Responds to discussion

Respond to discussions

Rosa,

I am a High School English teacher; however, I am also a new teacher mentor and leader of the reading/ELA professional learning community. Next school year, I will start a new professional role as my school reading coach. When it comes to the assessment process, I believe that instructional planning begins with the final assessment. For this reason, the assessment process must have a clear purpose so students can better understand the importance of assessment results (Chappuis and Stiggins, 2017). For this reason, I inform students why I am assessing them. If the students know their learning expectations, they will practice the necessary skills to show progress in the assessment. Also, I make sure that the evaluations reflect the instruction, so the students do not feel that they are being evaluated on concepts that they haven’t learn. Furthermore, it is crucial to set realistic expectations for the students (Chappuis and Stiggins). I often remind my students that learning progress is different from a grade and that not all students perform at the same level. Also, I provide students with feedback on their performance and assist them in establishing new learning goals if necessary.

Since the students play an essential role in the assessment process (Chappuis and Stiggins, 2017), it is vital to involve them in their assessments. I assist students in setting clear and realistic goals at the beginning of the school year/unit to help them build and maintain their confidence in their learning process. Also, I provide students with constructive feedback on their daily work and model self-monitoring strategies to show them how to own their learning. Even more, I invite students to data chats in which we discuss progress towards reading and writing expectations based on classwork, quizzes, and unit assessments.

Additionally, I collaborate with my colleagues to learn about effective practices in involving students in their assessment. For example, as a new teacher mentor, I discuss the importance of understanding the assessment process as part of the instructional planning with new teachers. Also, during reading/ELA professional learning community meetings, we discuss assessment results and practices to involve students in their assessment process. 

Louis

Greetings and Salutations, I am Louis Hunter. Currently, I am an eighth grade Mathematics Teacher. As a Mathematics teacher I have to learn how to create purposeful lesson plans which provide effective teaching strategies. I am also learning about student records in order to develop a foundation of understanding regarding students’ abilities and needs. With these skills, I am able to effectively prepare students for state assessments. 

When it comes to my future in the field of education, I want to be able to make a difference, especially when it comes to the younger generation. I believe I can make a greater impact in an administrative role within the school's passion for advancement in a territory where I can affect our more youthful age's future and lead me into the field of Education. I plan on one day becoming a Principal or working on the collegiate level in administrative

According to Chappuis and Stiggins, “Assessment is the process of gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional decisions” (2017, p.2). With this being said, it is important that we prepare our students effectively for assessments. It is imperative that our students are clear on their goals for their test and have a clear purpose. The best way to go about this is getting our students involved in the preparation process. 

When it comes to involving my students in their assessments, I use group assignments to help. I put together practice problems to help with future assessments, then split the questions up by group. I then allow my students to work amongst themselves within their groups to solve each problem. After, I allow each group to present their work. This allows each student or group to have a sense of ownership and involvement in assessment preparation in my classroom.

I use a variety of methods to get them engaged. First, I make sure that they are prepared by giving them assignments and prior practice assessments to help them get familiar with the question types on the test. This also helps establish the goals and purpose. I then make a competition to get them to focus. I noticed that my students are naturally competitive, so it is easier to get their buy-in this way.

Monitoring teachers is very important throughout this process. Teachers need to make sure that the practices they are using are valid and reliable (Chappuis, et. al., 2017). This will help teachers prepare for future assessments with accurate and quality data. Also, this will help teachers be able to effectively and efficiently communicate results to students. 

Tracy

My name is Tracey Walton, 9th & 10th grade high school counselor in Broward County.  I have been at the same school for about 13 years and 4 years with the Seminole Tribe of Florida- Education Department.  I truly enjoyed both places and both learning experiences. Learning is an ongoing process which never stops 😊. 

Since I am a school counselor, my assessments may be different from the teacher’s assessments, but we tend to work as a team for our students.  My assessments may vary, such as a student talking about suicidal thoughts then I will have to make an assessment whether the student should be baker act, counseled or the student check into the hospital on their own.  Also, I assess student’s academics to verify if they are graduation ready, if they need credit recovery or need to attend an alternative program.  Overall, I work with the teachers, staff and especially our students in the assessment process.

          Students are involved in their assessments formal and informal.  They get involved by engaging in the process too, such as taking an active role in the planning stage.  Also, getting the students to buy in, through reviewing some of the practices to use or speaking to them directly which builds some type of rapport with them.  It builds some type of ownership in the assessment process.  Lastly, allowing the students to conduct self-evaluation which usually increase their involvement and engagement.

          “Many practicing educators have learned what they know about classroom assessment through replicating what they themselves experienced as students, through discussions with colleagues, from the teacher’s edition of textbooks, and through trial and error” (Chappuis, p.1).  My colleagues actual process is engaging students with the lesson content through active classroom participation, questionnaires, surveys and or direct student feedback about the class content and the types of assessment instruments that will be used to gauge their level of understanding.  Other practices used by my colleagues are speaking with other colleagues, listening to their thoughts and practices, surveys, and mainly trial and error.

          Monitoring can include actual classroom observations, looking at the student-teacher interactions and/or from direct interviews from both parties about their experiences with assessments.  If teachers provide effective communication with the student(s), chances are the student(s) will provide feedback or involved/engaged in the process too.  “It would be so much easier to teach if all students decided to put forth the effort needed to succeed” (Chappuis, p.10).  The student is a vital factor in their own learning process