Sources
Taylor, C. S., & Nolen, S. B. (2008). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning
in real classrooms (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Standardized testing is a great way to measure how students perform throughout the country, and see where the United States stands opposing other countries in the education field. There are issues that exist with standardized testing. Teachers are given a lot of stress to meet standards, and a many may choose to lean towards teaching only standardized test material. “When used inappropriately, as when decision making about the quality of schools is based solely on scores from external tests, there are many negative impacts on schools, teachers, and students. If teachers become too focused on test scores, research has shown that they may seek to raise test scores by narrowing instruction to the tested content, teaching test-taking skills, and using instructional materials that mirror the types of items1 on the test. This may raise test scores; however, the scores then have little meaning. When test scores, rather than student learning, become the focus of instruction, students can learn less, even as scores are increasing” (Taylor & Nolen, 2008). It is important that teachers lay the foundation and not focus on teaching then test, but rather on the curriculum and their understanding of the information.
Sources Taylor, C. S., & Nolen, S. B. (2008). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning in real classrooms (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
2 Comments
Fractions can be very confusing when you first learn them. In second grade, students are excited about math and anxious to learn how to solve the problems. This age group needs to be stimulated in order to be focused and understand the lesson being presented. For second graders, I believe using manipulatives can really help students understanding the fraction in general. Another way I can assess a student’s recognition is through using illustrations through word problems. Illustrating fractions with various shapes can help a student understand how to properly write and properly say fractions and a teacher can assess a student’s recognition of fractions through individual assigned class work or group work. Assessment of students with fractions can also occur by going over class work problems with the entire class. Calling on students to come to the board to show their work to the class is important for students to develop their performance skills in a particular skill. Presenting math problems in front of his or her peers is important in assessing a student’s understanding and thought process, but to also help them gain confidence in the way they solve problems. There are many ways that a teacher can assess a student’s understanding in regards to fractions; however, I believe that a teacher needs to find a main method of evaluation in addition to other multiple ways.
“A formative assessment is all about sharing information. Teacher-to-student communication, where teachers show students how teacher’s believe learning should be headed and what students need to do to get there” (Brookhart, Moss, & Long, 2008). What is important to note about this type of assessment is it would typically involve open-ended written essay questions or open discussions. “This kind of assessment convinces students that teachers really want to understand what and how they think, rather than whether they know the “right” answers. Students feel permitted to think for themselves and to openly share their understandings, which frees them to become the driving force in their own learning” (Brookhart, Moss, & Long, 2008).
A summative assessment is a type of assessment that allows a student to work on a project over a course of a few weeks. They do independent research for a couple of weeks, turning in mini-lessons through their research process. “As students complete each step in their research project, they place the final draft, along with earlier drafts, into their process portfolios. Because of the mini-lessons, small-group practice with ideas, independent work, in-depth teacher feedback at different stages, and peer feedback, most of his students do an outstanding job on their research papers” (Taylor & Nolan, 2008). With this type of assessment, students really learn the benefits of research and obtaining knowledge on their own accord through their trial research. An example of this would be a research paper. Sources Brookhart, S., Moss, C., & Long, B. (2008). Formative Assessment That Empowers. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 52. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. Taylor, C. S., & Nolen, S. B. (2008). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning in real classrooms (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. “The central goal of NCLB is to close the achievement gap between high and low-performing children, especially gaps between minority and nonminority students and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers, to ensure that every child is proficient in reading, math and science by 2014” (Tech Trends, 2006). Some of the significant influences in the No Child Left behind Act are a renewed version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1994. The difference between the two is that rather than foc using on assessment of goals it focused on assessment of curriculum standards. The importance of this was to achieve high standards of education within the United States by following the curriculum standards set forth in the ESEA of 1994 (Taylor & Nolan, 2008).
“To achieve this goal, the NCLB requires a series of assessment and accountability measures designed to increase the number of states adopting subject-area content standards and tests linked to those standards. If students in any of a number of demographic and income categories fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward proficiency in the subjects tested, the schools and school districts they attend must institute corrective measures or face sanctions, including the loss of Federal Title I funds” (Tech Trends, 2006). Unfortunately, the influences did not anticipate that this act would actually diminish the quality of education in the United States, because No Child Left Behind forced the schools to “dumb down” their curriculum in order to pass the students who were not meeting the criteria based on the Act’s standards. Sources (2006). Influences of Suprasystems on Systemic Change. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 50(2), 26-32. doi:10.1007/s11528-006-7583-0. Taylor, C.S., & Nolen, S.B. (2008). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning in real classrooms. Retrieved from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx. |
Lindsey PietrocolaSince 2010, I've been incorporating technology (in some form or another) into a classroom as a teacher. Archives
April 2019
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