Double Journal Entry # 11 Fostering High Quality Formative Assessment

What is formative assessment?

 Formative assessment is a type of assessment that actually takes place during the teaching process. It is on-going and it enables teachers (as well as students) to monitor progress made. Results can then be used to modify instruction as needed. Formative assessments may include, but are not limited to: observations, questioning, discussion, journals, graphic organizers, and entrance/exit slips



What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment? 

The central purpose of formative assessment is student learning and feedback into the learning process.


Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy.

Providing feedback is not only a best practice in formative assessment, it is essential. This is also a research-based strategy. Feedback needs to be specific, instructive, and timely. Best practices in formative assessment suggest that timing is an important consideration when providing feedback.


Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.

When you use a rubric which specific lists criteria for evaluating a work, it can be used formatively to help students understand what is expected. Then it can be used summatively to assign a grade.



Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.

When constructing their structures for my PBL, my students will be assigned the task through a series of steps. Each step will require some form of assessment and feedback (such as conferencing or turning in drafts) in order to ensure student success and the success of subsequent steps.


What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback? 

Focus on a few, selective features of the task and provide clear and detailed ideas about how to proceed. Highlight the areas of strength, but also let students know that mistakes are ok (they are a natural part of the learning process).


Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.

 1). It helps teachers by helping them to identify struggling students. 2) It can help students by increasing motivation, confidence, and challenging them to think on a higher level (it challenges them).


What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?

 One challenge is that it may be difficult to distinguish between high-quality formative assessment and assessment that is under-conceptualized or not fully developed. Another challenge the need to develop mechanisms of support for teachers who employ high-quality formative assessment in their classrooms. In other words, we as teachers need to be able to “on the ball” when implementing formative assessments. We need to be able to show it, how it works, and how it is documented.

Double Journal Entry # 10

Why is it the responsibility of all teachers to provide writing instruction for their students?

First of all, the Common Core State Standards require this, since the shift in focus on reading and writing across the curriculum. Writing skills are not only essential across all curricula, they foster learning but serve to demonstrate the degree of student learning. Writing instruction needs to help students meet the challenges of writing effectively for many purposes. These types of skills enhance overall achievement, not only in the school setting but in real life. Therefore, students who do not acquire these skills are at a severe disadvantage. If these skills are practiced and perfected by all educators involved, the student's chance of success in school and life are greatly multiplied.

Name and describe 4 research-based strategies to support writing instruction for students.

1. Use low-stakes writing assignments- With this strategy, students are given shorter assignments. These assignments may ask the students to focus on or explain key concepts, outline a procedure, or summarize arguments on a given topic. if this strategy is employed regularly, it can serve to strengthen student connections to the reading done within the course.


2. Provide multiple forms of feedback- There are many ways to provide feedback; it does not necessarily mean that the teacher sits for hours grading stacks of papers. Feedback can come in the form of peer review, whole class discussions of student writing samples, students’ reflection on their own writing,

and brief one-on-one conferences.

3. Employ a variety in texts and their presentation- The argument here is that the textbook does not have to be the sole source of information. Using a variety of texts (essays, primary sources, fiction, scientific reports, inventories) increases interest and concept development. They also help students develop as readers by varying style, length, and difficulty.

4. Employ a variety of levels of reading difficulty- Students who cannot read the text easily are likely to give up or lose interest quickly. Students who are not reading at grade level need to have access to quality materials that they can easily "digest". Learning needs to be scaffolded in order to be effective for everyone.

Wordle

This Wordle was created as a result of my 2nd grade Interest Survey.

WebQuest changes

The WebQuest my partner and I have chosen is Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh Yes! We chose this WebQuest because we really like the premise of it and the students are likely to have a whole lot of fun completing it. Plus, it was very applicable to situations that students may encounter in the "real world". I would like to make mention of the changes that we have decided to make so far.


We would like to make this WebQuest more aesthetically pleasing. We would do this by changing the background and adding more graphics. 


We noticed there is an overabundance of grammatical and spelling errors that need to be addressed.


Further, we decided to make the groups larger, given the complexity of the tasks. It seemed like an overwhelming amount of work for just 2 people to do. Each group will consist of 4 students. 


Instead of every group planning a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo, we decided to have each group research a different zoo. This way, the class can come together at the end of the project and decide which zoo is the most practical and feasible (given location, cost, and so on).


At this point, we have only made it through the introduction and task portion of the WebQuest. We rewrote the introduction to make it more interesting and get the students more engaged in the work.


Finally, in the task portion, we noticed that, even though the introduction mentioned that the students would be locating the zoo, it was not part of the actual task. We had the students find the zoo on a map, determine its distance from the school, estimate travel time, and print a map.
We also added/subtracted a few things from the task, as they pertained to how we wanted each task completed. 


Those were all of the changes that we have made so far.


The WV CSOs we are considering include:


 RLA.O.4.1.16 use reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of information resources to support literacy learning (e.g., written directions, captions, electronic resources, labels, information texts).

SC.O.4.2.2 associate the behaviors of living organisms to external and internal influences (e.g., hunger, climate, or season


 M.O.4.1.7 add and subtract whole numbers(up to five –digit number) and decimals to the 1000th place, multiply (up to three digits by two-digits, and divide(up to a three digit number with a one and two-digit number).

Struggling Student Observation

I have observed one child in the class, a boy, who sits by himself at the very front of the classroom. I am unclear to what degree this child struggles academically. He does not have an IEP, but he has been selected for Title 1 assistance by the SAT.

I selected this student because it has been mentioned that he is lazy. He does not do his homework and, when in class just sits and has to be urged over and over to stay on task. It has been mentioned to me that this child’s mother may have recently taken herself out of the picture.

I saw this boy presumably struggling with a math worksheet one day. I offered to help him, as I did the other students but he would not respond to me at all. A few days later, I was able to carry on a fairly extensive conversation with him.

I found this child to be very personable and articulate. He seemed very open when he was not in a classroom setting.

The teacher says that, although he may struggle some in other areas, he is very good at math. He just seems uninterested in completing his work. This seems to be the case with class work and homework as well. The teacher has spoken to his parents but no changes have been made.

The result is frustration on the part of the teacher. I think this child is bright. He may have emotional issues that are affecting him, but I am not sure I would call him lazy. My heart goes out to him but I am unsure how a teacher could remedy a situation like this without support from parents.