Linda Ch. 11-14

Linda-Ch. 11-14

Chapter 11- When reading chapter eleven the first impression I got was one of familiarity. There is so much to take into account when dealing with informal observations and questions within the classroom, however, I actually applied the reading to my youth, remembering what it was like to grow up in a house of nine people with everyone talking at the same time at the dinner table. My husband had to adjust to hearing three stories at once and actually being able to take it in and respond. Now with every one's families growing (and at events like Christmas) the amount of information being sent out is crazy. The number of things that a person can observe in any given moment is mind boggling, yet I am fully aware that retention of the information can be limited. Yes, I can have three conversations at once, respond to my child's need across the room, and cook all at the same time, but ask me later about the details of what I heard and I'm sure the accuracy will not be good. The strategies suggested for teachers to react to answers and the importance of listening were good. On page 144, there were seven suggestions and I think they are good ways to help with students feeling good about sharing, and also they help with the retention of the listeners. I think that repeating what you have heard really works in all environments, home or classroom, and making others comfortable with sharing is always a goal to keep in mind.
I really like how the text stressed the issue of confidence and experience. I know that my level of confidence would be substantially lower had I not been in the classroom working over the last seven years. I feel more confident in identifying needs and behaviors now than I did when I first graduated from college. I know every student in my building and this gives me the ability to observe and assess situations more accurately, but I am learning a great deal from the literature. And, I know that the more time and experience I have in the classroom the more confidence I will gain. The other statement stressed that I found insightful was on page 133, that teaching may be the only profession in which responsibilities are as complex on the first day as compared to the last day of employment. We really have a challenging field, but also so rewarding.

Chapter 12-Performance assessments,while having a variety of unique characteristics, have limitations as well. The points that caught my attention were that performance assessments occur in natural or structured settings, they can measure a process as well as products resulting from a process, they ask one to perform a real application of a skill outside its instructional context, and they are time-consuming and subjective. If performance assessments are to be used in conjunction with written tests, then the outcome is better.
The chapter breaks down the categories of performance assessments. Of interest to me was the section discussing performance assessments in standardized tests. If performance tests are not used, it says, then entire areas of curriculum go unmeasured. Because the results of the standardized tests tell us so much and influence so many areas of education, I am perplexed by the issue of how to include more performance assessments within the tests. The issue of expense and time constraints was discussed and tells that we are limited in the number of skills we can assess because of these issues.
The section discussing options for scoring performance assessments was interesting. I am not a fan of rubrics. I know they are a rapid way of scoring, but they are too subjective and should really only be used for less-critical ratings of student performance or situations as the chapter suggests. I like the suggestion of averaging the scores assigned by two or more raters, but who has another person to grade unless it may be a trusted and highly trained paraprofessional? I am also not a fan of rating scales. They seem so hard to answer and so vague. Like when your in the hospital and they say to rate your pain on a scale of happy to sad faces. I'm sorry, but one persons idea of excruciation is completely different than another's. And I don't think most people like to fill out rating scales, but they are easy to score.

Chapter 13- Over and over again the text states that we can not directly observe knowledge. The chapter gives useful information to create and score performance assessments. So much has been talked about lately regarding problem-solving skills. We are striving on improving this skill in the students in our building. When using the guidelines in the figures, and applying the information from the chapter I think it will be significantly easier to create a performance assessment. I like how the examples cover different topics to show haw the strategies work for a variety of area content.

Chapter 14- I think I have stated in the past that the younger elementary grades is where I work and hope to continue. Within the first grade, the children do not select the items that go into the portfolios. They are not even aware that we use them, honestly. The portfolios are used to showcase the students' strengths, as stated in the chapter, but they also give feedback to the teacher about the growth throughout the year. We place within the portfolio a regularly scheduled writing sheet, any behavioral contracts, pre/post tests on phonics, mathematics, and any assignment that we feel is helpful in relaying information about the child's needs, challenges, or strengths. The portfolios are used as tools to show parents the ability and growth of the child, and used in team planning if necessary. I like the use of portfolios because it is an easy way to look at the child's overall learning. The dated material is always useful to me when I am discussing issues with additional teachers or parents. I do like the idea of involving older students in the creating of portfolios and in the evaluation process, as long as there is the multiple and diverse products used, as stated by the chapter.