Assessment, Evaluation, and Recording

Blog Post Number One

Based off of my educational experiences in elementary, middle, and secondary school, I first want to discuss how my views on assessment have a lot to do with "emotions". Moving through the school system, assessment always:

1) Was in the form of grades (letters or percentages)
2) Related to worth and ability in comparison to classmates
3) Grading appeared to only focus on one's level of intelligence.

Furthermore, unless a student failed an assignment and thus needed to redo it to receive a passing grade, marks seemed set in stone and finalized. Thus there was a lot of pressure placed on grades, and they seemed to be the only marker of how well you were performing as a student. Due to the importance grades possessed, my beliefs on assessment are aligned with emotions. I was always a motivated learner and always strove to attain the highest grades possible. Thus when I did receive high grades, I felt emotions such as happiness or relief. Prior to receiving the grade, whilst completing the assignment, I would feel opposite emotions such as stress, anxiety, and worry. Assessment seemed to be a rollercoaster of emotions while completing the assignment, a constant worry while the assignment was being graded, an emotional reaction based on the grade received, and then these emotions would simply switch to the next assignment, and the previous learning opportunity was forgotten and of no importance.

Secondly, I noticed that these emotions definitely heightened in secondary school. Firstly, elementary school and middle school wasn't "easier" per-say, but assignments and learning during those educational years did seem more understandable, and good grades seemed more likely if you were willing to participate and complete all the tasks. Transitioning into secondary school, marking seemed to switch from a focus on participation, to a focus on both demonstrating an understanding of content, and ability to produce original content. Secondly, assessment in the form of good grades was a student's golden ticket from secondary school into post-secondary school, and at least for myself, that became my only focus on learning; to get high grades to be accepted into post-secondary school.

Finally, I want to share an instance that stood out to me from my childhood education. I recall receiving a "B" in French class, despite successfully completing all of the work, and completing it correctly. The teacher was using a different marking scheme/rubric than other teachers in the school. An "A" for this teacher involved going above and beyond simply completing the work, whereas the other teachers in the school gave out an "A" if the work was simply completed correctly. I remember my sense of self-worth being affected as I was an "A" student. The teacher was likely correct in her marking rubric, however do to the discrepancy with the rest of the teachers, I experienced emotions of stress, sadness, and inadequacy.

Today in Class:

Today we worked on creating a Venn Diagram sorting through the Assessment Companion 14 Strategies and 4 Tools, into Of, For, and As Learning. We found this difficult to do because we felt each strategy could overlap into a minimum of two, and often all three categories of learning. We had to use a less "open" type of thinking to streamline each strategy/tool into a specific category, for the purpose of the Venn Diagram.


AER Form

I will constantly be updating my AER Strategy Form on Google Docs. Below is my finalized version of my AER form, also finalized in my Google Docs link.


EDBE 8Y01 Digital Portfolio: AER Strategy Form                  Name: Haley Besworth

GROWING SUCCESS POLICIES
My Professional Learning Goals
1 goal for each
Strategies For Meeting
My Goals
1 strategy for each
Curated
Resources
minimum of 2 sources for each
POLICY
Fundamental Principles
My goal is to remain transparent in my expectations, assessment, and evaluation to ensure a fair and equitable learning environment. This will ultimately ensure students are privy to their entire learning process, their performance, and their areas for improvement.
→ Focus on the curriculum and align to the students’ needs and interests to support all students (including exceptionalities)
→ To do so, must not only identify learning goals, but utilize descriptive feedback, and provide multiple opportunities to show comprehension
“Transparency in Learning and Teaching Project”


“A New Area of Classroom Transparency”

POLICY
Learning Skills & Work Habits
Ensure I relate curriculum expectations and lesson content to life outside of school, to ensure students are successful in ALL aspects of their life.
Teach the “habits of the mind” which translates to: responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative, and self-regulation. Always keep in mind the importance of 21st century skills when teaching, and make sure I am knowledgeable on and capable of these skills, myself.
EduGains Learning Skills + Work Habits


Specific Example of Implementation in a School Board:

POLICY
Performance Standards: The Achievement Chart
I plan to implement the achievement chart performance skills requirements in a way that is specific to each assignment and inclusive of my students learning needs and goals.
Design “knowledge and understanding” requirements to relate what content students need to learn and in a way that is best suited to them. Alter “thinking” in regards to developing their critical and creative thinking skills/processes that are specific to their learning goals. For “communication”, I will adjust it to abide by their specific learning styles and needs, and set them up to perform the best they can. For “application”, assessment will involve using connections that are relatable to their interests and real world experiences.
Vlog on understanding the achievement chart:


Prezi on the achievement chart:

POLICY
Assessment FOR Learning & AS Learning
Implement “Assessment as Learning” as often as possible
  • Student determines what to do next in “my” learning (self-assessment)
  • Done by students
  • Formative
My goal is to ensure the learning process and assessment become simultaneous. I want assessment to ultimately direct students to deepen learning, increase development, and always work towards improvement
→ Model and teach learning goals, success criteria, and descriptive feedback, so students know what it looks like
→ Encourage students to produce their own self assessment, design their own success criteria, and ultimately create their own individual learning goals
→ Teach students to assess their peers, e.g. become experts in a subject of knowledge and teach it as a lesson to their fellow students and assess how their students learn, and then provide opportunities for development and additional learning
Module to each assessment as learning:


“Assessment is learning”

POLICY
Evaluation
My goal is to not only collect a vast amount of evaluation evidence through observation, but to consistently collect said evidence.
I will curate a variety of observation methods such as projects, papers, tests, presentations, performances, etc. More importantly I will try to  constantly observe the students learning goals, progress report information, such as collaboration, self-regulation, independent work, motivation, engagement, etc, via an organized marking binder, fit with marking schemes, grade lists, journal entries, etc.
Do You Check for Understanding Often Enough With Students


20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Everyday

POLICY
Reporting Student Achievement
My goal, on top of providing effective report card comments that are transparent, focused on current strengths and next steps for improvement, is utilizing ongoing and effective communication regarding the reporting process.
I will utilize success criteria, and consistent descriptive feedback, but also a positive communication line between parents as well as students. This will ensure student progress is identified early in the school year and developed consistently from that point forward. This will potentially provide at home opportunities for students to improve and develop, only bettering their overall progress and achievement.  I will learn how to utilize a class website to provide transparency with my students’ assignments, grades, homework, etc. and encourage email communication with parents.
Communicating and Reporting Student Achievement


10 Helpful Tips for Writing Student Reports

POLICY
Students With Special Education Needs
Create a classroom climate that is inclusive to all students regardless of any diverse needs or levels of learning, to ensure a safe and positive learning environment. This allows students with special needs to grow to their fullest potential both academically and socially.
I will promote sensitivity and acceptance of individual needs and differences, discuss expectations, encourage classroom interaction, implement cooperative group learning, assign peer mentors, instigate positive social interactions, and provide opportunities for students with special needs to provide their own feedback regarding their development and experiences. Additionally I will stay current with teaching strategies and methods regarding students with special needs, and continue my personal learning on the subject.
Five Benefits of Inclusive Classrooms


Understanding Inclusive Education:

POLICY
English Language Learners
Follow student’s IEP to ensure accommodations and/or modifications and/or alternative expectations are met, but also implement strategies to help student improve to a point of no longer needing the IEP.
Increase opportunities for practice regarding communication, writing, and reading. Encourage consistent interaction with peers, reflective and creative writing, and reading for pleasure. Initiate constant conversation, reading alouds, class discussions, etc. Create a safe and judgement-free classroom climate, so all students feel safe and comfortable communicating opinions/ ideas and engaging in discussion.
Five Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Learning for ELLs in the New Year


Goal-Setting with English Language Learners

POLICY
The Kindergarten Program
My primary goal would be to not only implement noticing and naming the learning, but teach students how to notice and name their own learning.
I will teach students to self-assess their learning, reflect on their play, and determine personal goals and how well they achieve said goals. I will model this in a simplified, apparent, and understandable way. I will teach them to use their “playing” as the primary focus for accomplishing/learning the above. They will be most comfortable with and fluent in ‘play’, thus it is a great vehicle to teach self-assessment off of.
Noticing and Naming the Learning: The Reflective Process


Noticing and Naming Learning (VIdeo)


Blog Post Number Two:

The growing success document has changed my beliefs about assessment in one major way. Where assessment used to focus on grade percentages, level of intelligence, and strictly 'academic' performance, it has shifted to focus on student growth, development, and preparation for succeeding in the real world. I believe this is in the best interest of students, as the 'real world' consists of personal life, social life, and work life. Rather than focusing simply on intelligence, students are encouraged and taught to succeed in their learning skills, work habits, self-assessment/reflection, and performance of the achievement chart requirements. With the mastering of the above skills and goals, students' intelligence will develop as well, but instead of singularly being successful in academics, they will be well-rounded and have greater triumph in many areas of their lives. Some students from previous generations developed the above skills despite the lack of emphasis on them during their educational career. However, I believe with the focus shifting to now constantly assessing these skills, the newer generations will likely see greater percentages of students proceeding to post-secondary education or succeeding in the work force.

In regards to learning skills and work habits, the emphasis on becoming proficient in the categories directly translates to real world experiences. For example, responsibility requires students to take responsibility and manage their own behaviour, which will translate into future careers where they will be required to complete and submit their work to due-dates, spend personal time working on projects, use work time efficiently, etc. In regards to collaboration, students must accept various roles and an equitable share of work in their groups, work with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals, as well as build healthy relationships. This translates into the real world with work in teams, working on company projects, and building healthy relationships and work and personal life. A final example, initiative, has students looking for and acting on new ideas and opportunities for learning, which in real life is how you progress. It asks students to demonstrate their willingness to take risks, which is how one can become they best they can be. It also suggests approaching new tasks with a positive attitude, which is the best outlook one can have on life.

The achievement chart is broken down into knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication, and application. This can be translated to the "know, how, be" model. Knowledge and understanding means knowing the content and mastering it. Thinking and communication show how a student knows the content, through their planning, processing, critical and creative thinking, expression, organization, conventions, vocabulary, and technology. The application of the content such as applying and transferring the knowledge and skills as well as making connections between various contexts, demonstrates the type of learner and person a student can be, such as conscious and proactive about social justice issues.

Finally, assessment for learning and as learning are great tools in the overall assessment of students comprehension and proficiency of the above. Not only do teachers constantly and thoroughly assess students by giving descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement (a concept less practiced with previous generations of students), but through assessment as learning they also model how to assess and thus encourage students to develop their own capacity to be independent, autonomous learners. They suggest setting individual goals, monitoring one's own progress, and determining the next steps. A big part of assessment as learning is reflection. Students are given opportunities to reflect on their own learning and thinking, which will only prepare them for life long finesse in self-reflection. This is a skill I wish I had been introduced to during my educational experience, as reflection is a phenomenal skill to utilize on a daily basis.

I now believe assessment is not a scary, judgemental, anxious, thing. Instead it is something to look forward to, covet, and take advantage of, to improve one's overall skill set, not just academically but in all areas of one's life.

Instructional Planning - Independent 

This is my instructional plan. Please note the lower and higher level cognitive questions I have added at the end to extend the learning opportunity for students:


EDBE 8Y01 Instructional Planning: Part Two
NAME:  Haley Besworth  

Grade:  8
Subject: Mathematics
Strands: Number Sense and Numeration (Operational Sense)
Mini Unit:
Multiplying Integers
Overall Expectation(s):
By the end of this lesson students will:
- Solve problems using integers, using a variety of computational strategies (multiplication)
Specific Expectation(s):
By the end of this lesson students will: (Operational Sense)
- Represent the multiplication of integers using a variety of tools
- Solve problems involving operation with integers using a variety of tools
Achievement Chart Categories
addressed in this lesson:
ð     Knowledge & Understanding
-       Demonstrates thorough knowledge of the multiplication of integers (e.g. facts, terms, procedural skills, tools)
ð     Thinking
-       Uses planning skills to understand the activity
-       Effectively decides on strategies for completing the activity successfully
-       Performs those strategies effectively
-       Reflects on those strategies
ð     Communication
-       Through the use of the exit pass, student expresses and organizes their mathematical thinking effectively, using written mathematic expressions
-       Uses proper conventions, vocabulary, and terminology when reflecting on activity within the exit pass 

ð     Application
-       Transfer of knowledge and skills regarding multiplication operations to the integers activity
-       Effectively connects prior mathematical knowledge of multiplying and dividing whole numbers, and prior knowledge of adding and subtracting integers (from grade seven), to new knowledge of multiplying and dividing integers operations
LEARNING SKILLS AND WORK HABITS: Which LSWH(s) will be addressed in this lesson?
Responsibility       Independent Work         Collaboration         Organization        Initiative        Self-Regulation
Rationale:
Collaboration:
·      Accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in groups
·      Works with others to achieve group goals and work through problems
·      Works well with partner to participate in card game activity
Independent work:
·      Uses class time appropriately to complete tasks
·      Follows instructions with minimal supervision
·      Stays on task with partner during time allotted for activity 
Initiative:
·      Demonstrates curiosity and interest in learning
·      Approaches new task with a positive attitude
·      Looks for and acts on new ideas and opportunities to learning
Organization:
·       Follow the plan and process for completing work and tasks
·       Establishes priorities and manages time to complete tasks and achieve goals
·       Identifies, gathers, evaluates, and uses resources to complete tasks
LEARNING GOAL(S)

Describe the curriculum expectations & LSWH  for this lesson in student friendly language

We are learning to…

Confidently apply multiplication operations to integers

Correctly use manipulatives or provided tools to express the operations

Use the instructions provided to guide my learning 

Stay focused during collaborative activities

Use class time effectively to complete task

Work well with others during the activity

Have a positive attitude while doing the activity
TASK

Create a task for the learning goal(s) to be addressed in this lesson:  Describe what  students will be doing to address the learning goal(s) for this lesson:

Learning goals:

(1)  Students will solve simple problems requiring the multiplication of integers with opposite signs and the same signs 
(2)  Students will collaborate with peers during the activity
(3)  Students will utilize manipulatives within the multiplication  of integers

Minds on:
Recap from last class, what is the rule when:
-       You multiply two positive integers:
-       You multiply a positive and negative integer:
-       You multiply two negative integers:
Go through homework from last class, and solve as a class on the board (integer multiplication problems)
-       Compile strategies, findings, and answer any questions


Action:
-       Students are given a deck of cards
-       Red cards are positive integers (1-10) and black cards are negative integers (1-10)
-       Decks are shuffled and one card from each student is turned over at the same time
-       The person to make the largest number wins the cards from that hand
-       The player who ends up with the whole deck of cards at the end wins
-       Make sure to explain that: two black cards result in a positive product, two red cards result in a positive product, and one red and one black card result in a negative product
-       When students finish have them attempt the game turning over two cards each; the cards will combine to create a double digit number (e.g. 4 and 5 is 45; or 6 and 3 is 63)

If students complete the activity first using multiplication of single-digit numbers and then again with multiplication of double-digit numbers, have them independently work on the following Multiplying and Dividing Integer Games:






Consolidation:
-       Exit pass:
(1)  Answer the two provided integer questions
(2)  Explain one way you think multiplication or division of integers could be found in real life
What is the PURPOSE of the task:
For [Table 4.1 p. 31 Growing Success (2010)]
-       Process of seeking and interpreting evidence to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there
-       E.g. how well do the students understand multiplying and dividing integers, what do they still need to learn, how will the best learn it

What is the NATURE of the task:
Formative [Table 4.1 p. 31 Growing Success (2010)]
-       One of many frequent/ongoing formative assessments performed while students are still gaining knowledge and practicing skills
-       Activity is used to monitor student progression towards achieving overall and specific expectations
-       Opportunity to provide timely and specific descriptive feedback to students, scaffold next steps, and differentiate instruction and assessment in response to student needs
-       E.g. how well students are understanding the unit and mastering the expectations

The task will provide evidence of student learning from which SOURCE?
Observation
-       Specifically watching how students participate in the activity to assess participation, understanding, engagement, inclusion, collaboration, and above learning skills and work habits
-       Using this activity to assess long-term behaviour, emotional state, interests and abilities, patterns of development, and progress in learning 
SUCCESS CRITERIA

Describe what successful attainment of the learning goal(s) for this lesson task looks like:

I can….

I can identify multiplication integer operations and arrive at the correct product

I can communicate my understanding of integer rules (e.g. two negatives produce a positive number, two positives produce a positive number, one negative and one positive number produce a negative number)

I can relate multiplying and dividing integers to my previous knowledge of adding and subtracting integers

I can relate the operations I have learned effectively to the integers card game activity, successfully using cards as manipulatives

I can use class time effectively, staying on task, and always engaged

I can work productively with others through activity

I can use instructions given to guide my learning and inquiry

I can approach the activity optimistically





ASSESSMENT TOOL    Anecdotal Record, Rating Scale, Checklist, Rubric, Other

(1)  Anecdotal Record (Based on Learning Skills and Work Habits)
à See example below – 1.1

(2)  Exit-Pass (Based on Achievement Chart)
à See example below – 1.2

Identify & create a tool to gather, record & analyse evidence of learning for the task.
It will include the learning goal and success criteria.
Include the assessment tool with this document

Example 1.1

Multiplication of Integers Exit-pass

Name: _______________

1. 6 x (-5) = __

2. (-20) x (-7) = __

3. Explain one way you think the multiplication and division of integers can be found in real life:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Example 1.2

Anecdotal Observation Sheet

Name: _______________

Independent Work
Initiative
Uses class time appropriately to complete activity by following instruction with minimal supervision … Y/N
Notes:
-
-
-
-
Approaches activity positively and with level of interest and uses as opportunity for learning … Y/N
Notes:
-
-
-
-
Collaboration
Organization
Works well and equally with partner to participate in card game activity … Y/N
Notes:
-
-
-
-
Follows the plan given for completing the activity appropriately … Y/N
Notes:
-
-
-
-





Questions to Guide Students’ Thinking:

Lower Cognitive Questions (recalling, recognizing, describing, summarizing)

(1)  What mathematics were you investigating?
(2)  What strategies did you use during the integers card game?
(3)  What are you confident about regarding multiplying integers and what needs improvement?
(4)  What math words or vocabulary did you learn during the activity?
(5)  What would happen when you switch to dividing integers?

Higher Cognitive Questions (applying, analyzing, evaluating, generating)

(1)  What other activities have you done, or manipulatives have you used that are similar to the ones in today’s activity?
(2)  What does the multiplying of integers make you think of?
(3)  How does multiplying integers compare to the adding and subtracting of integers?
(4)  How can you apply multiplication of integers to real life?






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