8S1: Gather relevant background information
A major part of my Assessment Report for my case study student involved gather relevant background information. Gathering information involved looking at his special education file, conducting interviews with past teachers, and conducting an student attitude survey with my case study student. In doing this, I learned the benefit of gathering information from multiple sources because each source holds unique information that connect be collected simply from observation alone. |
8S2: Administer nonbiased formal and informal assessments.
Something I've learned throughout my special education internship this semester is how important assessment is in special education. In one way or another, whether through informal observation, daily conversations, classroom-based assignments, monthly progress monitoring, or formal testing for 3-year or initial testing assessment is an on-going and imperative piece to effective teaching. On the first day of class we were introduced to the assessment tree that gave me a variety of informal and formal means of assessing my students. That tree is a great resource that I use as a visual aide almost every single day when I track my student's daily progress in every lesson. |
8S3: Use technology to conduct assessments.
As part of my Lesson Plan 1 I used an Application on our classroom Ipad called Educreations in which my case study student was assessed by creating a whiteboard movie with a voiceover to explain his problem solving procedures. In Class 6, we dicussed how technology can be used as a form of assessment for students as long as that technology is meaningful to the lesson. The Educreations App I used to assess my student in this lesson was a meaningful means of assessing the student because he was very motivated to learn.
As part of my Lesson Plan 1 I used an Application on our classroom Ipad called Educreations in which my case study student was assessed by creating a whiteboard movie with a voiceover to explain his problem solving procedures. In Class 6, we dicussed how technology can be used as a form of assessment for students as long as that technology is meaningful to the lesson. The Educreations App I used to assess my student in this lesson was a meaningful means of assessing the student because he was very motivated to learn.
8S4: Develop or modify individualized assessment strategies.
On 9-21-12 we discussed different assessment options that make up the "assessment sandwich." I found this class period very helpful because it showed me that assessments are not always written, multiple-choice tests. Knowing that my case study student has test anxiety, I made the decision to create assessments that were more performance-based and reflected the activities he see's in class so that he would not feel he is taking an actual test. Additionally, throughout the semester I used informal observation notes to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses for my case study student so that I could assess his abilities in a way that worked for him. |
8S5: Interpret information from formal and informal assessments.
Interpreting informational from formal and informal assessments was a major part of our Assessment Report. Interpreting the information taught me a lot about choosing appropriate assessments and well as using a variety of assessments to determine a student's strengths and weaknesses. In my Assessment Report I used assessments such as conversations with the student, structured observations, interviews, written assessments, and a collection of class-based materials. Interpreting this information showed me that a student's strengths and weaknesses in mathematics are not necessarily restricted to math content. Rather, a student might show strengths in reading which would tell me as a teacher that integrating literature and mathematics would be a wise instructional decision. |