How have you applied a variety of strategies and educational technology tools to strengthen assessment in classrooms and schools?

 In this discussion I will provide examples of how I have effectively applied technology tools to strengthen diagnostic interventions, and address areas of need within my own teaching practice. Further, I will discuss how various strategies utilizing technology have been used in my classroom, school and district; specifically focusing on data-driven decision making (D3M). Finally, I will discuss effective assessment strategies that assist families and other vested parties within my school’s community.

The Connecticut Mastery Test

At the beginning of each school year I access and analyze both overall and individual student Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) results using www.cmtreports.com. These results provide an informative baseline for addressing individual students’ instructional needs. I have been given administrative privileges and have the responsibility of putting together class analyses of reading and writing scores for all seventh and eighth grade English teachers. With this tool I am able to follow cohorts of students from the fifth through the eighth grade (Appendix J). This task reflects what I learned in EDU 696 and EDU 508 on data-driven decision making for informing instruction.

With this information I am able to develop instructional goals for each of my classes that are “specific but flexible” (Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, 2001, p. 95). By flexible I mean that goals should narrow what students focus on, but not be too specific (Marzano et. al, 2001). Goals should not be too specific as each student should be able to identify the goals they will try to attain. Further, I encourage and direct students to personalize the instructional goals that I have set for the class. By setting their own sub goals students are able to apply a degree of differentiation and personal responsibility toward their own learning process and academic performance (Marzano et. al, 2001). As I will discuss below, such goals are often driven by the Technology curriculum in Bloomfield which has undergone many changes in the last year including benchmark projects for each grade level.

Technology within the Curriculum to Enhance Student Learning

I am fortunate to be a Technology Leader in my district. As such I was able to assist in the creation of benchmark technology projects for grades seven and eight (see Appendix K). The reasoning behind creating model assessments with technology enhanced units is to ensure that students in all grade levels are exposed to at least one unit per year that is technology based. We have found in the past that some students got left behind technologically if they consistently had teachers who did not embed technology in classroom instruction. Although students are assessed using these model units of instruction, the primary reason for the practice is to increase teachers’ technology literacy. In doing so the district has mandated that students and teachers acquire specific skills with technology at each grade level. By designing this unit for my district I applied skills that I learned in EDU 511 on incorporating technology into content area curricula.

Another technology based unit within my eighth grade curriculum is on The American Civil Rights Movement. With this theme I created an IT Assisted Project-Based Unit of Instruction (see Appendix L). The unit required students to perform individual research on heroes from The Civil Rights Movement. They had to create a webpage using appropriate writing and citation skills that included an image and two relevant links. Students were assessed in several ways. First, students had access to directions and rubrics that were used to assess their product that were located in electronic shared folders and on my district webpage. Second, I developed an online quiz that included information from each student’s webpage. Students had access to all of their classmates’ web pages and were able to locate quiz answers from their “expert” peers. All students shared information about the hero they had studied, and were exposed to information on other Civil Rights Movement heroes provided by their classmates. This unit of instruction applied many of the cognitive theories that I learned in EDU 553. I was able to establish student prior knowledge base, use that to activate schemata and guide my students as they began to create their own knowledge.

By using the online quiz format, students had immediate feedback on their performance. Additionally, through the use of electronic shared folders, I was able to comment electronically to students as they progressed through the steps of the project. This was essential as timely feedback “appears to be critical to its effectiveness” (Marzano et. al., 2001, p. 91). As I added feedback to a student’s work he or she would refresh the page and my comments would appear. Beghetto (2005) echoes the importance of timely relevant feedback in helping to assist students in areas where they need improvement and for evaluating their own creative effort. Although there was a summative aspect to the assessment of this unit, there were also many opportunities to direct or modify instruction using formative assessments which I will discuss next.

Common Formative Assessments

As part of the Bloomfield ’s Data-Driven Decision Making (D3M) initiative each discipline is represented by a data team. I have been chosen team leader for the seventh and eighth grade English Department data team. We have been trained using The Leadership and Learning Center (2006) model, and are in our third year of implementation.

Part of the D3M process includes creating common formative assessments in order to assess student knowledge and provide focus to address areas of weakness. According to Ainsworth and Viegut (2006) large-scale assessment results like the Connecticut Mastery Test are inadequate in truly assessing a student’s learning. High-stakes assessments “provide a ‘snapshot’ of [a] child’s understanding on a given day, rather than a ‘photo album’ of understanding acquired over time” (Ainsworth & Viegut, 2006, p. 2). Thus, when creating our new curriculum the English Department focused on enduring understandings, essential questions as well as skill-sets. We have designed common formative assessments for each unit of instruction within our curriculum. Common formative assessments assess students’ understanding of standards that we are focusing on during a particular unit. They are scored collaboratively and the results are analyzed by the teachers. The result is discussion on ways to direct instruction to achieve the desired student learning. These types of assessments provide timely data used to inform instruction. Additionally, common formative assessments can be used as predictors of how students will fare on high-stakes assessments (Ainsworth and Viegut, 2006). Such assessments are designed for learning to direct or re-direct instruction, rather than of learning as in the case of summative assessments. Common formative assessments have proven to be a powerful tool in providing focus for what actually happens in the classrooms.

Conclusions on Assessment Practices

Because I believe that all students can learn I find that the means with which I assess my students and my own teaching practice must be flexible, varied, differentiated, and relevant. Having a co-taught class for the first time this year has emphasized the importance of differentiation for all of my students. As such all of my assessments must be aligned with IEPs, school and district goals, CCT/CCL Standards, and content strands of the Connecticut Mastery Test. Each assessment must complement the others, and each must be used to inform instruction. Now the dilemma that remains is how to involve families and communities in the assessment process in order to promote student learning and achievement.

How might the involvement in the assessment process by families and other professionals be enhanced using technology?

Strategic Planning

Two years ago Bloomfield invested time and resources in the Strategic Planning process. Action Teams were formed that included teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members. A plan was developed using the findings from the Action Teams and is in effect for 2006 -2011. By including parents and community members in this process, Bloomfield Public Schools has shown that we believe that all vested parties are responsible for the education of the community’s children. Bloomfield’s Strategic Planning process puts into practice a model that school learning communities include “educators, students, parents, and community partners who work together to improve the school and enhance students’ learning opportunities” ( Epstein & Salinas, 2004).  Part of this process leads to the following discussion on keeping parents current with regard to their student’s progress in all classes.

This year all parents of students in grades five through twelve are able to access their students’ progress by registering for the Edline component of Jackson GradeQuick. Teachers have been directed to post their grade books weekly. Parents can view all assignments, and can question students about missing work. Thus far, this practice has had a very favorable response from parents. It also provides them with the data necessary to inform themselves as to what is currently happening in each class. As Brandes (2005) states, “progress reports should be more a formality than a surprise” (p. 53). Edline promotes partnerships with parents that have the potential to benefit student achievement and accountability. Additional ways to involve families in the assessment process follow.

As Webmaster for Carmen Arace Middle School I must serve as both model and facilitator for teachers in keeping their district web pages up to date. At the beginning of the year, I ensure that all of my students’ families are aware of the information that is available on my web page. Students can use resources from the page to work on projects from home. Parents use the page as an informational tool to keep abreast of what is happening in my classes. I have also found that establishing email relationships with parents early on has been a positive force for communication, and thus, the assessment process. Email is a powerful means of communicating concerns and praise to parents and guardians. Busy schedules sometimes prevent reaching a parent via telephone and email eliminates that problem.

Conclusions on Parent and Community Involvement

Parent and Community involvement has been an ongoing and evolving issue in Bloomfield . Two years ago the high school and middle school initiated a practice that in hindsight was an act of desperation. Both schools stopped mailing student progress reports and report cards and required parents and guardians to come to the school to pick them up. Since that time, through strategic planning and a concentrated, focused effort, we have seen parent involvement increase. We still have a long way to go, but the road has been clearly marked and effective strategies are in place. With consistency and follow-up I foresee a much closer relationship or partnership between school and home.