There are many forms of assessment. The news has been filled with reports of use of assessment data (standardized tests given to groups of students) to determine the effectiveness of teachers. Standardized tests are also used to determine if students are "ready for" college, etc. Grades in classes are usually based on summative (end of course) tests. These tests are tests OF learning. What did students learn?
Teachers need to pay more attention to assessment FOR learning. This type of assessment tracks readiness (do they have prerequisite skills or knowledge) and process (check for understanding by asking probing questions, observing students and/or reviewing practice assignments along the way).
In INED 3304 - several types of assignments were used for assessing student progress. They were developed to give feedback to both students and instructor. If YOU were the INED 3304 instructor - how would you assess progress? What type of assignment would you develop to provide input on student progress and learning? Which assignment was most helpful to you?
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A good method of assessing the mastery of INED 3304 concepts is to have a field experience at the end of the semester as a form of Performance Assessment. By doing this students could go back into the field, perhaps where they completed their field experience, equipped with learned material from this class. This field experience would be a more hands on and interactive experience in that INED students would now have the knowledge and tools they need to better interact with students as well as teachers rather than taking more of an observation stance. They would actually be more of a participant in helping in the flow of classroom work and progress and be better able to handle various situations as they arise. At the end of the experience they could write a report to include five to six of the major elements covered throughout the semester. An example of this would be to discuss; Effective Communication, Speech or Language Impairments, Learning Disabilities, Strategies for Making Classroom Adaptations for Physical Disabilities or Visual Impairments, Managing Classroom Behavior or Teaching Children with Other Special Needs such as Gifted or Autistic. From their studies in the INED 3304 class they can apply it to the classroom and reflect on it in a paper. This paper could then be posted out on a blog along with other student’s posts so that there would be a collection various elements covered in class as well as examples of it seen out in the field. It would also be a form of summative assessment in that it assesses what the students learned throughout the semester as well as let you know as the teacher if they are prepared to go into the teaching field.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, the assignment that was most helpful to me was the Field Experience Observation because of the fact that I had to use my experience to address many questions that were asked about the various aspects that made up my field experience. I also had to relate it to the material in which we covered in class. I can now look back and see that I have learned so much more that I did at the time that the observation was written and I know that this experience and observation will help me when I become a teacher.
I believe the best assessment for me was also the field experience. Sometimes the best assessments are not in the form of test, but in the form of hands on experience. How would you handle yourself in the field? I enjoyed my field experience because I was in a classroom full of different special needs students. I was able to see first hand how to handle each situation. I would love to be able to use the knowledge that I have learned from this course to see how well I understand the different accomodations.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the RTI module questions were a big help for me. The websites were so informative and helpful in understanding the process. The questions that we answered after reading the different scenarios used our knowledge that we have learned in this course and from the module assigned readings. All in all, this class has made me aware of the different disabilities and all the different accomodations that can be made for the students. Each child is different and learns differently. I want to be a good teacher in that I can help and accomodate each student. This class has positively effected my mission in the field of teaching.
If I was the INED 3304 instructor, I would use Performance Assessments to assess a student’s progress in the class. The first concept in Performance Assessment is “students construct their own responses, rather than selecting or identifying correct responses.” Due to the nature of this course, I least liked the multiple choice exams. It could be because I am uncomfortable with taking multiple choice tests. As a student, I like to explain my reasoning on why I chose a particular answer. In a perfect world, as a teacher I would not use multiple choice tests, but I understand that there are benefits for this type of assessment with a large number of students. It would be almost impossible to grade a 50 question short answer tests with even 10 students, let alone grading and assessing a test for 30 students. What did help me regarding the multiple choice exams was the extra credit opportunity to explain my rationale for choosing another answer. These extra assignments have help me work out the question and have a better understand of the topic.
ReplyDeleteThe second concept of Performance Assessment is “teachers can observe student performance on tasks reflecting real-world or authentic requirements”. I believe a lot of our assignments we have done in this class follows along with this concept. Dr. Brown has given us many real life situations in which we would have to response to. As a teacher, giving students real life examples can help stretch students’ creativity and problem solving skills and at the same time shows me that they not only understand the information, that the students also can apply their knowledge.
The third concept of Performance Assessment is “student responses can reveal patterns in students’ thinking and learning, as well as whether the question was correctly answered”. To me, the parts of the assignments that helped me in class the most were the questioned I still had about a topic. Some of the assignments that were most helpful to me were the ones where we added our own questions regarding a topic to be clarified by Dr. Brown. I think all students learn more when the question more, because there is always room to go deeper into a topic.
If I was an INED 3304 teacher I would assess my students in two ways. First of all, I would use a performance assessment through field experience. I say this because it allows the student to be placed in a real world situation rather than just talking about it. You can never get the true effect of something without experiencing it for themselves in a hands on way. The other form of assessment I might use would be a portfolio assessment. This could be created by the teacher or student. I might require to students to put all their information for this class into one folder. Or I might have each student write and submit a document with 1-2 strategies for dealing with the various types of issues we've discussed this semester. This way, all the students could make a copy to keep as a future reference. I know it would definitely be helpful to me if I had 1 folder that contained a brief description of all the strategies for helping children with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteI would provide assignments where the students had to answer some of the RTI module questions as well as some reflections. I might also ask a students to create a problem that they think might actually happen in the classroom while adding the strategy they use. They I would disperse these situations amongst the other students and ask them to describe, analyze, and reflect which method they think would be useful for the student-created situation. This would be a good example of student progress and learning.
I believe the most beneficial assignments were the RTI modules. It was helpful because I was actually able to listen to someone talk about the material we'd been covering instead of constantly reading about it. I really think I learned a lot through this module and answering the questions. It also allowed me to hear about some real life situations where these disabilities occur and how to handle them. This was definitley the most beneficial for me.
If I were an INED 3304 professor, I would develop several types of assignments to provide input on student progress and learning. I would do a similar set up that Dr. Brown did – having weekly assignments. This helps students stay on track week to week and does not overwhelm them with assignments that are all due at the end of the semester. I would give assignments such as creating PowerPoint Presentations, charts and graphs for what they have learned – especially the KWL chart. I feel that is a great way to see how students are learning on their own. I would also have several field experiences throughout the year where the students are not required to stay in the classroom for the entire school day. This will give students an opportunity to get to know the children and learn more about them. It will also give an opportunity for the students to see how the teachers interact with the students based on their needs and how they progress.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Dalton
ReplyDeleteAssessing Mastery
I believe that in order to assess mastery of INED 3304 concepts a short answer or essay style of test would be the most effective way. Short answer questions allow students to provide as much information within a reasonably-set amount of space. The question can be answered with examples and metaphors that the student can provide which better enables the student to explain their understanding of the concept. The multiple choice and true false question tests do not enable students to show their mastery more so than their ability to use luck and the elimination process to hide their lack of knowledge. The essay test enables the teacher to fully grasp a students understanding by having the student provide through processes, characteristics, and examples of the mastery of concepts. The essay and short answer style test is time consuming and must be graded with a rubric in order for the teacher to properly grade a students mastery.
I believe a great way to asses learning concepts in INED 3304 would be through weekly assignments over the material we have learned that week in a Curriculum-Based Assessment because it is a "test based on the reading curriculum materials being used in class". I think this would be a good assessment for students in INED because it is related to the required curriculum and it would cover information being learned in class that week. Each week in this class we have built on to material that we learned the previous week(s), so it would be a good assessment to keep remembering and covering past materials as well as present material.
ReplyDeleteAnother great assessment would be Portfolio Assessment, a gathering of student's work over a certain period of time. Some students do not test as well as others, and I personally believe it is unfair to those students, that they are constantly being tested as the only way to show they understand the curriculum. Portfolio assessments would allow for a different type of judging to see how well someone understands a subject. Doing poster projects, field experience notebooks, etc. are great ways of assessing students understanding without having the usual multiple choice written test.
I personally feel that in order to assess "mastery" of INED 3304 concepts the key as a teacher is to provde VARIOUS forms of assessment. To me, that was a topic that we learned in this class! We need to make sure to accomodate ALL students in order for every student to have a chance to succeed. Not all students are great at standardized testing, some have test anxiety and don't do well on multiple choice, other students are great writers and can really exemplify their learning through expression. The same key concepts we learned for students with disabilities should be applied for all students. All students are different, therefore will excel in different areas. Curriculum based assessments, Performance based assessments, and portfolio assessments would all be an accurate approach for displaying mastery of this class. I think the key is to incorporate a little of each, enabling each student to progress in their own way. In an online enviroment, you have more abilities to do offer various forms of assessment. I think Dr. Brown, did an excellent job of attempting to incorporate a variety of ways for assessment, and feel that is the most beneficial approach!
ReplyDeleteI feel that in order for a professor to assess mastery of the concepts taught in INED 3304, they should provide many different forms of assessment. The first thing the teacher could do is allow the students respond with what they feel they have learned, then give me a curriculum based assessment to gauge their performance/mastery. I think we have been given many different ways to assess our mastery of this class over the course of the semester.
ReplyDeleteThe assessment I would use to assess the INED 3304 concepts would be performance based assessments. Performance-based assessments represent a set of strategies for the application of knowledge, skills, and work habits through the performance of tasks that are meaningful and engaging to students. This type of assessment provides teachers with information about how a student understands and applies knowledge. Also, teachers can integrate performance-based assessments into the instructional process to provide additional learning experiences for students. Performance-based assessments require individuals to apply their knowledge and skills in context. Performance-based assessments don't have clear-cut right or wrong answers. Rather, there are degrees to which a person is successful or unsuccessful. Thus, you need to evaluate the performance in a way that will allow you take those varying degrees into consideration. This can be accomplished by creating rubrics. With rubrics, you can define the different levels of proficiency for each criterion. In the INED 3304 rubric were used to allow not only the teacher to assess but also the students. It gave students the opportunity to understand what was expected of them and how their work would be evaluated. By using different forms of assessment you are giving each student a chance to perform their best. Overall in this course we have seen many different forms of assessment used to identify our mastery of context given in this course.
ReplyDeleteIf I were an instructor of an INED 3304 class, would use performance-based assessments to check for progress and learning. I would say that performance assessments would best encompass a display of understanding because students can know information, but not know how to apply it. If you cannot apply knowledge to the real world (or the classroom in our case), then that information is basically useless. I’ve heard some of my teachers in the past say that you can know information or you can own it, and there is a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the material of this class, there would be several ways to incorporate performance assessments. One way (which would not apply in an online environment) would be to do mock classroom situations. As the instructor, I would make a list of situations, involving concepts we have learned in INED 3304, and get one student to act as the student and another as a teacher. By doing this, students would have to be knowledgeable about how students behave and how to react as a teacher. This would incorporate classroom management as well as other ideas, such as disabilities. This type of assessment is really applicable to all of the concepts we have learned this semester. As a future teacher, I love the idea of acting situations out because it really makes students get into the mind of the character (students, teachers in this case) they will portray, which takes learning to a new level.
For mastery of INED 3304, I would do Performance Assessments. I think by using Performance Assessments it is a great way for teachers to see what students think outside of the classroom. To truly know information, I feel that students learn best by actually using the new information that they have learned. My taking new information and actually using it in real-world tasks, the information will be more engrained into their memory. When a teacher sees what a student will do in reality with the new curriculum, that is a sure way to see that a student truly understands the concepts. For full comprehension of a concept, a student needs to be able to apply it.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the INED 33004 teacher and this were a perfect world with unlimited resources and time I would use a mixture of performance based assessments and curriculum-based assessments. For the performance based, I would further the field experience in order to assess mastery. I obviously understand why resources and time limit this capacity in the actual world. It would be great to have the last two weeks or so in class be used to work in the classroom and put what we have learned to practice. If we could work to make RTIs, lesson plans, lectures, presentations, and have one on one with the students. Then the teacher could give a review of this and that would be the assessment for our mastery of this class. I would probably pair that with an objective and subjective curriculum assessment. This would be a fairly complete way to review mastery in my opinion. Another good idea to assess mastery would be to meet with students and talk to them. Almost like an interview. I didn't see anything about this in Chapter 12, but I thought it would be a good way for the teacher to assess if the student has in fact gained mastery of the concepts.
ReplyDeleteIn this class, the varied work and expectations have been good in allowing each concept to be taught and tested in a bit of a different way to meet each type of learning need. This has been helpful in my learning experience for this class. There were things that didn't really appeal to my learning style that I struggled with. For example, the reflections were difficult for me to master. This has helped me to understand the different approaches and learning styles my students will face. I think that the variety method that Dr. Brown has employed has been great. I always held on to the fact that if I was struggling in one area there would be another assignment that would come along that would meet my needs. I really liked the power point lessons, the assignment that had us make a ppt, and the learning strategy assignment on Wiki were my favorites and the ones that taught me the most.
For INED 3304 I would assess my students without tests. Every test I took I would break out in a hot flash and get so nervous. After receiving my last test score I was horrified. I have worked with special needs students for the past 7 years and have lots of field experience. I have found that the way something is worded can throw me off. I also tend to over think things. Yet I found that when I wasn’t put under pressure and was able to speak my mind in regular assignments I really excelled. Since this is a college course I feel using performance assessment isn’t the best option. This leads me to believe a portfolio assessment is the best option. The information we have learned in this class will be used throughout our teaching careers. By having a portfolio we will always have a way to go back and find information we may have forgotten. I feel that a portfolio would have a bigger impact on my learning than a bunch of tests.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the INED 3304 instructor, I would give weekly multiple-choice tests to assess learning, then provide quick results to the students. I also would adjust my lessons, if needed, after seeing the results of those tests. That way, I could know if students have learned what I wanted them to understand before scaffolding to the next topic. Not getting feedback on assignments for long periods makes self-assessment more difficult.
ReplyDeleteBecause not all students do well on multiple-choice tests and because some questions may be written in debatable ways, I do not consider them the best form of assessment. I also do not think it is a good idea to cover six chapters in one multiple-choice test when the student has not received any feedback in a similar format for a long time. Breaking the material down into smaller chunks, i.e. weekly multiple-choice tests, would let a student review their problem areas before tackling the same material -- and much more -- in a multiple-choice test covering A LOT of material -- perhaps six chapters. This not only seems more fair, but a better way for a student to be their own teacher in addressing his or her weak areas before it is too late and they are overwhelmed.
Like many other students, I believe the field experience was the most valuable lesson in this course. I would suggest having one at the beginning of the semester and one at the end. That way, students could reflect on how their impressions of the classroom changed, thanks to knowledge picked up in 3304 in the middle of the semester.
If I were the INED 3304 instructor, I would short answer questions on the proficiency exams. I feel that this is a better way to see how we would apply the knowledge in a “real world” situation. The students that we would come across in a school would not be cookie-cutter diagnosis situations, and seeing how we would handle situations (via short answer questions) would be more telling of how we processed what it was we read in the book. I did appreciate the multiple choice aspect of the test, but was frequently left growling at the computer because I could not explain why I wanted to choose a particular answer (much to the enjoyment of those around me while I took the test).
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I fully enjoyed the practicality of the teacher observations. It is a great way to explore how theory is applied. It was great to observe the teachers in action, and for me, being able to share my insights that I have gained while working as a school counselor. It was a very dynamic exercise in combing theory and practice. However, I do feel that one day in a classroom is not enough to fully grasp the complexities of co-teaching.
As an INED teacher I feel that one of the best assessments to truly test a students knowledge is through discussion, essays, or any form of written response. By assessing students in this form you are getting their true personal thoughts and knowledge. It helps to review their thought process and for them to practice thinking critiquely. With standarized testing I do not feel that you are truly able to grade their knowledge. Some children could fail a standarized test but if you asked them to verbally explain their thoughts they could answer almost any question.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of using various types of assessment for learning. I believe that I would use several short “traditional” formative tests throughout the semester. These tests would assess basic information and skills-the skills that are most important to be learned. In addition to short formative quizzes, I would include longer tests throughout the semester (at certain intervals). I would also include opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding of concepts through performance assessments. I have always felt like I have learned a lot from field experiences.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, throughout the semester, I would have students building a portfolio of their work. This portfolio would include all written assignments, projects, etc. This portfolio would give students the opportunity to see their growth and learning over the semester.
At the end of the semester, I would have students review their portfolio, and reflect upon what they have learned from the class. I would give students a set of guiding questions that correlate with the type of questions that would be seen on a traditional cumulative final exam. Through this reflection, students would demonstrate an understanding of the concepts introduced throughout the semester.
Choosing assessments is sometimes a difficult to choose. If the instructor wanted to assess if a student read the book, I would give a multiple choice/extended response assessment. This assessment would give the instructor a good picture if the student comprehended the concepts. However, to evaluate the application of the concepts in this class, a performance based evaluation would be best.
ReplyDeleteI feel that assessing students should be done in a variety of ways. This way you are not benefiting just one kind of test taker or limiting another kind of test taker. I would incorporate Curriculum-Based Assessment that assesses student knowledge based on the curriculum materials being used in the class. In INED 3304, I would regularly assess student knowledge to ensure not only that class work is being completed but that the student is learning and retaining information. I would use objective multiple-choice Curriculum-Based Assessments so that a correct choice is present and the student can recall that information. I would also incorporate written essay questions so that the student can express and organize their answers in a way that they have learned the material.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the INED 3304 instructor, I would give scenarios concerning the content after every chapter. I think this would help students to apply the knowledge they have learned and processed. After having had to apply the information at least once, I think putting it into action as educators will be easier. Learning information hypothetically and understanding it as it is applied to an individual (who will not always be exactly as we have learned in our text books or even diagnosed with any disabilities) are two completely different levels of understanding.
ReplyDeleteAssignments I would develop for this class would include open-endedness and a freedom of posing questions and ideas. Certain assignments might have different sets of people focusing on particular sessions and the other people doing a discussion with that one group as a model group. The model group teaches and answers questions on the matter. As the teacher, I would be able to include any information that I feel is missing.
I most benefitted from making my own Power Points. Doing this made me more confident about the material I was covering and I felt I had a deeper and more meaningful understanding of it. Specifically the Focused Research assignment gave me the opportunity to more deeply delve into a topic of my choice. I appreciate this freedom, and I firmly believe that where there is an interest in learning something, the information sticks much more clearly.
-R.Young
I would not test studnets using an actual written test. I feel test anxiety affects so many students and I was one of them. I sometimes feel they are not an actual representation of student's actual abilty and proof they understand the content. I would have students complete reflections. I feel these would allow students to use the cirriculum based material and then relate it to events in life. The students could also reflect how they feel about what they have learned. The teacher could also post questions or essay like activities that would require the studnets to look beyond the text. I feel if students can acutally APPLY what they have learned, then they have reached mastery.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite activity was the acutal field experience. I felt it was related to the acutal information we learned this semester through the powerpoints, text and online activities. It is useful to see teachers demonstrate the techniques and strategies that we have learned about. I feel the field experience relates to actively being part of our learning. Instead of just hearing and reading, we got to be out in the field and 'experience' a school day with a teacher.
If I was the instructor of INED 3304 I would use a variety of assessments, similar to the way Dr. Brown designed this course. I do not like multiple choice tests but I do know they can be beneficial in the measurement of what the student has mastered. I do appreciate the “test correction” opportunities given and the chance to “defend” my answers. This activity gave the instructor the chance to understand why I may have picked the answers I did and what information I may have missed in the course of my study.
ReplyDeleteReflections not only provided insight for the instructor of what the student learned from the chapter or activity, but they were also a good exercise in using and citing different sources of information and asking questions about concepts or situations that may have been unclear to the student. These skills will be important as we continue our studies. The Challenge Cycle activities provided even more variety as were able to hear about situations and solutions from professionals. The assessments related to this required students to apply concepts learned to situations that many of us are likely to encounter during our teaching career.
The focused research activity allowed the student to choose a topic, research it a little more in depth, and present it in a power point. I personally enjoyed this activity. It sparked my interest in my topic and I ended up reading many more articles and resources than were required.
If I were the INED 3304 instructor I would extend the field experience component. It is hard to get a real feel for the inclusive classroom in just one day. With more hours of the field experience requirement the student would be able to observe strategies teachers use with particular students and classroom management. The assessment for the INED student could include a more in depth information of what they had observed and how it can be related to their future classroom.
Joellen Standifer
If I were the INED instructor, I would use Performance Assessment to assess my students. One of the best ways to assess the students using this type of assessment, in my opinion, would be to have students participate in field experience just was we did this semester. I feel as though the field experience was a great way to utilize or better understand strategies and concepts that we learned throughout this course this semester. However, I would extend the field experience longer than one day. It is my opinion that the students would be able to grasp more or at least understand some of the concepts better if they were to see them implement over a longer period of time instead of trying to see it all in one day. There is a lot of material covered in INED and to assess a student after one day of field experience could be a little challenging because they may not have been able to experience or understand it all. That is why I feel giving the students more time to observe would be sufficient in order to utilize the field experience as a performance assessment.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I choose this type of assessment, I would also use a variety of tests during the school year. I feel that by using a variety of tests, you are giving the students a chance to show of their skills and understanding. Some students may do better with one type of test and others might do better with a completely different format. Giving each student a chance to shine during the year helps you as the teacher understand how that student is coming along in their studies and what it is that they are learning as opposed to just learning for the test.
I like the way this class is broken up into manageable, weekly compartments, and I especially like the IRIS modules. I think that requiring answers on these modules is a good assessment. I also agree with everyone else that a performance assessment would be the best kind, but with only one visit into the classroom, it's difficult to assess your performance, when for many of us, it may be our first and only experience in an inclusive classroom. I wish this class had more Field Experience, as it seems much more practical to have this type of experience than say, the 35 hours which is required for the Preschool Curriculum class- I wish I understood that. Anyway, the formative type assessments which Dr. Brown has given, including the applied knowledge responses, are great assessments for this class. It would be nice if the exams were mini-case studies in which we had to develop strategies for different disabilities, in a written form, instead of just multiple choice answers, which stress me out for some reason- some of the answers are just too similar. I like the research project too. I gained a lot of knowledge reading articles, looking for my particular topic, which was a positive side effect! Overall, I like the way this class is set up and wouldn't change too much- other than the exams, I feel like most of the assessments are versatile enough to appeal to most learners.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the INED 3304 instructor I would use a Performance Assessment and/or a Portfolio Assessment. I think that most of us learn best during our field experience because we are experiencing first hand the information that we have learned in the class. By being emerged into a school during the day each of the teacher candidates get to experience what it is like to be at school teaching and the issues that arise and how they are handled. I still think that it is important for the teacher candidates to have to learn the material for the INED course, but I feel that the candidates should spend more time in a school classroom. This class is so important and as of right now the only class we have to take on special and inclusive education. Eight hours in an inclusive classroom just is not enough time for a student to fully experience inclusive and special education. A portfolio assessment would also be a good choice. ECE 3313 The Preschool Curriculum course field experience portfolio requires eight reflections to be written based on different strategies and methods learned in the course that the teacher candidate observed in his/her field experience. I think these reflections are great ideas because it encourages teacher candidates to observe what they have learned in class being implemented in the classroom. These portfolios are a great wealth of knowledge for the professor because it allows the professor to see how involved the teacher candidate was in his/her field experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what some of the other classmates have said. I particularly think that another field experience observation would be a good assessment of the concepts in this course and if they were mastered or not. I believe that the observation that we did earlier in the semester was a great idea to sort of “get our feet wet” but I think being given the opportunity to actually work with the students and participate in their experiences would be beneficial and help assess whether the concepts of this course have been mastered. I also agree that the written assignments that we have done provide the instructor with enough thought and reflection to see if we understand the different ideas that have been taught in this course. If I were the professor of this course I would probably construct my online course the same way, with lots of writing and time spent reflecting and applying concepts learned in this course to real-life situations in other courses. I believe that these would be great indicators of whether my students have mastered the ideas, strategies and concepts taught this in this course, along with the more in-depth observation at a school.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed the material in Chapter 12 and I would assess mastery of INED 3304 concepts using the Performance Assessment. Performance assessment is an ongoing assessment that looks at a students’ ability to perform appropriately with the relevant instructional material. This assessment requires the student to demonstrate a comprehension of academic content. There are three key elements in: Students construct their own responses, rather than selecting or identifying correct responses.Teacher can observe student performance on tasks reflecting real-world or authentic requirements.Student responses can reveal patterns in student’s thinking and learning, as well as whether the questions were correctly answered.
ReplyDeleteIf I was the INED 3304 professor, I would assess the mastery of INED 3304 concepts by giving a summative curriculum-based assessment. I feel that an assessment based on the curriculum is the best way to assess whether students have learned the material. If the assessment is about things that were not included in the curriculum it is unlikely that students will do well on the assessment. By basing the test on things that were in the curriculum, students are more likely to do well on the test because it is on information that will have learned. Giving the test at the end of the year, a summative test, shows how much the students have learned over the course of the year. I feel that this type of assessment would be the best assessment to use to measure the mastery of INED 3304 concepts.
ReplyDeleteI believe variety is the key. I appreciated the way you incorported traditional tests - objective & subjective, discussion, blogs, field experience and reflections. With the variety of assignments, I was really able to understand the material- not just memorize for a test. The reflection rubric is something I will use the most in the future. It really helped me organize my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the professor of this class, I would try to asses many different ways. This way I could work on each learning style that students would have. I liked how Dr. Brown set up the weekly assignments. This kept me on task because I knew that I had to set aside a day to work on just this class. I would have liked to do more field experience or have the 8 hours broken down. This way I could see how the students were growing and learning. This would be an example of performance based assessment becuase it is an ongoing assessment. I also would have enjoy interviewing a student with special needs.
ReplyDeleteTo truly asses mastery of INED 3304, I believe that completing a field experience in which the students are using what they have been taught and putting it to use. Students would be able to actually get an in depth view of how stuents interact in an inclusive classroom along with the management of this type of classroom. During the semester, I would be giving out assignments to see if the students understand the content and that is also another way of assessing the student to see if they are mastering the content. Being able to use a variety of assessments is always a great idea because the students stay actively engaged and do not always feel they are being assessed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for incorporating many different techniques into you class.
To assess mastery of INED concepts I think there should be a variety of assessments-short answer, essay, reflection, FE work and report back, and question-answer. I do not think logging into a blog or wiki should be a part of a grade. It is not neccesarliy demonstrating that a student has learned anything. But, as this is an online class I can see where it may be useful.
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to have had a more extensive FE. I think one day of observation does not prepare you or allow you to show mastery of skills learned in the class. It is one thing to read about a student with a disability and another to actually interact with that child in a classroom.
I believe that the best way to assess mastery of INED 3304, is to have many different forms of assessment. Every child learns differently so it is important to not always use the same type of assessments. For example, I hate taking tests, I have just never been good at them, so I really enjoyed creating the power points that we did in the class. I would have weekly assignments, and each week it would be presented in a different way. I think it is important to have field experience to be able to see how it is in a special education classroom, however I agree with the post before mine, I would have liked to go for more than just one day. It is hard because the kids have no idea who you are, so it makes it more difficult to work with them. I just think that the main thing is to have different forms of assessments. It is important to always be assessing your students in shape or form, and they do not always have to be in the form of a formal assessment.
ReplyDeleteIn order to assess students' mastery of INED 3304 if I was the instructor, I would use a variety of assessments and assignments a little like what Dr. Brown used. I would definitely use the RTI websites, because I found that they were easy to follow and gave a ton of information.
ReplyDeleteInstead of multiple choice tests, my tests would be fill in the blank, short answer, and essay question type tests. This is because it gives students more of a way to express what they have learned in the course rather than just choosing a multiple choice answer to post. This is like the performance assessment where teachers can observe the performance of the students by what they write. I would also throw in random assignments that go with each chapter to make sure that my students were reading the given material.
The most helpful assignment for me this semester was definitely the field experience. I learned a lot being able to observe in a classroom and interact with children who have disabilities. I wish we could have incorporated what we did in our field experiences more within the class.
In my opinion, the way we have been tested during this semester is the best way to assess our mastery of the information presented. There is a lot of material to cover in a fifteen-week course which makes the summative testing the best format. Each unit of study was distinct in nature creating the need for a test that can show “how much has been accomplished throughout the educational period” (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2010). The educational periods in this case were the different focused units of the course.
ReplyDeleteOf course, assessment does not always have to come in the form of examinations, especially at the college level. In our class we had a second form of assessment which sometimes accompanied a multiple-choice exam and other times was an assignment used to gauge our understanding and thoughts on a concept. Our textbook calls these “performance assessments” (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2010). We had to develop our own responses to questions posed. This type of assessment is also crucial to a class like ours because there was typically not one right answer to the questions given. There are many different strategies for working with students who need special assistance and each of us has suggestions to offer.
Assessment Mastery
ReplyDeleteI think there are several ways that I as the teacher could assess mastery in this course.
The first way is by doing short summaries or question and answer assignments as our professor did. I get a better understanding of things that I am in the process of learning by writing or explaining in my own words and giving my interpretation. This particular method is used widely across my classes that I have taken and are taking. I feel as long as the student hits the key points and has a true understanding then I will grade accordingly.
The next type of assessment I would use is the performance assessment. Depending on how much material is covered would determine the amount of fill in the blank and multiple choice questions that would be on the test. I find that I do not do well on this type of test. Even though I was provided with test-taking strategies, I still did not do too well on the second test.
The final type of assessment that I would use with my students would be a KWL chart. I really liked this method and it allowed me to list everything that I had learned about specific disabilities. This would be a great tool to use with students because they don't have to do it alone, it could be a group effort.
The assessment that I felt was most helpful to me was the Focused Research powerpoint and the Field experience along with its reflection. They both were intense and time consuming but I learned a lot from both assignments.