Standard+8

Home Page - Standard I - Standard II - Standard III - Standard IV - Standard V - Standard VI - Standard VII - Standard VIII - Standard IX - Standard X **__Standard 8 __** //The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil. //
 * Teachers know how to test for student progress. **

Evidence:

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">This assessment tool was designed to define expectations of student behavior and participation while contributing in an online class discussion. It also serves as a good guidance tool for the students so they know what to do next in a discussion. By simply going down the rubric and checking off what they have accomplished, they are self-checking their own participation and quality of work. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> This assessment was developed in EDT 672 and put into use this year during online discussions for social studies. We are currently in the middle of using it for the first time and it is working fairly well. The students are used to working with rubrics, so there isn’t the ‘this is new to me’ factor that can sometimes keep them going, but at the same time, it is a reliable tool that they are familiar with using. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> It is my belief that the best parts of this assessment tool are actually the two categories that have nothing to do with content or participation. The two most important ones to me as an educator are the respectfulness and digital citizenship categories. By constantly bringing this up in class, having discussions about it, and making the kids practice safe habits online, we are helping raise students who know how to protect themselves online and who are respectful to others even in the virtual world. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> This tool helps me as a teacher because it ensures that there is consistency in my grading of online discussion questions. It also allows me to grade them not only on the content of their posts, but also on how they respond to their peers, their attention to privacy concerns, and general respectfulness of their classmates. The students know what is expected of them, how much is expected of them, and they are able to see how quickly their grades will be lowered if they are disrespectful or hurtful to their classmates. This assessment allows us to use online discussions in our curriculum because there is now a consistent way to view and grade student responses. **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">KSD ** **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">8.K.2 The teacher knows how to select, construct, and use assessment strategies and instruments appropriate to the learning outcomes being evaluated and to other diagnostic purposes. ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> By creating this assessment tool for online discussions, instead of an assessment tool for a specific discussion, I am setting up my students for consistent feedback and clear expectations. Students know exactly what is expected of them and what they need to do to earn the grade they want. **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">8.S.1 The teacher appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques (e,g, observation, portfolios of student work, teacher-made tests, performance tasks, projects, students self-assessments, peer assessment, and standardized tests) to enhance her or his knowledge of learners, evaluate students’ progress and performances, and modify teaching and learning strategies. ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> This assessment rubric is only one of many formative and summative assessments that are used throughout a given year. Students are constantly being observed, their progress is being tracked, and goals are being written with them so they have ownership over what their next steps are. Using a simple rubric like this offers students a clear snapshot as to how to improve their online discussion skills for the next time they are required to participate in one. **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">8.D.1 The teacher values ongoing assessment as essential to the instructional process and recognizes that many different assessment strategies, accurately and systematically used, are necessary for monitoring and promoting student learning. ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> This is simply one tool that is used to help students learn. The fact that it can be used over and over during the course of the year establishes consistency and sets clear expectations for the students.