321 Learn! » student assessment

How Should We Test Students?

Jennifer Wagaman — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:27:18 +0000

My question, unpacked a little bit, is really: Should our tests be designed to learn what students know or should they be designed to find out what students don’t know? Is there a place for both? How do they both … Continue reading → Related posts:

Allowing Special Education Students the Ability to Learn

Jennifer Wagaman — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:09:45 +0000

Schedule:

Monday: Introduce modified spelling list, Guided reading groups, Small group instruction for math – modified lessons…

Tuesday: Spelling list practice, Running records to monitor reading levels in groups (record data for IEPs), Assist students in large group math class…

Wednesday: Vocabulary quiz for IEP data, Dibbles testing, Reteaching in small group for math,

Thursday: Pretest in spelling, Guided reading groups, quiz in math

Friday: Spelling test, data collection in guided reading groups, preteach math lesson for next week

So let’s recap:

Spelling had 3 days of instruction.

Reading had 2 days of instruction.

Math had basically 3 days of instruction.

Now throw in county testing, state testing, field trips, grade level assemblies, IEP meetings (where a sub will take over, but never have a sub introduce or test material, only review), furlough days where kids are home because the county “can’t” pay the teachers, and holidays.

Anyone have a question about why special education students are not meeting standardized testing goals? The fact that they have a legal learning disability that impacts their ability learn, all the perimeter in place to “prove” that they are learning are in fact preventing them from having the opportunity to learn.

How to Improve Instruction for Special Education

Since a revamp of the entire education system is not likely to happen anytime soon, special education teachers need to make the most of the time they do have available with students. Here are a few things that can help maximize learning time.

Organize! Have lesson plans prepared well in advance, keep essential portions of student IEPs summarized and easy to reference, etc.
Streamline data collection practices so that more data can be collected during instructional time (try using a clipboard with student names, use tally marks and create a shorthand that helps speed recording process. )
Find time to do quick reviews or instruction with students to maximize time during the day. Eat lunch with kids, allow opportunity for extra help during recess, send home detailed instruction/review for parents to assist.

In the end, it’s important to give your students a chance to learn, so try to not get caught up in the disruptions to the schedule and make the most of the time available to you.

A Quick Look at Differentiated Instruction

Jennifer Wagaman — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:50:41 +0000

Differentiated Instruction, or teaching various levels at the same time to a classroom full of students who are learning at different lessons, is a commonly discussed topic in the schools today. The thing that is interesting is that some of the ideas for how to do this seem to lose site of the end goal.

When planning any lesson, it is important to first ask: what is the ultimate goal behind this lesson?

Example One: Differentiated Instruction of Perimeter and Area

So for example – Students will learn how to measure the perimeter and area of a shape. The ultimate goal is NOT that students will simply be able to improve upon prior knowledge. (I am sure everyone will agree there, but surprisingly, differentiated instruction seems to lose this idea). Additionally it is NOT that students will be able to pass a unit test. You might say that the ultimate goal is to pass the state tests, and in one sense that is an ultimate goal. The final ultimate goal is for students to be able to grow up, measure their living room and purchase the correct amount of carpet.

Looking at differentiating instruction for this concept has come a long way from even just a few years ago. It used to be that teachers were told to provide several examples and then allow time to work in small groups so that students who struggled with the concept could have personal time with the teacher to learn a difficult concept.

A New Look at Differentiated Instruction

Now teachers are being prompted to provide a variety of complexities in the problems given. Now for this example, the complexity does not compromise the concept: finding the area of a room that is 5×5 square uses the same formula as finding the area of a room that is 10×32. When it is time to add other shapes to the room, the problem becomes more sticky.

One article I recently read stated that students should be given a list of several questions of varying difficulty and allowed to choose a couple of those to answer, allowing the advanced students the chance at harder questions and slower students the chance at easier questions. The problem is, if the easy problems: a room that is only 5×5, are the only ones answered, then those students who are struggling will never have practice with more difficult problems: a room that has to be divided into three sections in order to figure out the area, for example.

Example Two: Differentiated Instruction for Multiplication

One example given in the article was multiplication. Given a selection of multiplication problems, students who have not grasped double digit multiplication can answer only single digit questions while students who are more advanced can answer more difficult double digit multiplication.

My question – when does the slower student learn double digit multiplication? And if your ultimate goal is that state test, how does that slower student have a chance at passing when they are always given the option of a simpler problem? Lose the problem sets and bring back individualized attention, please!

How to Improve Standardized Test Scores

Jennifer Wagaman — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:46:03 +0000

When preparing students for the standardized state tests that contribute to the No Child Left Behind Act and AYP, there are a few things that it is important for teachers to keep in mind. First, it is important to note that everyone as an opinion as to how to improve test scores. The bottom line is, what brings about results? So much of what schools/teachers/administrators choose to do or have others do, is based on opinions and ideas and not research.

Here are some tips for improving test scores based on research from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Check out these tips for improving test scores, then follow the links to read more and find out what surprising things actually make no difference in the test scores.

First, my opinion – be sure that in the ever present push to get through each standard on the state mandated curriculum, that children are learning why they need to know the information. Understanding the facts may help them pass a test, but understanding how that information is applicable to their lives is priceless and will ultimately result in better educated adults. It may also be worthy of note to reduce test stress.

Here are research-based specific things that teachers can do to ensure higher test scores.

To Improve Elementary Reading Test Scores:

Make reading a fun and enjoyable activity. Research shows that students who perform well on standardized reading tests enjoy reading and find it fun.
Focus on building student vocabulary.
Provide time for silent reading

Read more tips on improving reading test scores.

To Improve Elementary Level Math Test Scores:

Spend 3-5 hours on math. While this may seem simple, it provides teachers the amount of time necessary to teach each skill.
Avoid excess homework. Research shows that an excess of 15 minutes of math homework each day might actually hinder the goal of improving test scores.
Ability grouping is helpful as well, providing teachers the ability to focus on a single level of student ability at a time and really bring up the skill set of each group.

Read more tips on improving math test scores.

Teach Middle or High School level? Here are some tips for you on improving reading test scores:

Raising Middle School Reading Test Scores

Raising High School Reading Test Scores

Student Assessment

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:51:30 +0000

Student assessment is a vital part of teaching. There is some confusion surrounding lesson plan assessment, though. Student assessment is not an opportunity to find out if a student learned the required material. Rather, it is an opportunity for teachers to measure the success of their own teaching methods.

With this understanding comes a bit of confusion, though, as teacher performance begins to play into teacher salary. While it is true that student assessment demonstrates teacher effectiveness, it is not true that a standardized test can demonstrate the overall effectiveness of any one teacher, school or school district.

When the proper tools and ample amount of teaching time is provided to teachers, all students should learn. Unfortunately, though, all students cannot be expected to learn at the same rate. Even two students in the same grade cannot be expected to learn at the same rate, and expecting teachers to have all students passing the same test at the same time is ludicrous.

Instead, teachers should be held responsible for student learning. If John knows 50% of the information on a test prior to instruction, that teacher should be held responsible for Johns increase in knowledge to, say, 80% on the same test. The problem is, without knowing what the student starting level is, there is no way to hold teachers properly responsible for student growth.

Using Running Record Data

Jennifer Wagaman — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:54:50 +0000

After having completed a running record, a teacher has a huge amount of valuable data regarding an individual student’s ability to read.

Be sure to make notes of any of the following behaviors immediately following the completion of a running record:

The use of a finger to read
How choppy or smooth the reading is
How expressive and fluent the reading is

If the selection was timed, the teacher can figure out the fluency rate. For information on how to figure out fluency, read Understanding Fluency.

It is also possible to determine what skills need to be focused on through the data provided from a running record. For example:

A child may consistently mess up the beginning of words, indicating that work in initial sounds is needed
A child may consistently mess up at the end of a word, indicating that the child does not read through the whole word and needs to be reminded to slow down and read all the letters.
A child may consistently mess up the middle of a word, indicating that the child is focusing only on the initial and final sounds. Vowel sounds and blends are likely needed to be worked on.

Look for patterns in mistakes, and pay closest attention to meaning changing mistakes. Making mistakes in names is not as important because that does not change the meaning of the text.

Using cues to when reading to children can be very helpful in teaching children to be strategic readers. Here is a great list of cues to use: Helping Children Become Strategic Readers

Learn how to use running record data to determine student instructional reading level.

How to Do a Running Record

Jennifer Wagaman — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:38:44 +0000

There are book and resources available for teachers to complete a running record, but there is a simple way to keep a running record that takes no special materials other than pencil and paper.

What is a Running Record?

A running record is a verbatim record of how a child reads aloud, including all mistakes and corrections.

Supplies to Take a Running Record:

Stop watch (if you want to determine reading rate)
Blank or lined paper (I prefer blank)
pencil or pen (I prefer pencil)
clip board (not required, but it makes it easier to hide notes from the child)
Book or story for child to read a portion

How to Take a Running Record:

The point of a running record is to understand what mistakes a child makes when reading and find out where the child needs additional instruction. The school or county requirements may provide additional reasons including grades and other data points, but the bottom line is that a running record provides teachers with the necessary information for future instruction.

With this in mind, a simple dash or check mark will suffice for correctly read words. When the student misreads a word, there are a couple of ways to document this:

Write the word that the child said (spelled phonetically) with the correct word written underneath (draw a line separating the two like a fraction)
Simply write the phonetic word the child said. If you don’t have time to write the correct word, you can count correct words on your record later to go back and find the word later.
Write the correct word and make phonetic changes to it
For words that are started and repeated before completing the word, notate that as a mistake: S-/Sing-/sc (see below for notes on SC)

When the student inserts a word not in the text, use a carrot and write the added word.

When the student omits a word, there are a couple ways to notate it:

Write the correct word and cross it out
Write the correct word and put it in parenthesis
Write an x or a dash (something other than the correct word mark) to indicate a missing word

When a student self-corrects a mistake, put a slash next to the notation of the incorrect word and write the letters “SC”

When a student attempts a word several times there are a couple of ways to notate it:

If the word is correct and simply repeated, write the word and draw a squiggly line under it (squiggly line under squiggly line for multiple repeats)
If the word is incorrect and repeated several times the same way, use the same squiggly line
If the word is incorrect and repeated with changes, draw a separating line between each attempt and phonetically add each attempt. If the student ends with the correct word, add SC to the end.

Learn how to use running record data to determine student instructional reading level.

Report Card Time

Jennifer Wagaman — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:15:51 +0000

Teachers, it’s report card time, and that means report card comments.

While it is a time consuming task to write individual comments on report cards, it is important to not resort to cliche comments that mean little to parents. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

Whenever you use a negative comment on a report card, include a tip or suggestion for improving the skill.
Always pair a negative comment with a positive comment
Specific comments are more valuable than generalities

Read more information on report card time.

Changing the Focus of Education

Jennifer Wagaman — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:42:56 +0000

Too much focus has been placed on test scores and standards in the public school system today. While there has been some improvement in test scores as more and more focus is placed on reaching these specifically defined testing objectives, the question of improving the school system is still being asked daily. Instead of asking what new strategy or focus will help students meet testing goals, what would happen if teachers took the tests and threw them out the window?

Could the focus on tests and scores be misplaced? While schools are focusing more on test scores, some parents are choosing to “unschool” their children, an extreme version of homeschooling that has drawn criticism from many. While unschooling does have its downsides, namely, that students may not learn the necessary information to compete with their peers, the concept behind it may be closer to true education than the public school option.

Perhaps taking the focus off of tests and scores and objectives would allow teachers the option of focusing more on educating students – not imparting knowledge but helping students learn how to learn. Read more about Unschooling America’s Children.

Writing Good Lesson Objectives

Jennifer Wagaman — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:22:39 +0000

The lesson objective is an important aspect of creating an effective lesson plan. Without an appropriately written objective, you will not have positive results from your teaching. Given this, how do you write a good lesson objective?

Use measurable objectives instead of vague ones. For example, having students “understand” or “learn about” does not allow for assessment but having students “state” or “list” provides a measurable objective.

When writing your lesson plans, start with the assessment. Then move onto writing the objective. Once you know what you want your students to be able to do at the end of the lesson, you will be able to write an effective assessment.

To read more information on how to write an effective lesson plan objective, see this article.