Levels of Evaluation
Formal Evaluation
My students will be tested at a district level in the area of writing both in the fall and spring. Students have to answer a written prompt that outlines an overall theme during this assessment. The boys and girls are scored with a rubric that focuses on Ideas, Organization and Conventions. All three areas on the rubric are important, but the inclusion of a central conflict (my personal target) is located within Ideas. Once students are scored, the data is uploaded into a data management system, and results are shared with teachers and administration. I will be comparing the district test results of my class to the other two first grade classes in my building. A comparison of overall scores, scores on Ideas alone, and the percentage of student progress from fall to spring will be used to determine the impact of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge integration. |
Informal Evaluation
District writing assessments measure student progress two times throughout the course of a year. However, the evidence of progress in student writing can be seen from day to day. This growth is not measured by a specific test, but through observations and conferring that occurs between teacher and students. Writing conferences are very specific with individual goals laid out for each student. The amount of student conferences depends on the progress of each student. During a writing conference, I meet with one student at a time to go over a piece of writing. A student will read their work aloud while I take observational notes and give feedback. Together, the student and I come up with a writing goal based on our observations. This year I will be sure to include the presence or absence of conflict in my observational notes. Every student will have a page of observations, positive feedback and writing goals that are continually reviewed during Writer's Workshop. |
Self Evaluation
First graders are given tests almost everyday so that progress can be monitored. Yet, the most valuable assessments for student growth are self-assessments. I continually encourage my students to look back at their own work with fresh eyes and make changes after reflecting on mini-lessons and individual conferences. Students will be given a survey at the end of the year to assess themselves in the area of writing. The survey will have an emphasis on the organization of story structure and the inclusion of central conflict in order to give writing a higher purpose. Students will also assess themselves as peer editors and writing coaches after being a part of a wider audience. The actual survey will not be created until the end of the year so that it will include writing vocabulary, specific lessons, and writing routines developed by both teacher and students throughout the year. |