Assessment and Communicating With Parents Presentation

Technology and Progress Assessment and Monitoring

• Technology allows for an accurate quantitative measurement of the students’ progress;
• Technology helps compare and contrast the results of two assessments;
• Technology gives an opportunity for an unceasing monitoring process of several students’ progress simultaneously ;
• Technology creates the opportunities for monitoring both verbal and non-verbal responses of the students to the tests (Shute, Ventura, Bauer & Zapato-Rivera, 2009).

Criterion-Referenced Tests as a Formal Testing Instrument

A criterion-referenced test presupposes that a student should be able to produce a response to the question related to the material learned (Armstrong, 2011).

Advantages

• Flexibility (easy to tailor to different subjects);
• Possibility for students’ personal progress check;
• A clear line between the right and the wrong test results.

Disadvantages

• A CRT often presupposes multiple correct answers.

Astronomy: The Solar System. Lesson Plan (3rd Grade)

Standards

• The students know what a planet is (Villari,, n. d);
• The students know what a star is (Villari,, n. d);
• The students can name the eight planets of the Solar System and its star (the Sun) (Villari,, n. d);
• The students know what the Moon is (Villari,, n. d.).

Differentiated Instruction

• Visuals (posters, pictures, etc.) for ESL students;
• additional (more complicated) tasks for gifted students;
• Supportive materials and specific exercises for differently abled students.

Materials

• Model of the Solar System;
• Clay models of celestial bodies;
• Astronomy notebooks;
• Pictures of the Solar System;
• A4 sheets;
• Crayons, pencils and pens.
• Mobile applications.

Resources

• Textbook;
• Website (Kids astronomy, 2014);
• Online encyclopedias;
• A YouTube video (Turtledaily, 2012, May 4).

Anticipatory set

• Exciting the students with the idea that there are other planets similar to the Earth;
• Providing the students with general information about the Solar System;
• Prompting the students’ enthusiasm.

Guided Practice

• Defining the type of a celestial body based on its shape and look, with the student’s eyes closed (playing a game);
• Learning and reciting a short poem about the Solar System and its planets (Engaging in a dramatic play)

Independent Practice

• Drawing the planets of the Solar System in the right order (drawing);
• Learning more about the Solar System by reading a short story on the topic (reading books) (Using informal assessment measures, n. d., p. 1)

Objective

• Teaching the students the basics about the Solar System;
• Teaching the students the key information about the Big Bang.

Anticipatory set

• Reminding the students about the difference between a star and a planet, etc.;
• Specifying that Earth is also a planet;
• Noting that the Moon is a satellite.

Lesson Plan: Teach Lesson/Model

• The students work individually;
• The students are provided with the handouts and other supporting material;
• The teacher explains the task to the students;
• The students carry out the assignment in 5-10 minutes;
• The students voice/show their results;
• The teacher provides a short commentary of each student’s progress;
• The students ask questions (if any).

Evaluation

• The results from the first and the final tests are compared;
• In the students, who did worse than 60% on the first test, an improvement by at least 10% is expected.

Closure

• The teacher thanks the students for their performance;
• The teacher comments on each student’s progress and rewards them accordingly (positive motivation);
• The teacher gives the students the home assignment.

Formal Assessment Tool: Response-to-Intervention Model

• The parents are provided with the samples of correct and incorrect responses made by young learners in specific learning scenarios;
• The parents apply the assessment tool by providing the young learner with certain tasks, applying the proper intervention and recording the results;
• The parents record the responses and the effects that their interventions have had on the young learners;
• The parents are encouraged to use the assessment tool provided and fill the results in the form on the school site via mobile phone applications.

Informal Assessment Tool: Assessment by Observation

• It should be explained to parents that assessments need also to be taken in an informal environment;
• The parents should be provided with examples of the process of knowledge acquisition and use in children;
• The parents are encouraged by carrying out the assessment with their children (e.g., e-diaries and e-blogs are created for parents to fill in with the observations of the child’s progress).

Reference List

Armstrong, T. (2011). Going beyond parroting: Testing 4 competencies using criterion referenced testing in oral English classes. Web.

Kids astronomy. (2014). Our Solar System.Web.

Stars and Solar System. (n. d.). Web.

Shute, V. J., Ventura, M., Bauer, M. & Zapato-Rivera, D. (2009). Melding the power of serious games and embedded assessment to monitor and foster learning. Serious games: Mechanisms and effects. 295-321. New York, NY: Routledge.

Turtledaily (2012). Solar System lesson for kids. Learn about planets , stars, galaxy. YouTube. Web.

Using informal assessment measures. (n. d.). Web.

Villari,, K. (n. d.). Astronomy. Web.