Formative Assessment Design 1.0

Currently in my district we are working towards creating more authentic learning opportunities for students. This past summer, I started looking at the literature units used in the classes I support and began thinking of how we could create a more authentic assessment and learning experience for students rather than give them a paper and pencil test or study guides. The students I currently support in class are struggling readers and writers and they know that so giving them a study guide to fill out, a paper and pencil test or just having them write paper is in my opinion not the best approach to have them demonstrate their learning. The other challenge is the common assessments that are given in my district. I would like to incorporate technology into the assessment and provide students the choice in how they demonstrate their learning. The end game would be the same-meeting the learning target of “I can read and comprehend Literature.” There may be other learning targets assessed at the same time but this would be the main learning target/standard.

The purpose of the assessment is to have students demonstrate their understanding of the book they read. During the second semester students read Romeo and Juliet and Enrique’s Journey. The end assessments for these novels are a paper test and a paper. My goal is to work with the teachers I support and using backward design see how we can create a more authentic assessments along the way for our students. I would also like to incorporate more choice.

In regards to Romeo and Juliet as students are progressing through the story my thought was to have them create an Instagram or twitter account for a character of their choosing. As they are reading, they would be asked to “post” an instagram post or “tweet” out as the character of their choosing. I have templates for both. To make it authentic, they could share their instagram or tweet through an online medium or a media album through Schoology, our school’s LMS system.

Instructions: You are to select a character from Romeo and Juliet. You will create one of the following for your character: Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or blog. As you are reading the play, you will be asked to make a post through your social media of choice in response to the section of the play you just read. YOu will need to include a quote from the portion of the play you have read. Be creative and make sure you stay in character.

I would like to incorporate opportunities for students to engage with an authentic audience into the classes I work with. I was thinking of having students create an online portfolio through wordpress or another student friendly forum. The more I read the more I come to realize that students need the opportunity to share with an audience beyond the classroom. When given the opportunity to do so, I believe their work becomes more authentic and they are given the opportunity to demonstrate their learning with someone other than their teacher, which in turn will cause them to create a product that truly demonstrates their learning rather than regurgitating information back on a paper and pencil test. In order to bring technology into assessments, students have to be taught how to use the tech tool. As teachers, we can’t assume students know how to use the tech tools. The goal of having students use social media for their characters they will be more engaged with the text rather then having to fill out a study guide.

Annotated Assessment Exemplar

This is a Google Form that was actually used in paper form in a class I was supporting during the 2017-2018 school year. This is an assessment that could be use in the classes I am currently supporting. The purpose of the assessment to have students examine their level of engagement when they are reading their choice books independently. Students complete this assessment throughout the quarter. In making this assessment, the assumption was made by the teachers that students are actually reading. Another assumption made is that students are wanting to read their choice book in addition to that assumption, teachers have assumed students understand the vocabulary being used in the assessment.

One of my beliefs is that ALL students get the opportunity to demonstrate their learning. In looking at this assessment, I wonder if this is the best way to have students demonstrate their engagement with the text. Technology would allow us as teachers to have students demonstrate other ways they are engaging in their reading. Another belief of mine is when giving students assessments, they understand the vocabulary being used. The students who would be answering these questions make me wonder if they would understand the vocabulary being used. Also, knowing the students, I don’t know if they would be confident enough to raise their hand in class to ask for clarification.

This assessment reflect’s B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism theory. As I look at this assessment and combine that with my understanding of the classroom this occurs in, I think the purpose behind it was the hope if students see this score and if it is low enough, it will motivate them to want to read more and engage more in their reading, when in fact it very well may have the opposite affect. Engaging students with a reading assessment or survey ill not cause them to want to read more. If as teachers, we want students to read and engage more with what they are reading, we need to allow them to have choice in how they show us they are engaged in addition to allowing them to be creative and provide an authentic audience for them. An assessment like this will not give us as teachers honest feedback. Let’s give students the opportunity to make choices and be creative to show us they are engaged with their reading.

Three Things I believe about Assessments

As a special education teacher I have many thoughts on assessments, whether they are used in the classroom normally or formally, used to assess the students I work with or to fill up the month of April-they have many purposes. My beliefs around them have been shaped by the students and teachers I work with, my working environment and politics.

As part of my online class through Michigan State in which we are looking at assessments, I have been asked to share my beliefs on assessments.  My first belief is assessments is ALL students need to be given the opportunity to demonstrate their learning.  Students today need to be given authentic opportunities to demonstrate their learning. This may mean creating a blog post or drawing a picture, but as teachers, we need to recognize that. My second belief is assessments need to be free of bias. As teachers we need to understand when we are writing an assessment(especially those paper pencil ones), is the assessment allowing for ALL students to understand what they are being assessed. This includes understanding vocabulary, sentence structure, the structure of the test,etc. When students get to the assumption, it shouldn’t be a surprise or GOTCHA moment. ALL students need to have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Also, assessments need to not show cultural bias. I think back to the early years of my career as a special education teacher. We gave the Woodcock-Johnson as part of the reevaluation process-there were pictures on the test that assumed students would know what the object was. My assessment team and I recognized that not all students may have seen certain pictures but we could address the assumption being made by the test. Eventually, it was changed, but how many of my students got questions wrong because they didn’t know what they were looking at?

I have been in many general education classrooms and often I have observed teachers being proud of an assessment that asked 100 questions. There is a shift that is happening in schools. Assessments are going from being paper and pencil to including technology, which creates opportunities for students to really demonstrate their learning. The shift is occurring, but from the observations I have made, teachers are putting their paper and pencil tests on Learning Management Systems (LMS) and calling them digital ( I won’t go any deeper on that one-that is another blog post.) The 2018-2019 school year is presenting a unique opportunity for me to influence major change in the general education classes I support. I am excited for the opportunity and can’t wait to apply the knowledge I gain in CEP 813 to those classes.

Here I go again…..for the 13th year

I have a grin on my face as I am finding myself resurrecting the blog, again. My last post was made as I was making the transition from high school to elementary. That was 3 years ago. Now I find myself facing the start of my 13th year of teaching, but oh how things have changed in 3 years. I am back at the high school level, I have a 15-month-old who is teething, a red lab who thinks she is human and got married.  I also find myself taking classes again at Michigan State University to finish my second Master’s. I am grateful for every step of the MAET journey and excited to close out this chapter. But as I am finding, those chapters never really close.

I am eagerly anticipating the start of the 2018-2019 school year. I have been placed in all English 9 classes. This was a personal request and I am grateful it was honored. I have an amazing team who is going to cannonball jump into the pool with me to bring in elements of blended and personalized learning. All three of us have a passion to reach and Inspire Each Student. I think it is important to note that between the three of us there are almost 80 years of teaching experience.  I find that simply amazing and exciting at the same time as 2 teachers are welcoming me into their classrooms, in addition, to be willing to try new things with technology and without technology.

As I look at the materials I have acquired throughout my MAET journey I realized that was 5 years ago. In the world of educational technology, that is a long time, but the knowledge I gained at the start of this journey is still very much used today. I am excited to be getting the opportunity to apply the knowledge I acquired oh so long ago and in addition to gaining new knowledge in my final classes at MSU (well maybe not final, final-who knows 🙂 and bringing it back to my colleagues.

Once again, here we go……..

New Year, New District, New School

10 years ago I began my career as a special education teacher. My hiring principal at the time took a chance on a rookie teacher with no teaching experience. I spent the first nine years of my career at the high school level in a rapidly growing district in SW Minnesota.  It was a great place to be. There were things I experienced that I am I never imagined I’d be a part of. Never in a million years did I think I would close out the first decade of my teaching career not only switching districts and schools, but switching grade levels. An opportunity presented itself and I made the decision to go from the high school level to the elementary level. It’s scary and exciting all at the same time. Once again, my principal is taking a chance on me.

There are the obvious differences-such as height, the number of teachers I will work with and schedule. And then there appear to be no differences such as educational needs. Many people wonder how I am going to adjust to the switch. I saw about the only major difference is my new students will be shorter then me. In reality, there are few differences from my old students to my new students. I am still working on reading, writing and math. My goal to to work on organization such as using an assignment notebook and keeping track of assignments. I want my students to know they don’t have to go through school hating it, but rather finding what they enjoy about it.

My biggest advantage as I see it is I have the high school experience. I know where I would like to see my students and can help them start on the journey. I will be primarily working with 3rd and 4th graders which means I will be involved with my 4th graders transitioning to the middle school. It is my hope and goal to begin the discussion as 4th graders of what their hopes and dreams are. In doing this I am hoping to help students understand their disability and use  it to help them achieve their hopes and dreams.

I am also a firm believer in being in the right place. This is my Facebook post from August 28th-“The moment when you realize it is true-everything happens for a reason and you end up where you are supposed to be. It’s a great feeling.” It was the second day of teacher workshop in my new district. I have a wonderful opportunity to look at doing what is best for kids and if it means taking chances I know I will be supported.

It is the final night before we head back to school here in Minnesota. As usual I have the first day jitters, but there seems to be something more. It is similar to the feeling I had when I first started my teaching career. I am meeting new students and parents for the first time. We are a team and I want them to know that I want to do what is best for their student. It is with great excitement and anticipation I look forward to the 2015-2016 school year.

Here we go……

Assessment Design 1.0

As a special education teacher, creating assessments is a challenge because the  center of what I do is individualized instruction for students to meet IEP goals and objectives.  However, following discussion with my students have found there are goals they would like to work towards as a class, thus allowing me to assess if they are truly understanding what they are learning. I am a firm believer in that I may be individualizing instruction for students but there are ways to assess what students are learning in a way that I can truly drive my instruction.

As stated by William and Black(1998), formative assessments are essential to what is being taught in the classroom and in fact raise standards as well as student achievement. That has been at the heart of what I do since I began teaching in 2006. As technology has evolved, it has made conducting formative assessments easier. Technology can allow for students to receive feedback quicker than ever before.

The name of my assessment is Individualized Education Plan(IEP) and the purpose is to provide students with supports and individualized instruction to meet goals and objectives written according to needs identified on their evaluation report. At the heart of UbD is asking questions, I can apply this to a students IEP by asking Do they understanding their IEP? Do they know what they are working on? I am striving for my students to understand the big picture-why are they on an IEP? After they understand that, students can be asked what are your goals and objectives you are working on?

I hope to understand what my students know about their IEP and/or what they don’t know. If at the heart of my teaching is to have students be strong self advocates who are meeting their goals and objectives, everything needs to go back to do they understand how they learn and why they are in my class. The uniqueness of SPED is the unique needs each student brings to the classroom.

Here is to my first version of my Assessment 1.0

Annotated Assessment/Evaluation Exemplar

For my Electronic Portfolio class at Michigan State this week, I was asked to look at an assessment I use in my  classroom. As a special education teacher, it is always a challenge to find assessments that address what is addressed in my classroom, but is also a common assessment to be used for all students. I found one in what is called a Self Advocacy Rubric. All students I work with are working on increasing their self advocacy skills, this rubric provides documentation to show a students development towards those skills.

Here is the  Annotated Assessment/Evaluation Exemplar Paper Link.

Reflection on Assessment in Schools

There is a call to examine how students are being assessed in schools. The current education model is based on an outdated industrial model that meets the needs of a few students. Lorrie Shephard, author of The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture, examines how the culture of learning in schools needs to change and argues it needs to be done through assessment. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, authors of Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessments, look at Formative Assessments and raising the standards for students in the classroom. Each author look at how the assessing of students has an impact on the student and the classroom.

Reflection Assessment in Schools

Lesson Plan Reflection

This post is a reflection of a lesson I presented to one of my classes. The goal was to teach the lesson and then reflect on how the lesson and what areas I feel I could improve on. The goal is to begin using Action Research to guide my lesson planning. 

Changes I made to the lesson plan that I had posted into Module 5 was I got more specific in what I was going to teach. In the lesson I have linked into this reflection, I honed in on specific transition standards the lesson is meeting. I also honed in on what I wanted students to learn. The biggest challenge of the lesson was the assessment piece. I reflect on this part of the assignment below.  Here is a copy of thelesson plan. The challenge in special education is meeting the Individualized Education Plan goals and objectives for each student as well as meeting their transition needs. The lesson plan met the following standards fromNational Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition.

The students whom I taught the lesson to were in a class called Strategies for Academic Success class. Students who are identified as being on an Individualized Education Plan are in the class. They receive elective credit for the class. Students work on their IEP goals and objectives in addition to working on their transition skills. There are 8 boys in the class. 7 were in attendance for the lesson. Their disabilities range from Other Health Disabilities, Learning Disabilities and Developmentally Cognitively Delayed.  The lesson, I felt went well. Information was presented to students on a power point and run through a projector. The goal was to work with students on knowing the differences between high school and college. For some students, they understood it, which led them to participating more in the lesson than others. The students knew more differences between high school and college than I had anticipated; they were naming differences that I had not thought of. The content of the lesson was age appropriate and content appropriate.

In looking back at the lesson there are things I would keep the same and look at changing. The biggest challenge is meeting students were they are at. Students are in different places and it is often a challenge to find something that all students haven’t done. There always seem to be those students who are ahead of their peers and find the lesson boring. We work to have those students understand that each student in in their own place. I equate this with a general education teacher who has different levels of students in their class and need to differentiate for the different levels. It is my goal to make sure each student is engaged at the level they are at. I need to look at adding a piece either into the lesson or at some point before I present the information to find out what students already know. In doing this I can find out what information needs to be covered and maybe look at what information can be briefly covered. This is something I feel I need to work on for future lessons. Another thing I need to look at is how students are being assessed. Right now the only way students are assessed is through whether or not they are filling out their bellwork sheet. The challenge this presents is I don’t think it is really assessing to see what students know. Also, another challenge is I don’t really go back later on to see if students understand what was taught previously. I need to look at working on a type of assessment that is completed at the end of each unit. This is another thing I need to look at, dividing content into units so it is more organized. Right now, information is divided into the following content areas: Math Mondays, Transition Tuesdays, Writing Wednesdays, Thinking Thursdays and Fact Fridays. I would like to look at content that can be placed into each of these categories and maybe organize the content into units so things are a little more cohesive and connect to each other.

 

 

What do People Know…

In this day of ever-changing technology and how information is collected, audio files are becoming easier to record and share. Gone are the days of a tape recorder and tapes. Using Audicity is a recording resource that allows users a way to record and edit recorders. It is a program that also allows the recording to be exported into a format that allows the users to post the recording

The task for my CEP 800, Learning in school and other settings, class was to conduct an interview or interviews to see what people know. The second part of the task was to record the interview using audcity. I decided to interview my boyfriend, Nick, to see what he knew about hockey, since it is his favorite sport. The questions were to measure the basic knowledge of the game of hockey and teams in the National  Hockey League. The interview was conducted before we ended up watching a hockey game-which he asked if he could redo the interview as he got some answers wrong.

Here is the link to the interview:

Hockey Interview