University of Massachusetts Lowell
M.Ed Program in Curriculum & Instruction
Assessment of Learning
My name is Alexis Cournoyer and I am a high school English teacher at Triton High School. My favorite part of being a classroom teacher is instilling in my students the love of learning. I have seen so many high schoolers who are burnt out and beaten down by life by the time they reach my classroom. They think of school as a game they have to play to make it out into the real world and just scratch the surface of registering the information. My goal is to change that by using my creativity to get them to fall in love with learning and being in the classroom again like they were when they were in elementary school. Even with my classroom assessments, I am always looking for ways to think outside of the box and keep students engaged. It’s these types of activities that make me feel both crazy and that I am in the right place and I am making an impact.
My purpose with this portfolio is to share my knowledge on assessments with other educators! Throughout this course, I have been able to test out firsthand different technologies and styles of assessment. I hope to be able to share what I have created and let other secondary-grade educators ultilize these tools.
Formative Assessments: In this section, you can expect to find lesson plans and assessments I have used within my classroom. These include a non-traditional take on a matching quiz and incorporating peer editing into the college essay writing process.
Technology: Under the technology page, you'll see evidence of technology tools you can use in your classroom, such as Canva, Google Sites, Blooket, Prezi, and more. Not only do I give ideas and examples of how each can be used in real-classroom scenarios, but I also share access to some of my materials within my professional development presentation.
Effective Rubrics: In this section, I provide an in-depth look into selecting the right assessment tool. If you are considering using a personal narrative rubric, or are curious as to how your school district might consider the switch to a standards-referenced system, I have included materials and commentary.
Effective Feedback: This section highlights the value of feedback, and how to ensure that feedback is done correctly in the classroom. For some educators, this might mean making a few tweaks to their current feedback system, while for those utilizing a flipped classroom, I share new insights into a cutting-edge way of providing student feedback.