning Culture," retrieved on September 18, 2003 at http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/vibrant.html

Shepard, Lorrie, "The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture," Educational Researcher, 2000, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 4-14, http://proxy2.library.uiuc.edu:2054/eres-7F6qw4/Shepard_role.pdf

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Week 5 Reflection

After reading this chapter, I am not sure that I have really been concerned with validity at all. I have found that after giving a test to my students, if the majority of the students perform well, then my test achieved its purpose. If the majority of the students did not do well, then I question whether I prepared them for the test enough or whether the test really tested the objectives for my unit. Only then do I worry whether the test is really valid and reliable.

Now I see that perhaps I need to really check to see if my teacher-made tests are really valid. First, I need to take into consideration the list of factors on page 100 in the course textbook. This list seemed to open up my eyes as to why some of my students might have trouble with the tests. I remember learning many of these in my undergrad education courses, but must admit it has been awhile and am glad to have this course as a refresher. Unclear directions, ambiguity, and improper arrangement of test items are a few of the factors that I need to take into consideration when I construct a new test (or change an old one!). I don’t usually pay any attention to the order that I arrange my test items. This was a new concept to me, one that I hadn’t thought of in the past. I do take into account that some students (especially those inclusion students) do need a bit more time than others when taking tests, so this is one factor that I have constantly put into practice.

I believe that I am also guilty of “overemphasizing the easy-to-assess aspects of domain at the expense of important, but hard-to-assess aspects” in the past. Since the onset of ISAT though, I have constantly tried to ask the higher-order thinking questions on many of my tests. My time is limited and with all of the paperwork required these days, I must admit that the multiple choice tests are easier for the teacher to score.

When my students are tested with the ISAT or the ITBS, I have yet to hear anyone question whether a test is valid or not. I recall the case of a particular student last year who was diagnosed with ADHD, yet his parents hesitated to put their child on medication. At the beginning of the ISAT testing, the student had difficulty completing any portion of the test. Before the ITBS testing started, the child was put on medication; that allowed him to concentrate. When the scores were received, the student’s ISAT scores put him in the Academic Warning level, while the ITBS scores were well above the average level. This is a good example of how these test results were not valid. Many times, I wonder about all of the pressure we put on our students to do well on tests, yet because of all of these and the other factors mentioned in the chapter, the students continue to have difficulty succeeding

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Week 6 Reflection

The standard error of measurement (SEM) is a statistic that estimates the amount of error a child earns on any test. It is based on the premise that there is a range of scores within a child’s “true” score. The true score can be obtained if the tests were reliable. The smaller the SEM, the more confident you can be in the test results. When looking at Table 5.6 (p. 122 in Linn & Gronlund), I determined that the standard error of measurement for the first set of scores was 6.2 and the standard error of measurement for the second set of scores was 3.6. This means that the first set of scores with an SEM of 6.2 has a wider range of error and that we would have less confidence in the obtained score. The SEM of the second set of scores (3.2), is smaller and therefore a more dependable measure of the student. This example further demonstrates that as the reliability coefficient increases for any given standard deviation, the SEM decreases. (Linn & Gronlund, p. 124)

Since the ISAT test manuals are sent back to the state immediately after the test, I was able to find some reliability information on the ISBE website in the Illinois State Assessment 2002 Technical Manual. Since I teach 4th grade, I was particularly interested in the Science and Social Studies reliability estimates. For both tests, the reliability coefficients were 0.92. Since the perfect coefficient is 1.00, it can be interpreted these tests are to be considered very reliable. I was glad to see that the state of Illinois has chosen a test that seems to be quite reliable in interpreting test results. I will be administering part of the ITBS next week to my class (so that we can hopefully show improvement by the time the entire test is administered in the spring), and I will definitely check that teacher’s manual to see how the reliability scores differ from the ISAT scores and how close they are to 1.0.

It has been quite awhile since I discussed reliability and validity with test scores, so this has been a good refresher for me. I do admit that I take note of specific students who are struggling for one reason or another during the standardized testing so as to perhaps find a reason for their lower scores. One example is when I had an ADHD student whose parents finally gave their child medication in the middle of the ISAT testing. The first 2 test scores were significantly lower than the last 2, indicating that the first tests may not have been a reliable indication of the student’s capabilities.

Being a fourth grade classroom teacher, I have relied in the past on the special education teachers to interpret the individual test scores given to my students, when they have learning problems in my classroom. They administer the tests, score the tests and then report the results to the SST (Student Support Team). Similarly, when the ISAT and ITBS tests are given to my entire class, I have always allowed the administrators to look at the reliability and validity factors and have only paid attention to the numerical scores and grade equivalents. I think I will be more aware of these factors in the future.

References:

Illinois State Assessment 2002 Technical Manual, p. 13-14, Illinois State Board of Education retrieved October, 2003 from http://www.isbe.net/assessment/PDF/2002ISATTech.pdf

Linn & Gronlund, Measurement and Assessment in Teaching, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 2000, p. 124

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Week 7 Reflection

Here are my suggestions for my group's projects.

Val –
Your assessments seem to be very thorough in your curriculum map. I am amazed that you have time to assess all of the students in so many areas! My only suggestion might be to allow the students to create a recipe of their own, demonstrating some of the lab specific skills you mentioned. Perhaps they could do a group project telling the steps one would have to follow from start to finish when cooking (and creating) a new recipe. They would have to demonstrate their knowledge of the skills you have taught so far and then actually make (and eat!) the dish that they have created. My rationale for this is what better way can they demonstrate to you whether or not they have learned the required skills except by being able to exhibit them? I did notice that you have included teacher observation in your assessment, but perhaps this can be an added way for your students to prove that they have fully understood your lesson.

This sounds like a great class that I wish I could have taken in high school. My daughter is in a Foods class now and is teaching me a few things! Good luck!

Kathy –

Since we both teach fourth grade, I am intensely interested in your project. Our tech curriculum is very vague, so I am always looking for new ways to enlighten my students!

I am interested in the Cybersmart curriculum you mention. Do all students in your school use this to promote internet safety? We just have a form to sign and have to remember to remind the students as we teach a lesson. Is the Internet quiz part of the curriculum or do you have to make it up yourself?

The Type to Learn system is definitely worthwhile, but how much lab time do you have to work on this? We have Ultra Key, but have very little time for projects if we work to establish accuracy. It is a constant dilemma for me.

For the part of the assessment where the students use internet sites – do you allow them to free surf and then bookmark sites? With all of the crazy links on the web, I am always worried about doing that. Do you think the Cybersmart is enough to make sure they don’t look at the “wrong” sites”?

What type of sites will the students research? The assessment rubric for the slide show would be good to see if they have incorporated all of the skills that you taught them about the program. I am wondering if you would like to use one of the projects I have used in the past? I developed it for one of our past CTER classes and it still works!! It is a project where the students research their birth date. Then they take that info and put it in an Inspiration organizer and finish up with a Hyperstudio slide show. Let me know and I will send you the URL.

My only question about this wonderful project is how will you find the time to complete this all by November? Do you have constant access to a lab? Do they work in groups? Great job, Kathy!

Heather –

What a thorough assessment schedule you have outlined! The students must be so motivated in your class!

Will you develop a rubric that will be able to be used for most of the projects outlined or will you have to develop one for every project? If so, that seems like a large amount of paperwork. You have planned such a variation of assessment techniques. Will the students evaluate themselves at one point? I often am surprised to see how honest they can be about their own work.

My only other concern is how much time the students are given to complete these projects. My daughter is an art major and I remember that each project took an enormous amount of time and effort. Will you be able to keep up with all of the assessments outlined? Perhaps some of the rubrics can be simplified for you and the student? I am a fourth grade teacher and with all of the subjects I teach, I find it difficult to keep up with all of the grading. I can’t imagine how it would be for a high school art class?

Way to go, Heather!

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Week 8 Reflection (Critique of Group Member's Assessment)

Val –
Here are the essay questions from your test. My critique follows:

Essay Questions

1. Outline two precautions one should take to prevent each of the following accidents:cuts, burns, choking, poisoning, and electrocution.

2. Discuss 5 means of preventing food borne illnesses.

Val,
As you stated in your entry, these are definitely low level objectives. The students seem to be asked to recall information presented by the teacher, similar to the rest of the test. In the first question, it asks the student to organize what they have learned in an outline and present the information in an orderly manner- first with cuts, then with burns, and so on. The second question has the student discuss 5 means of preventing food borne illnesses. Here, the teacher is asking for specific answers that have obviously been discussed in class. Both questions do not ask the student to express their ideas in any way. However, in such an important topic as safety and sanitation, there does not seem to be the need for the student’s interpretation. A rubric to score this essay would be easily constructed by the teacher since the questions have clear right or wrong answers.

In my opinion, these 2 essay questions are an important method for a teacher to assess their students’ readiness to continue with the rest of the course. The questions were easy to understand exactly what the teacher was expecting them to know.

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Week 9 Group Plan

Performance Assessment Plan

Travel Brochure Lesson Plan

Group 2
Elise Johnson, Valarie Pozen, Heather Shore, and Kathy Hickey

Purpose of Assessment: The purpose of the assessment is to provide evidence that students can communicate and organize information in creative form using visuals and written language.

Instructional Outcome/Objective: Students will gain an in depth understanding of the Grand Canyon and demonstrate the ability to transfer what they have learned in writing and illustrative forms.

Task/Activity: Students will create a travel brochure of the Grand Canyon creating illustrations and descriptive writing techniques.

Directions: The teacher will bring in and share books and illustrations of the Grand Canyon, and students will take notes and highlight important information to be used in the creation of a creative travel brochure. Teacher will include sharing information off the internet using an LCD projector to demonstrate the importance of the Grand Canyon in our national park system. Students will need paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, and markers.

Rubric:

Performance Assessment for Creating a Travel Brochure

Reliability and Validity

Below we will be looking closely at the validity and reliability of the project assignment and the rubric used in order to assess student performance.

Validity:

While looking at validity it is important to look at the lesson objectives.

“Students will gain an in depth understanding of the Grand Canyon and demonstrate the ability to transfer what they learned in writing and illustrative forms.”

How is this performance valid based on the objective? They key element found in the objective is “in depth” it would therefore be more valid to use performance assessment in order to assess this objective since performance assessment is better at assessing deeper cognitive thought such as application and organizational skills then a simple question and answer assessment. Also the use of a multiple skills type of assessment will better assess the second part of the objective in “ability to transfer what they learned in writing and illustrative forms.” The performance assessment designed for this unit takes into account the both the depth and range that is required for this material.

We have chosen to use a rated or numerical scaled rubric. We felt this would make the assessment results more valid than a checklist as the objective is more than simply process, but organization and incorporation of different areas as well. We felt using a more “tiered” rubric would allow for greater look at the connections between skills and processes.

Reliability:

In order to maintain reliability in the assessment of this performance task we decided that a numerical scored rubric would work better. By using a fairly specific, multi-content rubric we hoped to eliminate the chance for scoring error both by the same teacher as well as by multiple scorers. Although we felt the areas of visual and grammar we less specific we felt they were specific enough while leaving room for grade level differences (this means this rubric may be used at different grade level without having to change major areas. Teachers may make slight judgment changes based on the grade and level of the students whom are performing) The area of content was far more specific in it’s criteria. We felt it necessary to elaborate as much as possible in this area in order to increase reliability.
Looking at principles of effective rating in order to ensure reliability of results.

1. Characteristics should be educationally significant

Three areas of assessment can be found clearly stated in the lesson objective. The use of the rating scale for each area shows a link between the objective and the performance.

2. Identify the learning outcomes that the task is intended to assess.

Outcomes are clearly stated in the criteria of the rubric

3. Characteristics should be directly observable.

all criteria is based upon concrete and observable actions/performance such as “uses appropriate grammar, includes text and pictures. etc.”

4. Characteristics and points on the scale should be clearly defined.

all characteristics are listed separately with an assigned point value

5. Select the rating procedure that is most appropriate for the task and the purpose of the assessment.

Again we are using performance assessment to assess objectives which involve higher order thinking and organizational skills

6. Between three and seven rating positions should be provided, and raters should be permitted to mark at intermediate points.

All areas are based on a 5 point scale.

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Week 10 Critique

Portfolio sites

It was amazing to me what some teachers have been able to do when they have the resources and equipment readily available for classroom use. I searched the Internet and found some classroom portfolios that demonstrated what the students were accomplishing in the classroom.

Being a 4th grade student, I was interested in the following website:

http://www.electricteacher.com/onlineportfolio/examples.htm

This was The Electric Teacher site that demonstrated how to create portfolios, but then gave some examples that have been completed by other teachers. One site was Mrs. Carroll’s 4th grade class at

http://www.oswego.org/staff/ccarroll/portfolio/

On this page, Mrs. Carroll has listed the students’ first names and had the students add a variety of writing samples to their pages. Some had haikus, limericks, and book reports on animals. The additions were probably topics that the teacher suggested. The writings did not demonstrate when they were completed, so there is no way to tell if the writing showed any progression in time. It just seemed to be a place where the students could display some of their work in a unique and different way. Each child was able to add a colored picture that they had drawn to demonstrate My Side of the Mountain, perhaps coinciding with a study of habitats, since many of the book reports were on animals.

These eportfolios did not show any reflections about how the students felt about the work that they submitted, but it was interesting for me to see just what other 4th graders can accomplish.

Another site that was interesting was Mrs. Silverman’s second grade homepage at

http://comsewogue.k12.ny.us/~ssilverman/class99/index.html

The teacher had each entry dated so one could see how the student’s writing showed improvement. Each child had an introduction, a graphic organizer, poems, animal reports, and even a copy of a poster drawn by the student. What a great way to have the 2nd grade students’ experiences in school recorded forever. At the end of the year, many primary classrooms have a scrapbook showing what they accomplished during the school year, but having a permanent record online as a keepsake would be wonderful for the student and his/her family. Again, the works chosen seemed to be that of the teacher’s, but in the elementary grades, this would be a wonderful way to showcase a child’s work from an entire school year. I don’t see this portfolio being used for assessment purposes as a whole, but I am assuming that the teacher probably graded some or all of the work before it was added to the students’ pages.

While searching for portfolios online, I did come across a site that I bookmarked for future use. It is

http://www.occdsb.on.ca/~proj1615/portf1.htm

This site has guidelines for teachers to help them get started with classroom portfolios. It has sample evaluation sheets, conference forms, and sample parent letters that would help the classroom teacher find a starting point. Check it out if you have time!

One more thing – my daughter is a junior at U of I in art education and is in the process of making an eportfolio for her resume. It seems that this is a requirement to be completed before she graduates. This would be a showcase portfolio. Heather, being an Art teacher, maybe you can find some time to look at it and let me know what you think! Remember, it is a work in progress. Thanks! It can be found at: http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~cljhnsn1/

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Week 10 Reflection

Basically, a portfolio uses samples of students’ work gathered over the course of the school year and gives students the opportunity to showcase their best efforts in a collection of their work. One advantage is that a portfolio can be the evidence needed to show progress over a period of time. The teacher can have the students complete a project at the beginning of the school year, with a minimum amount of teacher input, to assess what skills and knowledge the students have. The teacher can then modify the curriculum according to the needs of his/her students. The next project assigned by the teacher can attempt to meet those needs. In this way, a portfolio can demonstrate their growth over the year.

It can also enable the teacher to communicate with parents about their child’s work. At conference time, the teacher and parents can discuss any problems that the child has while examining the work included in the portfolio. Parents are often clueless as to where their child’s problems are and the portfolio can be one way of showing evidence of both the strengths and weaknesses of the student.

Sometimes, a teacher can use the portfolio as a way of encouraging students to reflect on their progress. Self-evaluation is a difficult concept for many students to master. This allows the student to write about the selections chosen to be included in the portfolio. The students can then review what they have put in their portfolios and select only those items they may want to include in a showcase portfolio of their finished work.

The main disadvantage of the portfolio is the idea of time-management, mainly from the teacher’s point of view. The teacher needs to develop guidelines for selecting portfolio items and determine how many items should be included. He/she needs to give students the time to work on their portfolio in class and also find time to conference with the student at regular times throughout the school year to discuss progress. This conference may allow the student to evaluate their own portfolios and reflect on how they could improve their next work. It can be extremely difficult for the teacher to fit all of the above into the school day, along with the demands of other subjects not included in the portfolio.

As an elementary teacher who teaches all of the subjects except physical education, art and music, choosing to keep a portfolio for every subject would be mind-boggling. Choosing just one subject to include in portfolio assessment would be best. In my district, we start a portfolio in first grade to keep a record of the student’s writing. The first sample of writing is done within the classroom without teacher input. It is labeled the “baseline” sample and placed in the folder without any corrections, etc. This is the way the teachers can best see what skills the students need and can adapt the curriculum to meet those needs. Throughout the school year, additional samples are added, usually without the knowledge of the student. The students are allowed to edit their subsequent stories, first by peer editing and then with the teacher having input as to spelling corrections and paragraph structure. Certain writing samples are chosen to be assessed twice during the school year, one around January and the other at the end of the school year. This is a short 10 item assessment where the teacher assigns numbers (1-4), showing the student’s understanding of sentence formation, structure, spelling, etc. At the end of the school year, this assessment is placed in the student’s portfolio, along with a few of the writing samples chosen by the teacher. A copy of the assessment is sent to the Language Arts coordinator, with the results used for the school’s improvement plan.

At the beginning of the school year, I am given my new class’s portfolios. I usually glance at the final story written in the preceding grade, just to get an idea as to where the students’ writing skills are. After that, I do not look at them until June, when I place the final writing sample (determined by the Language Arts Committee) into the folder along with the required assessment sheet.

The way that my district handles these portfolios does not seem to align with the guidelines specified in the textbook. Yes, we have a portfolio for each student, but the student is not allowed to look at their folder at all, nor do they have any input as to which sample is included. If all of the students write about a particular topic, and the Language Arts Committee states that this is to be included in the portfolio, then it is included, whether it is the student’s best work or not. They do not reflect on their folders as to how they could improve in their writing, nor as to which samples they would like to include. Originally, I think my district had high hopes for these portfolios, but as time has gone by and more and more ISAT demands entered the picture, our portfolio goals were put on the “back burner”. At the end of eighth grade, the student is given their portfolio to have as a remembrance of their writing progress in elementary school. The students enjoy seeing their past work, but this is not the purpose of portfolios in school.

Just like anything new, the first few years of portfolio use in any subject or classroom are probably tough for both the teacher and the students. In theory, depending on the subject, the students, and the determination of the teacher, the portfolio method of assessment sounds terrific. Putting it into everyday practice, along with all of the other curriculum demands on both the student and the teacher, is another story.

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Week 11 Reflection

Within my teaching career, I have used many of the informal assessment procedures listed in the book. I have mainly used the anecdotal record to help place students who have difficulty behaving in the classroom. One particular case comes to mind where a student’s parent refused placement into a behavior disorder classroom. The administration told me that I was to record all behaviors – both good and bad – in a spiral notebook. For over a month, I recorded all situations and was even given some extra planning time to keep these records current. It was difficult for me to keep my feelings out of the records and also to remember everything that happened in my classroom. I was worried whether I wrote about the correct situations and had a hard time keeping my feelings unbiased. My records were used as evidence of the student's problems. This was a hard year for me since I felt that all of my time was devoted to this one particular student and that I was neglecting the other 24 students in my classroom. After many meetings, the student was removed from my classroom and placed in a home schooling program.

Anecdotal records are also used every quarter when I write comments on the students’ report cards. It is also very useful for reporting a child's progress and achievements during parent-teacher conferences. Parents need proof about why their child is struggling and anecdotal records are good ways to explain problems to them.

I have also used the peer appraisal method to some extent. When the students are working in a group project, I allow them to rate their peer’s performance. I am often surprised at some of the answers, because they are very fair, but then realize that most of the students rate their peers very high, probably because they are friends with them. I do not use this often since fourth graders feel it is more important to be nice to their friends and classmates than give a true rating to their performance.

I have used a self-reporting inventory to determine what the students’ opinions may be about a particular unit or about school in general. At the end of a grading period, they complete one that explains how they think they have done so far in 4th grade. Most of the students are honest and write that they could have worked harder in a particular subject, and will try to do better the next quarter. I am not sure if that is what they really think or just write that to appease their parents and teacher.

This past year, I started using an Informal Reading Inventory with my class. This is an informal test that can give the teacher an idea as to where the student has strengths and weaknesses in the reading process. An IRI also determines the student’s frustration level, reading capacity level, and their independent level. Rather than just move a child into the same reading group as the previous year, I find that the IRI gives me another way to assess where my students are in reading.

To a point, I use all of the informal assessments mentioned in the book, but realize that each one is useful in different situations. One has to recognize that students and teachers can be biased in any of these informal assessments. Opinions and feelings have to be considered as important variables in order for the assessment to be reliable and valid.
Being a classroom teacher, parents depend on me to notice everything about their child’s learning and well-being. Are they happy? Do you see that they are struggling with their multiplication facts? Why do they have bruises on their arms? Observation is extremely important in the teaching profession. We are with our students for six hours every day and are supposed to notice not only if they understand the lesson being taught, but also determine why they are not. Therefore, I believe that a combination of these informal techniques will best aid the teacher in successfully assessing the students.

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Week 12 Reflection

The ISAT and PSAE tests are tests that measure student’s achievements as compared to the standards designated by the state. Being an elementary 4th grade teacher, I am more familiar with the ISAT test, and will base this reflection on that fact.

The ISAT or Illinois Standards Achievement Test tests grades 3, 5, and 8 in reading, writing, and math, while grades 4 and 7 test their students in science and social science. The tests have four levels of performance – exceeds standards (4), meets standards (3), below standards (2), and academic warning (1). These results can be compared throughout the district and the state. The results are also separated on the school report card by a variety of factors including gender, racial/ethnic background, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged.

According to the ISBE website, the reliability of the ISAT is fairly high. The ISAT reliability values from 1999-2001 range from .86 to .93 depending on the various subjects. This allows us to conclude that as much as we dislike giving these tests and worrying about these tests, they must be taken into serious consideration.

The ISAT test and the accompanying scores structure the curriculum at my school and the entire Franklin Park School District. Whenever we are looking into buying a new textbook, the texts are examined closely to see if they align to the state standards. This past year, I was on the committee to choose a new social studies book. All of the publishers made sure that the topic of state standards was covered very explicitly. In fact, I now have workbooks that accompany the new textbook that help teach the strategies of taking the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) and the ISAT. The ISAT also has a practice test online that the students take before the official ISAT test, so that they may get a "feel" for the format and also see how well they can do in the allotted time.

The test results at my school are usually the topic of an entire faculty meeting. We all examine the scores closely and those of us that teach the particular subject that is tested are either overjoyed or go home wondering if we are in the right profession! After administering these tests for the past 8 years, I have come to the conclusion that the scores students achieve on the tests (good or bad) are not the results of my teaching them for one year (or 7 months). It is the result of students’ learning for their entire school career and life, and must be looked at by the whole staff. Now the lower grades are teaching more to the standards than ever before.

In relation to the Illinois Report Card, being in a district that has an influx of many different cultures and languages, our scores are just slightly above the state average in most of the subjects tested. We have noticed that since we have started to teach math with more emphasis on how a problem is solved, rather than just calculating the answer, the students’ scores have improved.

As far at “No Child Left Behind” is concerned, as stated before, we are aligning every subject with the state standards. In addition to that, we are providing after-school homework help (called the Opportunity Room) to those students who are having difficulty in keeping up with their homework or understanding the lessons taught, especially those who do not have English speaking parents at home to help with their homework. We are starting a new “Reading Recovery” program for the lower grades to help them those students who are having difficulty with reading skills and strategies. In the summer, our district provides, free of charge, a 4 week summer school program, aimed at the END of the summer (called Jump Start), to enable those students who are slow to get back into the learning mode, a “Jump Start” to the new school year.

All in all, I feel that our school and its staff are working hard to make sure the needs of every child have been met, both in adapting lessons for the students with disabilities and working closely with the state standards. Every year, we look at our students' scores, the standards, and the curriculum to see what needs to change in order to achieve our goals.

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Week 13 Assignment

I have a few students in my classroom this year with extensive IEP’s, but have chosen to study the IEP of my most challenging student - Tommy G. (fictitious name). Tommy was evaluated last January (2003) and found that the justification for this IEP was as follows:

“As a result of Tommy’s scores on a variety of tests, along with the observations of the SST (Student Support Team that includes the classroom teacher, resource teacher, psychologist, speech and language teacher, etc.), Tommy’s skill deficits in the area of reading and math negatively impact academic achievement in these areas. He appears to require individual instruction and extra assistance in order to understand and complete tasks. Tommy also has difficulty attending to tasks at hand“(as stated in his IEP)

This student’s access opportunities include speech and language services once a week, along with remedial reading and math services daily provided by the school’s intermediate resource teacher. The classroom teacher will also provide services as needed in the goals stated in the IEP.

As far as learning opportunities, Tommy receives all of his instruction in the basic 4th grade curriculum in a regular classroom and is allowed extra time for classroom tests, when help is available. If it is not, then he can complete the test during his recess time with the teacher. Tommy’s weekly spelling test is modified by the classroom teacher, as well as many of the tests in other subjects. He is enrolled into the school’s “Opportunity Room” program after school (free of charge) so that he can be tutored in any homework in which he may have difficulty. This enables Tommy to keep up with his assignments with the rest of his peers.

According to Tommy’s IEP, the large scale testing accommodations will include extended time periods, a change in setting that includes a small group of students in a different setting, along with having the test directions as well as test items (except in reading) read aloud to help with his poor attending and reading skills. Instructional accommodations include desk placed near the teacher where his attending skills can be observed closely, and having Tommy repeat directions back to the teacher. This allows Tommy to stay on task more than before.

At the beginning of the school year, the resource teacher explained some of Tommy’s learning difficulties to me and we discussed when she would pull him out for math and reading help. The speech and language teacher also discussed when she would see Tommy during the week. As usual in my school, the classroom teacher is not given a copy of the student’s IEP unless she specifically asks for one. The resource teachers are supposed to tell the classroom teacher about the goals and give suggestions as to what accommodations can be used to help make Tommy successful in 4th grade. Until I actually looked for a copy of Tommy’s IEP, I had no idea that he had an attending goal and also discovered that he should have been scheduled for 400 minutes of help throughout the school week. We are now actively searching for ways to follow the IEP more closely in Tommy’s case.

Basically, Tommy’s IEP is very thorough. It did identify Tommy’s problems and had accompanying goals and objectives for these problems. If only the school had enough of the resources (resource teachers and aides) available to give Tommy all of the help specified in the IEP, would I feel better about my part in his education. We do try to meet these goals as best as we can, yet often find that a large caseload for the resource teacher does not allow us to meet these goals effectively. The classroom teacher is solely responsible for any modifications to the student’s learning and tests.

One of the things that I would change in this IEP would be to specify exactly how Tommy is to receive the required minutes of extra help from the resource teacher. Would the minutes be divided equally in reading, math, and attending skills? It does not tell me how many minutes are required for each goal and objective.

I also think that Tommy requires much more help in the classroom and needs to have a resource teacher/aide available when the classroom teacher is busy with the other 25 children in the class. We used to have this service before, but because of lack of funds, the classroom teacher (who may not be as experienced in special education) is responsible for many of the goals listed in the IEP. Now when the IEP is completed, the space that lists the goal implementers states both the LD staff and the classroom teacher, whereas only the LD staff was listed in previous years. I am not saying that the classroom teacher is not supposed to have a role in Tommy’s education, but it is very frustrating when the classroom teacher has to tend to the 3 or 4 students with IEPs in her class while the needs of the rest of the class may be overlooked. I am all for the inclusion/mainstreamed aspect of education, but if it is really to be effective, the addition of extra staff and aides must be examined closely.

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