Rodriguez Journal Post # 4

How can teachers evaluate and assess students’ learning?

Teaching combination of planning, curriculum delivery and assessing if one of these elements are not part of the equation then learning is hindered.   

Educators generally discuss evaluation and assessment in two contexts:

• What teachers do as they finish a lesson or unit to evaluate and grade student performance
• What teachers do throughout a lesson or unit as they constantly monitor student performance

(Edwards, Maloy, Verock-O’Longhlin & Woolf, 2013, pg. 83)

Assessments are used to assist teachers in gauging the students learning potential and grasp of the lessons they are being taught.  Teachers use these assessments to alter their way of teaching to fit the needs of the students.

There are factors that teachers look at when they thing about assessing their students:
1.       Personal Experience: Using assessments they are familiar with and not branching out to explore new ways to measure the students learning.
2.       Standardized Testing: These assessments not only give teachers stress but students as well. Teachers are streamlining their curriculum to these tests so that students will score well or as I call it teaching to the test.
3.       Teacher Tests:  This test is to assure that educators have the proper competencies needed to do the work.

The way students are assessed and evaluated is ever changing. As technology evolves new testing systems are created.  

The test assessments such as:

• Norm-referenced tests: used to assess student to other students
• Criterion reference tests: assess the test takers personal performance
•  Standard referenced tests: used to assess students in comparison to national, state or district expectations.

There are many new ways that teachers can embark on assessing their student learning potential their comprehension of curriculum.   I am currently teaching a course of employ-abilityskills to high school students and I have embraced the idea of peer teaching with these students.  What I have done is assigned each student a chapter in the textbook.  They are required to present the key point information in the chapter and are required to answer any questions that the other students have based on what they presented.  I then in turn review any terms or topics that the student may have overlooked.  I not only use this assignment to encourage student participation but I also use it to grasp the level of skills my students have and their comprehension of the chapter they are assigned.  

Rubrics are a great tool to evaluate a student’s progress.  Rubrics are not only for the benefit for the teachers but also for the student.  The teacher has a method for evaluation and student has a gauge of what is expected from them to achieve a successful outcome of the assignment.   During the student presentations in my class I use a rubric to assess the student during their presentation.  I do this so that I can work with the student on the information that they are not proficient in.

Tech Tool

When I was setting up this class at the request of local businesses I used this link as my resource to design the curriculum and assessments.

http://cte.ed.gov/employabilityskills

Let's Recap

It is clear that assessments and evaluations are a very important part to both a teacher and students. For a teacher the assessments and evaluations allow them to monitor student progress, enhance classroom instruction, and gauge a lesson plan’s delivery method.  For students assessments and evaluations give them and sight to the information that they have mastered and the information they need to continue to work on.   There are many ways a teacher can create assessments without the traditional multiple choice and if in the blank test.  Teachers can create projects and performance based assessments which allow the students to demonstrate what they have learning in a book or lecture.  

Resources:

Edwards, S.A., Maloy, R.W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R.E., Woolf, B.P. Transforming Learning with New Technology. 2^nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Person, 2011

Image Resources:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8337/8204963410_29cb144fe0_o.jpg 

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJWj0oaqtVFlF7IA_dgzEaK35j7yzKCeQBsPPSGl2LcRugilvz