Uses data sources to assess the effectiveness of instruction and to make adjustments in planning and instruction.
Assessment is a valuable tool that aids in individualized instruction and in the success of students. I have learned many assessment methods, both formative and summative. While working with a student, I observed her, met with her teachers, and conducted a COACH interview with her family to gain information about her current abilities and the goals that her teachers and her family have for her. I also gained information from her student file and previous IEPs. Once her goals were established, I conducted baseline probes to determine what steps she knew and what level of prompting I should begin instruction at. Every time we worked on a skill, I tracked the areas where she needed prompting, what prompt was used, and the areas where she had gained independence. I then used the information I gained from these assessments to shape what level of prompt I would use in future instruction and to determine if we could move on to the next step in the goal or create a new goal. Assessment was built into everything I did, and the information I gained helped me to develop an Individualized Education Plan. We progressed through the goals because I did constant assessments and tracked data, then used that data to inform the next lesson. This experience helped me to see the importance of different kinds of assessment and how much students benefit from instruction that is informed by data. I have included my summary of the plans that I had in place and the data I collected over a six week period of working with my case study student. The student's progress was communicated to her teachers and suggestions were made for future goals.
Documents student progress and provides descriptive feedback to student, parent/guardian, and other stakeholders in a variety of ways.
In the intervention classroom, we implemented home notes. These notes are filled out by both the teacher and the parents. Our first home notes had very few details. After getting some great tips from my professor, I created home notes that are more specific. They are designed for parents and teachers to check boxes and enable us to identify specific areas, as well as make tracking data much easier for us. Once we began to track our student's behavior, we noticed that his behaviors took place on the same days of the week. We hoped that home notes would help us to identify some of the factors that were contributing to the behaviors.
Designs or selects preassessments, formative, and summative assessments in a variety of formats that align to learning objectives and engage the learner in demonstrating knowledge and skills.
I had the opportunity to pursue training at the University of Utah Reading Clinic. The use of constant assessment allows tutors there to closely track the progress of students. The assessments performed include Dibels, comprehension, and reading level placements. These assessments are used to inform instruction and place the student for the following term. The Dibels assessment counts how many words correct per minute (wcpm) the student can read in their grade level text. While many of the students receiving tutoring at the University of Utah Reading Clinic are not reading at grade level, this Dibels assessment can demonstrate progress in the student’s ability to decode text at their grade level. Throughout the reading level placement assessments, the student reads text for a given grade level and then answers questions based on the text. The student’s ability to read within the required words per minute and accuracy determines if the student is kept at that reading level or if the student will be assessed on the subsequent grade level text. The purpose of all of these assessments is to ensure that the student is working through text that is at their instructional level. This practice is in keeping with the Utah Effective Teaching Standards #5. This standard states that teachers must use assessment effectively to inform instruction. While the assessments I mentioned previously occurred nearly every 25 lessons, additional assessments were being done during every lesson. Each lesson consisted of a rate and accuracy portion where a student read 100 words. The time was recorded as well as the number of errors. When the student reached a level of mastery of the text, then the student could progress.