The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student.
Artifact 1
I created this test in collaboration with another history education major for our educational psychology course. Our test is based on a chapter from the textbook for the class and each question is at the application level of Bloom's taxonomy or higher. Our goal in this project was to create a test and calculate the z scores and T scores as well as the other statistics from the test results. Based on that information and now working individually, the goal was to use these scores and statistics to determine how best to proceed if this were a real scenario in a classroom.
Illinois Professional Teaching Standard 7J says that a teacher "uses assessment results to determine student performance levels, identify learning targets, select appropriate research-based instructional strategies, and implement instruction to enhance learning outcomes." While doing this project, I had to use the results of my test to determine what kinds of interventions or changes would have to be made if this was a real test taken by my students. In order to do this, I used various ideas and methods that I learned through this class. Standard 7L says that a teacher "involves students in self-assessment activities to help them become aware of their strengths and needs and encourages them to establish goals for learning." In my analysis and narrative of the test results, I suggested that it would be beneficial for me to talk to the students in this scenario in order to hear directly from them about the test, how they felt about it, what they struggled with, and why. I said that it would be best to hear directly from the students about how they're doing so that I don't assume anything and so that students are able to express their concerns and have them listened to.
Standard 7K says that a teacher "appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessments to evaluate the understanding, progress, and performance of an individual student and the class as a whole." Part of this project was to analyze the 'class' results as a whole and also focus on two students to determine class-wide changes and individual adjustments. This ties back into the previous standard I mentioned, 7L, where I talked about my plan to hear from students directly about how they felt they were doing, which is another form of informal assessment.
Artifact 2
Student A Journal Entry Outline Student A Journal Entry
The two attachments come from one of my students during my student teaching. We were learning about the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty and the trade connections between ancient Rome and ancient China. In order to tie all this information together, I had students write a journal entry either as an explorer from ancient Rome going East or ancient China going West. To help students get their thoughts in order and make sure they understood what I was asking them to do and what I was expecting from them, I created an outline with blanks for them to fill in with the necessary information. They were to write where they were coming from (Rome or China), what direction they were going (East or West), at least two details from their notes of things they would physically see or experience while exploring, and that they met someone from one of the nations and what they would see that person doing or what they would be like (this detail would come from their notes).
Illinois Professional Teaching Standard 7P states that the competent teacher "collaborates with families and other professionals involved in the assessment of each student." The student example here comes from a student who has an IEP and who had some trouble with the assignment. The journal entry was late, and all that the student had turned in was the outline. Both myself and my cooperating teacher had tried to get the student to write the journal entry as we had instructed, but the student was very resistant and insisted that they had done the journal entry because the outline was the journal entry. After failing to get the student to write the journal entry, my cooperating teacher and I decided it would be best to come up with some alternative ways the student could fulfill the assignment and contact the student's parents in order to come up with a solution. We also contacted one of the school social workers who also was this student's case manager. We called one of the parents the next day and had the social worker join us on the call as we discussed what had been happening and our possible alternatives. The parent was open to the idea but wanted to try and get their child to fulfill the original assignment as directed. They were far more effective than I was as the student turned in the journal entry the next day.
I learned that it's okay to admit that I can't do something and that I can call in those who can and who have more knowledge than me. This was my first time contacting a parent over the phone about a problem with a student, and I learned how best to discuss negative experiences about a student with their parent(s) or guardian(s). For a couple of summers, I worked in customer service, so I have a little experience discussing negative experiences and issues with someone, but it is entirely different when you're talking about someone's child. The parent in this instance was incredibly helpful and receptive to our ideas, but I realize not every instance will be like this.