Standard+8

**Standard 8 - Teachers Know How to Test for Student Progress** The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals. ** Evidence 1 ** Formative assessment as well as post- and pre- tests for a unit on the parts of speech.

** Rationale ** These assessments were developed in conjunction with a Parts of Speech Unit that I had designed on the Student Learning Community site and were used by my seventh grade language arts class. They served a threefold purpose. First, the pretest allowed me to assess current levels of understanding. In this way I could tailor my instruction appropriately for the class to ensure I was at the correct readiness level as well as determine small group and intervention needs. The formative assessment allowed for students to apply their learning through skills application and once again gave me the opportunity to determine small group and intervention needs. At the same time, I was able to assess my own instruction in order to determine the need for re-teaching. Finally, the posttest was used to determine student growth as compared to the pretest. All three assessments were available in an online interactive format as well as a paper and pencil versions.

Creating these assessments helped me to critically evaluate how I use testing in my classroom. I realized that assessment is an ongoing process, not the end cap of a unit of instruction. In order for me to be a successful instructor, I need to monitor student progress frequently; not just as a culminating activity. Additionally, it forced me to reflect upon the use of classroom assessment as a way to determine my progress as a teacher. By using assessment appropriately I am able to determine the effectiveness of my lessons and my classroom instruction and ultimately adjust as necessary.

Using assessment in this threefold manner resulted in higher student outcomes as I was able to monitor, assess, and adjust throughout the learning process. I also feel that the formative assessment was a more successful way of checking progress than the simple multiple choice pre- and post- tests. It allowed students to demonstrate their ability to apply what they had learned as opposed to just selecting an answer. In this way, students were working higher on the Bloom’s Taxonomy scale.

One of the advantages of using multiple assessment formats is that the teacher can reflect upon the method and its results. I utilized both the multiple-choice format and an application of skills format to determine student growth. One advantage to allowing students to apply their knowledge is that it shows the instructor a greater depth of understanding. It is one thing to select an answer and quite another to use and explain and concept.
 * 8.K.1 The teacher understands the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of different types of assessments (e.g. criterion-referenced and norm-referenced instruments, traditional standardized and performance-based tests, observation systems, and assessments of student work) for evaluating how students learn, what they know and are able to do, and what kinds of experiences will support their further growth and development. **

Monitoring my own strategies helps me to adjust my own instructional approaches accordingly. One thing I learned was that when the material to be covered in this unit was taught using a hybrid approach, students outperformed their peers on the formative and posttest assessments. This will dictate how I teach the unit in the future.
 * 8.S.5 The teacher monitors his or her own teaching strategies and behaviors in relation to student success, modifying plans and instructional approaches accordingly. **

Multiple assessment opportunities prior to a summative assessment give the teacher the opportunity to reflect upon his or her own teaching as well as determine the need for small group intervention. By employing a pretest and a formative assessment, I was able to determine a classroom baseline of prior knowledge and then evaluate the students throughout the unit of instruction. This was incredibly important as it gave me multiple opportunities to judge the effectiveness of my teaching.
 * 8.D.1 The teacher values ongoing assessment as essential to the instructional process and recognizes that many different assessment strategies, accurately and systematically used, are necessary for monitoring and promoting student learning. **

Standard 1 / Standard 2 / Standard 3 / Standard 4 / Standard 5 / Standard 6 / Standard 7 / Standard 8 / Standard 9 / Standard 10 / Home