7. Assessment

For the class, Educational Psychology 303, we were asked to create a test and administer it to ten students. This test was a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. There was eight multiple choice and two short essay answer questions. We were given our textbook to use and pick a chapter from to base our test from. I decided to focus on chapter four from Woolfolk’s Educational Psychology textbook, Learner Differences and Learning Needs. This test was given to individuals who had knowledge of the textbook as well as those who had not read the chapter. This assessment was given to us to help us understand and gain knowledge on how we practice in performing and calculating a test as well as being able to make the test, administer it to these individuals and then calculate their results. Therefore, I was able to see how well they did on the test that was given to them, what they needed more work on and how I can make things better in the future for my students.

Once the test was completed by the students, we as the test creators had to write a test analysis. This report was to express the importance of how the students did. The analysis report displayed the percentages of the individuals, their z-scores as well as their T-scores. This is important and shows significance on why it is important to keep track of how our students perform in their learning. The results also signify and show how the students did, the progress of how they are doing and what they need to work on in comparing their scores with others. We created a chart to express and demonstrate all the data from the tests that were completed. I then looked and compared my data, finding two students who I feel did extremely well, had a higher score and the other who scored lower. I created a small write up on each student where I expressed their strengths, their struggles and how they can be better supported in teaching those students their near future. I also created a write up where I wanted to find ways to ensure that all my students would get the support, the resources, the best positive experiences in whether they were excelling or not within their studies. It is important that we find all kinds of ways to ensure that students receive the best instructional practices possible for an enriching learning environment.

I administered the test through a Google tool called, Google forms. I felt it was the best way to collect data, while allowing my students to have comfort in taking their test in a safe and quiet space. This test allowed me to keep a steady track of the student’s progress, keep track of their performance as well as it allowed me to conduct and create a test using technology. Technology is important and connects well with the performance indicator 70, “effectively uses appropriate technologies to conduct assessments, monitor performance, and assess student progress”. As one of the performance indicators it is also expressed 7M, “maintains useful and accurate records of student work and performance” (7M). This signifies the importance of why test taking and assessing students is important to see where they are within the subject matter and if the students can move on or need more time in learning a concept. Google also has different methods of displaying data of the student, through graphs and spreadsheets with their answers and their scores. From looking at my data from my students I could see where some questions may not have been expressed clearly, allowing for some possible confusion. As it is expressed through strand 7, “The teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes”. Based on this, the use of assessments is extremely important and valuable in determining the students’ progress and performance. Assessments express and explain a lot of information that is of benefit to the teacher in determining how the student will be taught and what kind of support they may need. They are helpful for seeing what the students need as well to perform well. In my report I will be expressing how the test could have been created in a different manner to have allowed those students who did not do well on some of the questions an opportunity to make it fairer. In connection to my previous thought on finding ways on how the test could have been created differently, the adjustments that could have been made connects well with 7J “uses assessment results to determine student performance levels, identify learning targets, select appropriate research-based instructional strategies, and implement instruction to enhance learning outcomes”. This to me is one of the most important performance indicators as it connects the learning targets and connecting it to the instructional strategies used to enhance the students learning. This experience was a positive one and one that I feel privileged to have been able to practice, create and administer a test on my own. This has also taught me many ways to encourage and promote better tests and support systems for my future students.

This artifact was created on April 12, 2023. This was an assessment check point for students who are working on completing their math unit on Number Lines and Equations. This check point assessment was given to determine how students have been understanding of adding and subtracting equations on the number line. This artifact expresses the understanding and application of skills and content taught, The students being able to represent sums as well as differences using a Number Line.  This artifact shows one student's knowledge of content that was taught using Equations and Number Lines. This checkpoint was created to give me as their teacher and or other professionals concrete data of what student's were able to understand as well as apply strategies to questions being asked.

This artifact showed great importance of being able to identify how the student performed with content and strategies that were previously taught in past lessons. Indicator 7 J connected very well with this artifact for many reasons. Indicator 7J expresses "uses assessment results to determine student performance levels, identify learning targets, select appropriate research-based instructional strategies and implement instruction to enhance learning outcomes;" Specifically, I looked at how the students transferred their knowledge and skills taught from previous lessons during this assessment given. The students were given instructions on understanding what each question was asking to ensure there was no confusion for beginning their assessment. For example: understanding vocabulary such as: expression and number line. This artifact showed me as their teacher where they did well and where they struggled. The results that were collected allowed me as a professional educator to reflect and find ways to re-teach certain strategies to encourage and support the student's ultimate success. From assessing the results and information, I was able to determine learning targets, create instructional methods to support and work through difficulties that student's were experiencing. 

This checkpoint assessment is a great way to identify students needs, weaknesses as well as strengths with the content that has been taught. As a teacher collecting data and observing data is essential to the development and mastery of skills of the student. I believe it is important to find areas that if the student is struggling, how we can better support them. For example: going over previous taught lesson, or having smaller group instruction with those students who are having difficulty understanding the material being taught. I believe that the information I will collect from checkpoint assessments will provide me with where my students are doing well and where they are struggling. It is my job to ensure the students are successful and have the appropriate math tools and community to better understand and apply their knowledge with.