Do you agree or disagree with the misconceptions about common assessments? Please explain. Answer the question and then respond to two comments.
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ReplyDeleteI would agree that the statement "Assessment is a one-way communication." is a misconception. I believe the opposite of this statement is true: Assessments create dialogue on so many levels. This is an opportunity for the teacher and student to discuss the outcomes of the assessment. Listening to the students feedback on the results could inform how the teacher proceeds or creates further instruction. (E. Hamilton)
DeleteDr. Vaughn
DeleteI do agree, feedback is so important as it relates to common assessments. Having student feedback and collaboration with your colleagues-team is also important. As teachers we are constantly assessing students. This helps us to understand the "pulse" of the classroom.
I agree with what you said about assessments creating dialogue. Feedback is vital to student improvement and success. More times than not, students really want to know what they did wrong and how they can improve. This feedback can also fuel the conversations that teachers have with one another about future assessments that they are making for the classroom.
DeleteI'd say I agree that those are very common misconceptions about CFA, however I'm aware of the data and facts that break those misconceptions down. In encore it is tricky for us to develop common assessments because we assess very different skills between our classes. The one subject I notice it helping a lot in is reading because you can break the test down into specific skills and dissect which skills specifically students need help with.
ReplyDeleteI can see how that would be tricky for encore to develop a common assessment. Sometimes, we tend to forget how that can be done for encore and the same for me as the ESL teacher.
DeleteI can totally see how it could be difficult for an encore teacher. Students have so many skills and there is so much to assess. I feel like schools in general can make a better effort into developing common assessment in encores, those are important too. As a math teacher I am able to break down and explain the different skills students need help with, but with encore how do they assess that? How can you break it down?
DeleteHi John, while I realize Encore Classes assess different skills. Could some of those skills be general concepts?
DeleteFor example, cross curricular instruction: How can art be like music and music be like gym? Maybe in gym, the students can jump to the tune of notes taught in music, and maybe musical notes can be expressed visually in art. This is just a thought. (E. Hamilton)
Hey John!
DeleteLike others have mentioned, I totally get that this might be difficult for an encore teacher. Social studies skills tend to line up with ELA in some way, but when it comes to things more directly associated with my content area I tend to be on my own because I am the only one in my grade level. I do think Ms. Hamilton made an excellent point in her comment - is there a way it could be cross curricular?
Hey Ms. Hendricks!
DeleteWe do have common assessments in each encore that relate to ELA, since that is a big district initiative. Our biggest hurdle is that we aren't reading and writing teachers. So we do the best we can to work with the students on those skills, but our knowledge and skillset is limited. In terms of skills that transfer between encores, we are currently working on a combined curriculum that we are going to test with some of our smaller and double period classes. We shall see how that goes!
Ms. Goes I'd also like to reply to your questions. Reading rhythms and notes can be assessed individually, that's a knowledge skill. When it comes to instrument playing, that's where we have to rely on our own knowledge and command of the instrument to diagnose the problem. A student can read all the notes and rhythms you throw at them, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be able to play them. And you can only teach them what you know yourself, so the better you are at the instrument you are teaching, the better your students will be. If something doesn't sound right, but you know they can read the music, you then have to rely on your performance skills, which can't be easily broken down and assessed. Which is why when I do recorders, I do a lot of individual instruction.
DeleteThe article helped me understand more about Common Assessment and why they are important for the teachers and students. As stated in the article when teachers to work together and effectively communicate about the topic they teach, students will have a similar learning experience. Before this article, I would say that I did share some of those common misconceptions about common assessments.
ReplyDeleteAdriana Garibay Torres
I also shared some of the common misconceptions, but as I was reading them I reflected back on my teaching and noticed that what they are sating is true. I no longer think of them anymore. I now have my own experience to know that they are not true.
DeleteBeing totally new to teaching, I still have so much to learn. I'm still trying to figure out how to effectively weave CFAs into the curriculum, while remaining on pace with my team (so that we are giving the tests at about the same time). So, I understand.
DeleteI liked the article. It had a lot to say about Common Assessment and why it is important. I did like the misconceptions part, not too many articles add that in. In the section it mentions that assessment is a one-way communication. Throughout my couple of years teaching, I have seen this very clearly as a misconception. Yes, it is important to give students feedback, but not one way. Having a discussion with the student about the feedback will benefit the students learning and the teacher to understand the students thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsay, I absolutely love your comment about how having a discussion with your student about the results of an assessment could help the teacher gain insight into how the student is thinking. I also think this helps the student to think critically about the areas they may need to improve in. (E. Hamilton)
DeleteI definitely appreciate your comment about including a conversation with the student about their assessments to understand them better. That is so important because that understanding can lead to an improved learning experience that can eventually help them improve from where they were.
DeleteHey!
DeleteYou make an excellent point about having discussions with students about the feedback you gave (I will have to try this in my class!). It would guarantee that the assessment wasn't just one way, and it would give me a chance to see the reason behind the student's thinking. I think this would also be helpful to the student in case they don't understand the feedback they were given.
Definitely. Feedback is so important and holds students accountable for their work. Feedback gives them a "guide to grow". Also, I agree that listening to a student's method may help to curb those same pitfalls with other students.
DeleteI can see how Common Assessments can be viewed as one-way communication if you aren't doing anything with the results afterwards. But if you take the time to reflect upon your data and understand the strengths and weaknesses of your students, that's when the value of the assessment can be seen.
ReplyDeleteAfter giving our initial benchmark exam to my students, I took the opportunity to discuss the results with the parents of my students in order to give them an idea of what needs to be worked on more at home and how to work on these things.
At Turner Elementary, we have a pacing guide that we use as a team. This has helped tremendously, as we're now able to collaborate on strategies to ensure students' understanding and improvement.
Reflecting is such a key point many of us forget to focus on! Yes receiving the data is great but without taking a step to think and ask what went well or what needs improvement can cause us to constantly receive the same results both favorable and unfavorable.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this article. It really helped me understand the concept of Common Assessments, as well as their misconceptions. In the article it did speak on how Common Assessments were considered "one way" communication, and therefore based on my experience as a teacher thus far, and even as a student, it can sometimes not be as effective. Some students might struggle with understanding written feedback and might benefit from verbal feedback (discussion). It is also important to use the data collected from these assessments to see where your students are struggling and being able to refer back to those concepts if you ever need to. For instance, ELA at Kellar has a pacing guide, but as I begin to see how my students write and what they struggle with, as a bilingual teacher, I am able to stop and review points so that the students can be better prepared for the next selection or unit.
ReplyDeleteI like how you adapt your teaching to your student's needs. It allows you to better be attentive to those whole class needs as well as individual needs of your students.
DeleteHi Ms. Gonzalez,
DeleteI agree that common assessments are not a one way communication, I have dual language students that cannot read or write and speaking to them and hearing them speak is a great way to verify their understanding.
Sorry my name didn’t post, A. Esparza
DeleteI partially agree with the idea that " Assessments provide educated assumptions about a person’s learning style." On one hand I agree that yes they can provide an assumption about a person's learning style, because an assumption is simply having a "guess" based on that assessment. On the other hand I believe assessments would not be best for understanding a learning style simply because learning styles may be best with making connections with those students. The article states that "unless a person does not take the questions seriously, answering a series of questions regarding one's ability will yield a pretty realistic picture of that individual’s understanding and motivation." however, if having a list of choices to choose from causes testing anxiety then even taking the questions seriously would not assist the tester at being able to correctly answer the questions. This may in fact hinder the tester from performing well on a lesson, tested in any other format that does not cause testing anxiety for that tester. As a result their given responses would not give a realistic picture of their understanding and motivation. However creating relationships with your student would allow for you to better grasp what motivates them and allows you to know how to gauge their understanding.
ReplyDeleteI agree what you have to say about CFAs does not give a correct outlook on what the students know and do not know. You do need to create that relationship with the students to see what does motivate them and provide tests that reflect that.
DeleteI agree with what you said about test anxiety in students. Not all students are great at taking written test. I think that it is often overlooked when students express that tests make them nervous or anxious. I also agree that building those relationships and getting to know your students is the best way to get an understanding of what they know.
DeleteYes PRSD Mentees! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting article. Personally, I disagree with the misconceptions listed in the article but I can see how some might have them. It would be really easy to think that they are a one way form of communication, but like others have mentioned you have to actually do something with that information. CFA's show you how your students are doing in real time so you can use that information to help them improve as needed. I would also agree that using common assessments save time. I'm the only social studies teacher in 7th grade so I can't really split the workload in terms of writing assessments, but even just bouncing ideas off of my mentor has been very helpful.
ReplyDeleteHello Ms. Hendricks! I really relate to you when it comes to working with a team in terms of common assessments and bouncing off ideas. As the only bilingual ELA teacher in the building it is sometimes difficult to get ideas on how to teach the class, especially when many students still do not know the English language. However, I still try my best to gain as much advice and knowledge from other ELA teachers and use what I can for my students.
DeleteI agree that there are some teachers unfamiliar with common assessments and have misconceptions about their usefulness, especially for those first year or second year teachers like myself. I know that at first hearing the word "assessments" was overwhelming as you know its needed, you know its a way to gather data on your students progress, but it also felt like a lot of work, and not knowing that you are not alone. I have a great second grade team and I learned that during our PLC meetings, we go over, look at, and plan out these common assessments which takes a lot of the stress out. One part of the article that I had me thinking was that a misconception is the assessment being a one-way communication. How when students chat with their teachers, both the learner and the instructor benefit from the encounter. This had the wheels in my head turning. I am a dual language teacher in Spanish, and we are currently teaching to students with a wide range of abilities and some who are not able to write the answer, can certainly tell me the answer, this is something that I need to do.
ReplyDeleteI can see how that can be difficult with the second graders who have trouble writing. Most students know the answer and it would be ideal to be able to talk to most of our students but with the limited time that we have that can sometimes be difficult to accomplish.
DeleteHello America! I perfectly understand where you are coming from. Especially when it comes common assessments. I teach bilingual ELA to middle schoolers and many of them struggle with basic writing skills.I think though that giving the feedback in a way where it is more understandable for them is very important to consider.
DeleteI believe all tests - not just CFAs - are used as a guide to manage the academic progress of students, but I totally understand the benefit of CFAs. It ensures that students, regardless of classroom assignment and teacher autonomy, are learning the same standards. IXL is a good source for CFAs; I have to collaborate more with my team mate to use it. As far as 7th grade ELA, do the curriculum unit tests count as Common Formative Assessments?
ReplyDeleteI do believe that this is a type of common formative assessments. Especially if it is out of the textbook the students are using for ELA class. I also do agree about IXL. This resource does help you see what the students are able to do at their level.
DeleteI do believe that this is a type of common formative assessments. Especially if it is out of the textbook the students are using for ELA class. I also do agree about IXL. This resource does help you see what the students are able to do at their level.
DeleteKatie Mayer
As the Sped Math teacher for 6-8 grade, this article was rather
ReplyDeleteeye-opening. Though I personally disagree with the misunderstandings mentioned in the post, I can understand how some people could. Though, as others have pointed out, you have to genuinely do something with the information, it would be very simple to assume that they are a one-way method of communication. CFAs provide you with instantaneous feedback on your pupils' performance, enabling you to adjust your instruction accordingly.
I do understand that common assessments are important to the education system. I also do disagree that this is the only way to assess students. You never know what a student is going through. The day of the test, they could be nervous about the test. You could have a student who could not be able to read the test because of disability or they cannot read the language on the page. This is unfair to these students. You will not know what they are actually capably of if you only give a common assessment and have that be what they know and do not know.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the misconceptions about common assessments. With the experience I have, I have the same misconceptions. When I grade the common assessments of the students, a lot of times they perform worse on the assessment than from what I have assessed on a daily basis in class through instruction or class work. Most of the time this does happen because many students are not great test takers. They are not confident enough for this learning style. I also believe that when having the conversations about their scores with them or reteaching, students do not retain the information you are giving them. It is like having a one-way conversation, just as the article mentions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that sometimes students assessment scores don't reflect their actual capabilities. Whether they are not great test takers or having a bad day, different factors play a roll, I myself was a bad test taker but I was able to do the work during class. Our students should be assessed using a variety of methods, one way is not the best for all.
DeleteDr. Vaughn
DeleteI do agree with you. As a teacher and former principal, the assessments do not reflect what students may know. Unfortunately, this is one of the pieces of data ISBE heavily scrutinizes; especially to see if certain schools or districts are put on a "Watch List" for lack of better words.
Harrison
DeleteAmerica, I totally agree with you! Different factors do play a major role on students and they should be assessed using a variety of methods! Great points!
Dr. Vaughn
ReplyDeleteI think this article also goes with the last P.D for a School Improvement Day. What I got from the P.D and this article is that it is imperative to collaborate with your colleagues to create these summative and formative assessments. It is also important to understand how the questions are formed and what you ultimately want the students to be assessed on based on the standards. I wonder if teachers can assist in creating the summative assessments?
Dr. Vaughn
ReplyDeleteI forgot to answer the question. I actually agree that there are misconceptions only because teachers may not have had the opportunity to truly create these assessments themselves. My response correlates to my previous comment about how important it is for teachers to create these assessments.
I do not personally agree with all of the misconceptions that this article talks about, however, I can see where people would agree. In this case, I do not believe that all assessments will truly reflect a student’s ability and knowledge level. In my own classroom, I have students who struggle to take exams because they overthink and they make themselves nervous, but these are the same students who are scoring very high on all assignments and participating the most in class. Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to their ability to sit and take a test. This misconception also ignores the fact that students are versatile learners. They will not all perform best on a written test.
ReplyDeleteHarrison
DeleteLillard, I agree with you! Students are versatile learners and they will not all perform best on written test. We will not know the full capabilities of these students if we only offer a general evaluation.
Harrison
ReplyDeleteThis was a good article, I’m mindful of the importance of common assessments in the learning process. However, untrue that there’s only one way to evaluate students. It's impossible to know what a student is going through. For example, I have some students that sometimes have anxiety while testing and I have some students with reading difficulties. How would you know what these particular students are capable of doing, if you only offer them a general evaluation.
I agree! Some students have reading and spelling difficulties and will shut down when on tests because there are so many words they're trying to process. They seem overwhelmed and don't score so well but when asked orally, they're able to convey their understanding. So it is important to offer these different assessment methods because each child learns and tests differently.
DeleteThis article was a eye opener. However, I do agree that there are some misconceptions about testing. When I tell my students that we are going to take any kind of assessment, I feel like they start to get nervous. When, I don't tell them we are taking an assessment and give it to them, they do much better. I believe the label that assessment/ test has made our students scared of the overcome. The word "test" really put fear in some of my students eyes.
ReplyDeleteI agree when students hear the word assessment, their first thought is how many questions. They get so caught up and worry about the grade they might get based on the assessment. But if looser terms such as "exit ticket" are used students do it stress-free. But on that hand, I have also noticed some students don't take it as seriously when they hear that term. I am currently trying to find a happy medium or a way to decrease unnecessary stress every week.
DeleteI disagree with the misconceptions but can see why some may think that way. It is vital and important to communicate to students about their work and how they can arrive at the correct answer. But sometimes students don't fully absorb the feedback so it may feel like a one-way communication. Also as a first-year teacher working in our PLCs on our CFAs is extremely helpful in sharing assessments made on IXL or other platforms. There is already so much to do in one day so properly planning and collaborating on these CFAs can help and ensure we're all on similar pages.
ReplyDelete