Who would be able to complete this assingnment in a timely manner?

Running head: ASSESSMENT 1

ASSESSMENT 10

Title

Name

University

Week 3 Assignment: Assessment in a Gifted Program Revised

Section I: Assessment Plan

For this assignment I will be taking on the role of an 11th grade advanced placement American History teacher. The class consists of 13 students, 7 of which are girls and 6 are boys. Since this is an advanced placement class all of these students are consider gifted by the school system and they all maintain a minimum of a B average in the class.

Lesson:

The unit this assessment plan is for is the American Civil War.

Common Core Standards

1. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

2. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explains how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

ISTE-S Standards:

1. Creativity and innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes

b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2. Research and information fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

a. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media

b. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

3. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

a. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions

Pre-Assessment/formative Assessment:

These students are in the 11th grade so unless there is an exchange student, they have all studied the American civil war in past history classes. Also, since this is an AP class full of gifted students it would be no challenge at all for them to identify common causes of the American Civil War. Considering this, for my pre-assessment to be effective and identify what their current level of knowledge/understanding of the war is, it must be challenging and engaging for students. So at the start of the lesson I will ask each of the students to spend 20 minutes creating a personalized presentation showing what the causes and outcomes of the war beyond the obvious answer that it was fought to free the slaves. Students can give an oral presentation, artistic presentations (i.e. a collage, drawing, etc) it is completely up to them. The only limitation they have is that it must be from memory; they cannot use text books or any other media to get information.

The reason I selected this method is that it plays into my students multiple types of intelligences. Those that are more artistic and favor working with pictures and such can do so; while those that are better with figures and dates can make a simple PowerPoint presentation highlighting what they remember. The goal is not for super accuracy it is to establish a base point for me to work from so that I can differentiate my lessons based on what the students already know and the skills they demonstrate. It is also about challenging them since gifted students often need that to maintain an interest in a class; that is why I made a condition of the assessment be that they could not use any outside media for reference. This pre-assessment method also targets the first of my ISTE-S standards that my students are to fulfill by the end of this lesson plan.

Summative Assessment:

In any AP class I feel it is necessary to foster independent thinking, this is also a key component of the ISTE-S standards I plan for my students to meet. With that in mind, I chose a post-assessment that requires the students to think outside of the box. The common understanding of the American Civil War is that the South declared war on the North in order to protect the institution of slavery and that the north was fighting to free the slaves and protect democracy. While there is truth in this, a full examination of history reveals that it is not so simple. The south had a host of reasons for declaring war on the north and in the north the war was not as popular as many history books have painted it. With this in mind the students will each be asked to prepare one of the following:

1) A 4 to 6 page paper (properly formatted)

2) A 6 to 8 slide PowerPoint

3) A 5 min video presentation

The topic of which will be either; the underlying factors behind the south’s decision to secede from the union or why many in the north felt the war was not justified or even legal. Not only must they identify whatever topic they choose, but they must also defend the argument they select, with proper resources found on their own. The class textbook is not acceptable. As such they will have access to any digital or online media they can find. For example, if a student chooses the first topic he/she must not only explain the south’s reasoning but must also defend that reasoning. If they choose topic two then they must argue the points of those in the north that felt the government over stepped its authority in not excepting the south’s succession. Students will be grading based on this rubric:

Presentation Rubric 20 Points+
Content 16 points	Points Possible	Points Earned
Clearly identifies their topic and summarizes their argument	4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text	4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explains how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop	4
ISTE-S # 1: Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes	4
Research and information fluency	Points Possible	Points Earned
ISTE-S # 2-A: Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media		1
Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making		Points Possible	Points Earned
ISTE-S # 3-A: Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions		1
Writing 2 points	Points Possible	Points Earned
Meets minimum length for selected format	1
grammar, spelling			1

Level of Mastery determines the points earned under each section: Distinguished =full points (100 to 90% accuracy), Proficient = -25% (89 to 80% Accuracy), Basic = -50% (79 to 70% accuracy), Below Expectations = -75% (69-60% accuracy), Non-Performance = 0 points (below 60% accuracy)

My reasons for this method are manyfold. First, the true path to understanding any subject is by seeing all sides. By forcing my students out of their typical view of the Civil War and making them argue in support of a different one, they will be forced out of the generic ideas most people have about the Civil War, that it was fought to end Slavery and that it was universally excepted. The aim is not to discourage these ideas just simply to highlight that it was not a cut and dry as many text books have painted it. Second, this method allows students to choose which ever form of assessment that appeals to them the most. If they like writing they can write a paper, if they like working with PowerPoint and creating artistic presentations they can do so. This summative assessment method allows students to create a unique project that reflects their personalities and independent ideas. It also requires independent research and use of digital media to complete the project. This means it is aligned with the CC and the ISTE-S standards I have selected for this assessment plan.

Feedback:

There are two types of feedback from my assessment methods. The first is basic, how much did my students know before the lesson and how much did they know after? This allows me to establish a baseline to work from before I start instruction and to identify how far they have come from that baseline. I can gain an understanding of how well the instruction was received and how much was retained. I can also use that information to identify if there are any students who the instruction methods did not work for and what the common factor is between them; i.e. were they all more hands on learners, meaning I need to modify future lessons to more fully incorporate that.

The second type of feedback is, perhaps, even more important. This feedback is from the students themselves, regarding the assessment methods themselves. I would ask students whether they felt these methods were engaging, allowed them to show their individualism, and were challenging at the same time. This method of differentiating and allowing students to choose an assessment method that works with their individual intelligence type will keep students engaged in the class and make them approach the subject with more enthusiasm if it is effective. (Rock, Gregg, Ellis, & Gable, 2008)

There is little point in having AP classes for gifted students if the work is not challenging. This means it must be differentiated based on their current knowledge and skill level or else it will be of no benefit to them. (Sternberg & Davidson, 2005) Therefore at the end of the lessons on this unit and after all assessment is done and graded, I will be passing out a brief survey for the students to fill out asking if the students the questions I identified earlier: if they found the assessment methods engaging, if they allowed them to express themselves, and if they found them challenging.

Recommendations:

Clearly differentiation is a powerful tool in any classroom for improving student performance and teacher performance. Yet based on my reading I would argue that it is even more important in a class with gifted students, such as an AP class. I say this because research shows there is little point in having AP programs for gifted students without differentiation. (Sternberg & Davidson, 2005) The students will simply do what is necessary to pass and maintain a good grade. Differentiation presents them with an opportunity to, not only, express themselves but to challenge themselves on a whole new level.

Most teachers have had gifted students in their classes at one point or another and if the work is not engaging or challenging enough they can quickly become a disruptive factor when they are bored. Differentiation can eliminate this by allowing us to present them with work that is not at their current level but slightly higher so they are kept focused and motivated to perform their best and not simply better than their classmates.

Section II: Revisions

Introduction

Overall this is a very effective assessment plan for an AP History class. It was already closely aligned with CC standards; as such it was not difficult to modify it to include ISTE-S standards. The most prominent revision I made was the addition of a grading rubric that was based on the level of mastery achieved for each of the CC and ISTE-S standards selected for this assessment plan. At the heart of this assessment plan is critical and independent thinking and research.

Revisions

This is where the majority of the changes I made took place. In the original lesson plan I never mention ISTE-S. However, since it was already aligned with CC it was not difficult to apply ISTE-S standards to it. This was also made easier because technology was already a part of the assessment plan as a research component and a tool for completing the assessment. All of the summative assessment choices the students have use technology for research and completion. The papers will be completed via computer the same as power-point presentations and video presentation. This differentiation directly supports PLO # 3, while the emphasis on critical and independent thinking makes the assessment plan align with CC, ISTE-S, and 21st century learning; all of which are part of PLO # 5.

The addition of a CC and ISTE-S aligned grading rubric makes this a much more challenging assessment plan for students. As noted in the assessment plan this is exactly what is needed when teaching an AP level class of anytime, since higher expectations keep gifted students more fully engaged in their own education. When combined with the use of technology and the focus on independent thinking make this assessment plan representative of PLO # 7.

Throughout this assessment plan the goals of improving critical and independent thinking skills are highlighted. Another key part of this assessment plan is requiring students to support their arguments with proper sources and data. They must do their own research to find supporting sources, since the text book is not acceptable. This promotes the development of 21st century skills as well as personal and professional growth for the students.

Conclusion

I enjoyed revisiting this lesson plan and having a chance to improve it. I think it already had a strong foundation in 21st century skills. However, the addition of ISTE-S standards and a CC/ISTE-S aligned grading rubric took it to the next level. Because of this it is reflective of the MAED program’s learning outcome numbers 3, 5, and 7.

References Frey, B. B., & Schmitt, V. L. (2007). Coming to Terms With Classroom Assessment. Journal of Advanced Academics, 402-423. Hertberg-Davis, H. (2009). Myth 7: Differentiation in the Regular Classroom Is Equivalent to Gifted Programs and Is Sufficient: Classroom Teachers Have the Time, the Skill, and the Will to Differentiate Adequately. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 251-253. Rock, M. L., Gregg, M., Ellis, E., & Gable, R. A. (2008). REACH: A Framework for Differentiating. Preventing School Failure, 31-47. Sternberg, R. J., & Davidson, J. E. (2005). Conceptions of Giftedness. Cambridge University Press. Tomlinson, C. A. (1995). Differentiating Instruction for Advanced Learners in the Mixed-Ability Middle School Classroom. ERIC Custom Transformations Team, 1-7.