Assessments

Synthesis:

Hinchman and Sheridan-Thomas (Chapter 19)

The text discusses the importance of secondary literacy assessments and how we can use the results of assessments to learn how to best assist our students. Assessments help teachers understand the needs of their students. "Effective teachers meet students at their current levels of ability and then scaffold attention and learning so students can move to the next levels of achievement" (p. 349). Teachers need to understand a student's current knowledge and skills and work to extend their abilities. Common Core has changed in recent years and has left students and teachers with more to learn and more to teach and higher standards for standardized assessments. The texts they are required to read are more complex and students must use higher levels of thinking strategies.The use of multiple literacies can aid in helping students conquer these higher demands.

The text mentions an assessment that sounds very useful, called CARI (content area reading inventory). This assessment is used to assess students' reading, thinking, and study processes with content-area texts. The CARI is very flexible and can be very useful for teachers who wish to learn more about how to assist their students, such as finding out about potential problem areas in the text and skills that a student may lack that could be helpful for effective reading. Teachers can use the results of the inventory to determine strengths and needs of each student.

As students proceed through grade school, self-awareness becomes more and more important. Teachers can give students a vocabulary self-awareness chart before beginning to read new material. This is a chart that students can continue to revise and add new information as students read. Students can monitor their own growth with their vocabulary knowledge, and teachers can also track their progress.

Afflerbach

How do we assess? Why do we assess? What do we assess? These are questions that were discussed in this reading and they are questions that teachers must constantly think about. We have to know the answers to these questions to create assessments that will be helpful for both teachers and students. When creating an assessment, we have to keep in mind 3 things- cognition, observation, and interpretation. There are many ways that teachers can assess their students, the simplest being everyday classroom observations. Teachers need to constantly be assessing their students and their own teaching. Professional development can assist teachers with creating successful assessments.

Moje

Culturally responsive teaching is very important in today's world. Teachers need to know their students and their background, and respect everything about the student and his/her family. Teachers also need to understand youth culture and pop culture and use this knowledge to build bridges and connect with students. Teachers need to be respectful of all students and strive to create a classroom community. The text also discusses using culturally responsive pedagogy to navigate different discourses.

Responses:

(text to text)
I am taking another course right now called "Measurement and Evaluation". We discuss how to create effective assessments and what to avoid when writing test questions. I know how important assessments can be and how we can use the scores to help our own teaching and also help our  students.

(text to self)
Assessment is a scary topic. Tests were always scary to me as a student, and they are still daunting to me as a teacher. I am happy to have many resources available (such as these texts) and to have professional development that can help with creating assessments that are effective.

(text to world)
Common Core and state standardized assessments have made the job of teachers and students more difficult. It is important that teachers use efficient teaching strategies and design assessments that align with these new standards.

Questions:
1.  What do you think is the key to creating effective assessments? Any advice for a newbie who has never created an assessment?

Thanks ladies! :)