I can relate to the opening scenario in chapter 6 because my fourth grade teacher was the reason I wanted to become a teacher. I have always wanted to work with children and make a difference. I am always happy to talk about my teaching profession with others. I initially taught second grade, but in 2011 I became a fourth grade teacher. Fourth grade students have to take the dreaded CRCT in Georgia. This frightened me because there is a lot of anxiety surrounding standardized tests. First, it is problematic for the students because there is a lot of pressure on them to pass the test which may cause test anxiety. And secondly, in addition to feeling as if they failed their students, the teachers are apprehensive about their students’ scores because of the impact it may have on them if their students do not meet the standards. Optiz mentions the TerraNova CAT, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, and the Stanford Achievement Tests. However, I have never heard of any of these tests. In fact, I am still learning about the standardized tests that are given to our students at my current school. I know the students in third and fifth grade take the CoGAT and ITBS but I am not familiar with the scoring or reasoning for those tests. I enjoyed reading the section about criterion-referenced tests because that is what my fourth graders take every April.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Module 2 - Chapter 5 & 6 of the Opitz book Reflection
Chapter five was a great review of several
informal assessments that can be used for a variety of ages. The three main
questions that need to be asked and answered when selecting the best method
are: What do I want to know? Why do I want to know? How can I best discover the
information? I enjoyed reading the scenario at the beginning of this chapter
because I can relate to it this year with one of my students. However, this
student’s teacher from last year experienced the same behavior that I have been
seeing and the parents agree that this behavior is present at home. I plan on
using some informal assessments on him throughout this school year to help find
his strengths/weaknesses since he is already on tier 3 for RTI. I enjoyed
reading about the portfolios since I have always kept a personal portfolio to
watch a students’ growth. I keep writing samples, tests, e-mails, etc. in their
portfolio and share parts of their portfolio with the students at the end of
the school year so they can also see their growth. I use observations,
checklists, and anecdotal notes the most. I use observations because I want to
know how children perform in a variety of contexts. Also, I use anecdotal notes
because it is impossible to remember everything I see throughout the school day
with every student. My anecdotal notes are taken on sticky notes, ripped out
sheets of paper and my phone’s notepad application. It is difficult to organize
all of my notes into one area. One of my goals this year is to keep my
anecdotal notes on one clipboard so they do not become misplaced or
disorganized. Overall, informal assessments offer valid information regarding
students’ characteristics.
I can relate to the opening scenario in chapter 6 because my fourth grade teacher was the reason I wanted to become a teacher. I have always wanted to work with children and make a difference. I am always happy to talk about my teaching profession with others. I initially taught second grade, but in 2011 I became a fourth grade teacher. Fourth grade students have to take the dreaded CRCT in Georgia. This frightened me because there is a lot of anxiety surrounding standardized tests. First, it is problematic for the students because there is a lot of pressure on them to pass the test which may cause test anxiety. And secondly, in addition to feeling as if they failed their students, the teachers are apprehensive about their students’ scores because of the impact it may have on them if their students do not meet the standards. Optiz mentions the TerraNova CAT, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, and the Stanford Achievement Tests. However, I have never heard of any of these tests. In fact, I am still learning about the standardized tests that are given to our students at my current school. I know the students in third and fifth grade take the CoGAT and ITBS but I am not familiar with the scoring or reasoning for those tests. I enjoyed reading the section about criterion-referenced tests because that is what my fourth graders take every April.
I can relate to the opening scenario in chapter 6 because my fourth grade teacher was the reason I wanted to become a teacher. I have always wanted to work with children and make a difference. I am always happy to talk about my teaching profession with others. I initially taught second grade, but in 2011 I became a fourth grade teacher. Fourth grade students have to take the dreaded CRCT in Georgia. This frightened me because there is a lot of anxiety surrounding standardized tests. First, it is problematic for the students because there is a lot of pressure on them to pass the test which may cause test anxiety. And secondly, in addition to feeling as if they failed their students, the teachers are apprehensive about their students’ scores because of the impact it may have on them if their students do not meet the standards. Optiz mentions the TerraNova CAT, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, and the Stanford Achievement Tests. However, I have never heard of any of these tests. In fact, I am still learning about the standardized tests that are given to our students at my current school. I know the students in third and fifth grade take the CoGAT and ITBS but I am not familiar with the scoring or reasoning for those tests. I enjoyed reading the section about criterion-referenced tests because that is what my fourth graders take every April.
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