Teacher evaluation

Teacher evaluation Teacher’s evaluation is a very important tool to help a teacher improve and become a better educator through feedback and motivation. Having highly-skilled, committed and motivated teachers is to the benefit of all students, by improving their learning experiences. Developing and maintaining skills, is part of a career-long process. This process involves all teachers engaging in self-evaluation and in being career-long learners. Some ideas for a self-evaluation could be to keep a journal and have notes after you finish a class. See if the students were motivated and engaged. What motivated the students the best?. This helps not to forget little details about the class. Reflecting is another very useful tool by writing teacher’s own concern about the class. Thinking about other strategies or resources that the teacher could have used to support student learning. Reflecting on topics you could spend more time or less. Collecting feedback from students at least twice a year is another important tool a teacher can use for self-evaluation. I would do it at midterm because it allows immediate adjustments in response to students’ difficulties or suggestions and it allows the students who made the suggestions to benefit from the adjustments. On the other hand for me a colleague’s observation can be very useful. This type of observation can be a very useful source of input on reading lists, course handbooks and practices related to assessing and giving feedback to students. Simply giving a colleague a copy of one of these course materials and getting their feedback can be very useful. Formal evaluation by the administrators is more formal. It involves goal setting, mid-year review, and final evaluation components. To assist with the processes of setting goals, assessing performance, and demonstrating growth. The focus of the observation is not what teacher teaches but what the students learn. How does the teacher know that students will remember what they just learned, if the teacher Checks for Understanding using formative assessment often. Does the teacher give and get immediate feedback, otherwise students and teachers will not remember. Good and defined instructional practices for students who need a more structured learning environment. Since I teach Elementary Spanish is also very important for the Principal to see a good display of visuals of cultural related materials in the target language. At ACS teachers have formal observations once a year. The class is videotaped to be watched at a later time. The teacher will have a post observation conference for feedback and new ideas to improve his/her teaching. This type of observation is very practical for me because it releases the stress a formal observation brings. To me this observation helps me reflect in my teaching strategies, keep on doing what is working best, and improve whatever can be improved more.

Differentiation: It Starts with Pre-Assessment

Differentiation: It Starts with Pre-Assessment

When my elementary Spanish students make connections to the prior lesson with what they are reading, their comprehension increases. Helping students make those connections before, during, and after learning gives me the chance to identify and adjust my goals better.

Probably the best way to find out if my student make connections with the prior knowledge is to pre-assess before starting a new lesson. Pre-assessment plays a critical role in the teacher’s ability to differentiate instruction. It helps to make instructional decisions about student strengths and needs, to determine flexible grouping patterns, to determine which students are ready for advance instruction.

Some of the pre-assessment I use in elementary Spanish are:

Flash cards They are simple, versatile, and fun. They are very good for visual learners, especially if they are colorful. You can pre-assess concepts as well as vocabulary.

Informal surveys

Surveys can reinforce and verify data from daily,weekly reports of student learning. They very useful to work on data about the progress of whole classrooms and programs.

Venn diagrams

Using Venn Diagrams to assess what the students need and want to know. Mesures the level of understanding of the students placing them in the diagram.

Inventory check lists

Students can make lists about the things they know about certain topic. This gives the teacher the chance to plan lessons better.

Conference with students

This is a wonderful way to get a firsthand info about the students

Pop corn sharing

In a circle all student need to participate like popcorn, no one is skipped, they have to share their ideas with the group.

Tiered lesson for three groups:

In a foreign language class you are always going to have different level of students. Pre-assessing the knowledge of the students is the best tool a teacher can use to teach differentiated groups. Pre-assessment allowed me to have flexible grouping, learning centers, tiered assignments, adjusting question for every level. In the lesson about Christopher Columbus I had three different groups of students.

• The first group of students who had some knowledge about explorers, who discovered America would get the chance to work on a project where they would be able to go to the elementary library to use the computers to do research on their own based on certain outline that I would give them. The summative assessment for this group would be a class presentation with posters of Christopher Columbus trips.

. • The second group of students will have to read in class some magazines or books available, the text book, and work with the textbook worksheets. After the students finish with the reading assignment they will draw a poster with map of the trip that lead Columbus to America.

. • The third group will be able to work with the teacher in a more informal environment. Seated on the rug while the teacher will tell the whole story while showing colorful books of maps and routes that Columbus took to come to America. There will be coloring drawing of the explorer and his ships.

This type of tiered classes make the learning process more interesting. It helps students achieve goals without feeling left out which ultimately is going to lead them to be successful. I firmly believe that every student needs to be challenged according to their abilities. Tiered lessons give students the respect they deserve for being different.

In the second part of the assignment (Reanaissance teacher work samples) I couldn't find a Foreign Language sample, so I chose a science sample for 1st grade. http://www.xmind.net/m/PXBU

HIGH STAKE ASSESSMENT

High Stakes Assessments

M6 U1 A3/Ximena Rojas Armstrong

It is important to reflect on the complex issue of standardized educational evaluation applied in most of countries. A high-stakes test or a standard educational evaluation  is any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability, on the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers.

At ACS, here in Bolivia, since it an American school, children in elementary grade 3-5 are tested once a year with the MAP, which is an acronym for Measures of Academic Progress. I am not part of the test because I teach Spanish K-5.

Grade 5 students take tests in Reading, Language Use, Math, and Science. Grades 3 and 4 students take Reading, Language Use, and Math. The tests are administered in three or four separate sessions on three or four different days. Technically, there is no time limit, but most students complete the test in about 40 minutes. Students are allowed an hour for each testing session, but are also provided for Extra Time sessions. Students are permitted to stop their test and continue it at a later time or on a different day. Anyone who misses a testing session will be asked to complete the test at another time. We have several Extra Time sessions built into the schedule. The scores on the MAP are only part of the information that ACS gathers about students. When a student is struggling, classroom performance, teacher comments and observations are all used together to make decisions about students.

On the other the education system don’t use standardized testing because the Bolivian government, does not dedicate sufficient funds to pay highly qualified teachers, funds to maintain decent schools, classrooms, decent meals, or buses for student’s transportation. On the average a Bolivian teacher working for public schools makes between 200-400 US $., therefore not motivated teachers make the quality of education at public schools and universities in general, lower than at private options. Standarized testing would be a difficult task for the government, specially in rural areas due to the lack of technology in schools.

Bolivian students live in high poverty, very poor scientific and technological development, and high levels of violence. It is documented that the problem is generated from the education system where children and young people drop out or end up with low educational level, which does not allow them to make plans for a dignified life. It is therefore urgent to obtain truthful information, do the relevant analysis, develop more coherent interpretation, encourage reflection and build the most objective solutions for the reorganization of the education system, so we can transform the reality of the region.

There is no standardized testing in Bolivian public schools. There is an urgent need of a culture of evaluation, rated as important by all participants in the educational system actors. As a matter of fact a culture of educational evaluation would involve as a first step, self-assessment (teacher, school, country) to realize themselves of how their work is done. This reflection would show from within whether or not the teacher meets the standards performance. But, in the absence of this evaluative culture and especially of the self-evaluation that leads to self-criticism make essential and standardized assessments of national and international Latin-American school.

A comprehensive, education reform has made some significant changes here in Bolivia. The educational reform proposes profound changes in all areas of primary education: reorganizes the education system poses an intercultural and bilingual education puts the emphasis on the / the student and learning, and seeks to reform teacher training. The transformation also includes, among others, development, production and distribution of educational materials; training teachers and principals and core educational unit; the transformation of school supervision subsystem; the transformation of teacher training subsystem; implementing a measurement subsystem the quality of education.

It would be very hard for me to compare these two educational systems. But from what I see at the American School where I work high skate testing has many disadvantages, among them:

1. Narrowing curriculum to the subjects being tested
2. Excluding topics that are not being directly tested
3. Diluting learning down to rote memorization and a "beat the test" mentality
4. Devoting too much classroom time to test preparation rather than learning

I am hopeful that I can help my students cope with the pressure and stress of these tests even though I am not involved in the testing process. Testing at its core is an experience of stress and pressure whether students like it or not, stress and pressure are part of the real world. I think of high-stakes testing as a method to help teachers self-reflect their teaching to be able to improve and look for more professional development. Most of the students I teach will go to US universities therefore they need to learn to cope with standardized testing. Parents approve the use of these tests because they are focused in the future of their children.

Talavera, M. (2014) Magisterio boliviano y Reformas Educativas en el siglo XX. http://www.revistasbolivianas.org.bo/scielo.php?pid=S2078-03622014000100004&script=sci_arttext

Froemel, J. (2009). La efectividad y la eficacia de las mediciones estandarizadas y de las evaluaciones en educación. Revista Iberoamericana de Evaluación Educativa, 2(1).Letelier, M. (2009).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhRHnXZGG3M

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/high-stakes-testing-pros-cons/

http://inesad.edu.bo/developmentroast/2006/10/what-do-we-really-know-about-education-quality-in-bolivia/

Planning Assessments

The use of these assessments are for the learning objective of my writing lesson plan for Spanish second grade.

I use formative assessments because it helps evaluate directly at the student level measuring how a particular student is progressing or where he needs support; you get immediate feedback on the progress of each one. Sometimes it helps me to identify if they are having difficulty with my planned activities.

The most common procedures of formative assessment I use in my class include the following.

Observation

I observe and record a student's level of engagement, and academic behavior, especially if it is a special learner. I develop a plan of action to support that student; implements the plan; and continues to record observations to determine its effectiveness.

Rationale

I use classroom observation as another form of ongoing assessment. A lot of times I can "read" my students; observing when they are bored, frustrated, excited, motivated, etc. I pick up these cues, so I can adjust my instruction more accordingly. The notes I take serve to document and describe student learning relative to concept development, reading, social interaction, communication skills, etc.   

Drawing

Drawing what the student understands. Drawing a picture or diagram provides students an alternative to writing, especially in KG 5, and 1st grade, sometimes in 2ndd grade.

Rationale

A lot of times it is easier to show ideas or characters in a picture than in writing, when writing is in the first stages. Some students are more motivated to demonstrate their knowledge or understanding through drawings than writing.

Portfolios.

I have a portfolio for each student that its used to create a record of student growth in their writing skills. I like to revise the progress of a student at the end of each grading period to assess the improvement in structure and vocabulary.

Rationale

In this assessment I like the student involvement because is very important in the portfolio process. Portfolios show the cumulative efforts and learning of a particular student over time. They offer important data about student improvement and skills. 

Understanding and Applying Standards

 Understanding and Applying Standards

A standard is a clear and public criteria for judging whether a student, an institution or the education system as a whole, comply with common quality expectations; expresses a desired situation regarding what is expected for all students to learn in each of the areas along its way through the Basic and Secondary Education.

I understood that the standards in Spanish are grouped into four areas that are equally important in the four stages key:

1. Reading

2. Writing

3. Speaking and listening

4. Knowledge of Language and Communication

I chose the Writing Standard for Second grade for the assignment because it is important to encourage writing as a means of communication and as a tool to organize thinking, and the sooner the student gets acquainted with the process the better writer he will be in the future. Even though the standard I chose was for a Second grade I put a lot of dedication in designing the best lessons and activities for the students that will help them, as they grow, in becoming good writers.

I also worked in understanding standards, how to interpret them to be able to implement in the design better lesson plans.

The assignment in unpacking standards was about looking backwards to see if the lessons, objectives, and assessments met the final criteria of the product.  It actually help me to have the  opportunity to compare how I usually plan lessons focused in the goal, while unpacking the standard is focusing in the objective of the lesson.

In the SMART objectives assignment I was able to try to work on more clear objectives to stay focused in an effective learning process, keeping in mind Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Targeted to develop better lesson plans.

I think that keeping in mind what we did in the three assignments can make teaching easier. Preparing good lesson plans aligned with the standards will help me attain the goal of being a better teacher who is able to teach effectively and efficiently.

Standards and Backwards Mapping

Standards and Backwards Mapping

I am using the standards and benchmarks of ACS Calvert in La Paz, Bolivia; which are posted in Rubicon Atlas.

I have chosen the writing 1 standard for 2nd grade.

Writing goal

Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

Assessment for the activity:

Students will produce a story in a chronological sequence using connectors.

Learning plan:

Teacher will read story about a fiction character for the appropriate age. The will be a prior explanation of sequence in a story, and connectors that link ideas.

Students will use prewriting strategies to plan written work such as brainstorming to gather main ideas.

Students will use strategies to write a draft paper and revise written work. In this stage students will compare a critic paper among them.

Students will use a variety of strategies to edit and publish work. They will reread or read out loud to a partner to get an opinion.

Students will use strategies to organize written work. Once I revise the editing, I review it to give them more ideas on how to improve their paper or just to help them with spelling.

Finally students will publish their work. A booklet is produced by everyone of them. The cover of the story is going to have nice illustrations with colorful drawings. I like to post the booklets on a huge board I have right out of my class.

Objectives for chapter 4:

The students will be able to use the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Students will use strategies to draft and revise written work. They will use a variety of strategies to edit and publish work. Student will also use prewriting strategies to plan written work. Students will be able to use strategies to organize written work and publish the final work.

Reflection:

I was able to revise the process more carefully to be able to get to the objective without the pressure and the rush that is starting from an objective to get to the goal.

We have been practicing the writing process since first grade. The students are familiar with some of the procedures. Now the students know what is expected from them when I plan to have a writing sample from them.

It is a joy to work with primary students. They are like an empty vase. Everything is new and exciting for them. I make the effort to make it interesting and important.

Recognize and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules and procedures

It is important that students are respectful towards teachers and classmates, and that their behaviors do not interfere with nor disrupt class activities. 

A well managed classroom does not appear out of nowhere, it takes a good deal of effort to create a good environment for the students; and the person who is most responsible for creating it is the teacher.

Rules should be short and clear and they should go with rewards or consequences. 

Adherence to rules and procedures:

• Teacher smiles, nod head, thumbs up, high five. While walking around the class teacher must have nonverbal signs to let students know how well they are following the class rules.
•  Teacher gives a verbal cue like thanks for the class to see the positive reinforcement when following the rules.
•   Describes the well behavior to the class when certain student followed certain rule.
• Teacher let parents know the good behavior. It is really nice for the parents to receive a call from teacher to hear how well behaved their child it’s been.
• Teacher uses tangible recognition like certificate, tokens,etc. There are several ways to recognize well behavior using nice pencils, certificates, tokens, a drink or some candy. 
•  Always work on a good relationship with students. A nurturing teacher can get an advantage being sweet with children especially in elementary school. Students are more prompt to please a teacher they like.

Lack of adherence to classroom rules and procedures

• Teachers should a nice look for a good behavior, but also a serious eye contact when a student is not following a rule properly. 
•  A teacher nodding for an infraction is a good way tol et a student know that his behavior is not appropiate (Shaking head).
•  While walking around the class teacher may tap on desk which is a good signal for a student to improve behavior.
• Verbal signal that a rule is being in violation, in other words, the mean eye.

·         Teacher tells student about the misbehavior, maybe a verbal reminder to the class about the class rules.

·         Writing the name of the student breaking a rule is a good warning that in the next future might be a consequence.

·         Teacher contacts the home to get support from family. Calling home for help after trying different strategies, might let the student know that everybody is aware of what’s going on.

·         Teacher occupies the whole classroom. This strategy is great because students know that the teacher is interested in everybody’s work.

In my class I try to use positive reinforcement most of the time.

I usually hug students when they first enter the class. A warm welcome makes them feel that I care about their feelings.

I use the high five sign for excellent work.

I give away candy for team work. The team that does the best, first o best effort gets candy, great incentive.

A big smile never fails. Students who are good helpers or follow the rule of raising hands get a big smile or a wink.

Since I work in a small community I like to thank parents for having such wonderful children. I think they appreciate the gesture a lot.

Sometimes I throw a party for classes that work hard or just for excellent behavior while participating in events.

If the class is able to finish what was planned for the week sooner than expected, the class gets a Fun Friday, which is competitions or games on Friday.

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