What did you learn?
The running record assignment provided me with insight on how to effectively assess a student, analyzing and interpret data and consider strategies to address areas of need and/or strengths. The process of giving this assessment has allowed me to better understand and appreciate running records. I understand the value of using an assessment that evaluates a student’s reading ability. The data is vital information that influences instruction and planning.
Moreover, I learned the act of administering an assessment of this nature in a one-on-one setting. As a future teacher, I will need to assess my students informally, formally, and quite frequently. This particular assessment was great practice. Something to consider is completing running records in a
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For me, the whole process went quite smoothly. I enjoyed working with Jacoby. We had a great rapport. I had the opportunity to assess the student in a minimally distracting setting and a reasonable time frame. Furthermore, Jacoby was eager to read out loud.
Moreover, the student demonstrated a high reading ability that is somewhat beyond their grade level. I have identified that he is on or above his expected reading level. He should be provided enrichment in reading. By discovering this, his teachers can plan accordingly to build on his present skills and help him develop into a well-rounded reader.
What would you change?
For starters, I would like to have more information on the student prior to assessing. I would like to know about the student classroom experience with reading. As a future Special Education Teacher, I have a passion for helping students who face more challenges. This student did not demonstrate that he faced reading challenges. In hindsight, I would like to have worked with a student with reading challenges in order to start developing a plan to close the achievement gap. Although, all students have room to grow, so I am glad to have worked with
Differentiated instruction caters to differences among students, how students learn, different learning styles, and the interest of each learner. Running records support differentiating lessons for each learner during guided reading. Running records are diagnostic tools designed to identify a student’s reading deficiencies and monitor progress. The implementation of running records allows the teacher to differentiate each child’s reading lesson and hone in on the child’s needs and abilities. It is the educator’s responsibility to fine-tune instructional needs so that classroom, small group, and one-to-one teaching occur when and for whom they are needed in a timely way and with the high quality every child deserves (Fountas & Pinnell, 2009). Each child enters a classroom with varying needs; differentiating guided reading lessons based on the results of running records will help meet the individual needs of each child. Kelly M. Anderson (2007) states, teachers who differentiate believe each child is unique, with differing learning styles and preferences. Teachers can differentiate based on students’ readiness by varying the level of difficulty of the material covered in class. Guided reading offers the opportunity to vary the children’s reading based on their reading level. Differentiating instruction is not lowering expectations for some students. Differentiating instruction is establishing high expectations for all students while varying the process to which each child learns the same concept. Differentiating involves addressing the individual needs of diverse learners. Watts-Taffe, et al. (2012) notes although differentiating instruction is not new; it has become increasingly i...
Hunter was assessed using a running records assessment. This type of assessment is done with the student reading a book out loud to the instructor while the instructor follows along on a sheet to mark off any mistakes made. Hunter read confidently for the most part, only stumbling over a few words. He substituted the word “individual” for “instinctual” and, at first, said “have” instead of “live”, but this error he quickly corrected and was able to continue with the reading without a problem. The results of the running record assessment done on Hunter show that he is a very proficient reader. He only made a total of two mistakes and, of these two, one was self-corrected. Hunter’s accuracy rate is 99.5%,
Performing Running Records is an effective way for teachers to monitor the progress student have made in reading and writing. They also analyze the students reading fluency, which is important for comprehension. More specifically, Running Records allow teachers to identify the strengths and weakness students have in reading and writing. Finding their strengths and weaknesses will aid the teacher to identify which literacy components to develop. Running Records also give students insight about what skills they have to develop to become effective and independent readers and writers. According to Tompkins (2009), running records are classroom assessment tools of “students’ oral reading to analyze their ability to solve reading problems” (p.33). Running Records, asses the students’ oral reading and their ability to decode unfamiliar words, use reading strategies,
The Running Records assignment from Developing Lang and Literacy class at Leeward Community College provides evidence that I have completed the HTSB Standard 6: Assessment. For this assignment, I volunteered for ten hours in an elementary school and performed the running records assessment on a student. The point of the running records assessment is to determine students’ level of proficiency with literacy materials. This is done by checking if students self-corrected themselves, and if they can recognize and gather meaning from the text, not just decode it.
A running record is an evaluation tool used by the teacher in the classroom to assess
Assessments should guide instruction and material selection. Any likely manner, assessments should measure student progress, as well as help, identify deficiencies in reading (Afflerback, 2012). One important indicator of reading deficiencies is spelling. Morris (2014), advocated the importance of administering a spelling assessment in order to have a better understanding of a student’s reading abilities. My school uses the Words Their Way spelling inventory to assess students’ reading abilities at the beginning of the year and throughout the reading year.
After taking the Personal Assessment Literacy Survey, I learned a lot about myself and what I do know about assessments, and what I don’t. This survey allowed me to reflect on the process that I take to plan, develop, and administer tests in my class and what I need to do with the results. When I went through the criteria of all of the topics in the survey, I honestly did not know what the survey was talking about or what it meant. This was really concerning to me because I like to think that I do a pretty good job when it comes to instruction of my class and how I assess their knowledge of the material. I learned from this survey that there are a lot of things I do well during assessments and that there is still a lot that I need to learn to be an effective classroom leader.
Assessment has been the greatest challenge in my development as a professional. My coursework as supported my growth in this area, especially in understanding the broad range of assessments used to support students’ growth and development. My courses have also supported my understanding of how ongoing observational assessment and standards-based measures can be used to inform instruction and support the cycle of observation, reflection and planning. Coursework
This assessment is an example of a performance assessment that could be given to children in kindergarten or first grade. This paper will discuss what characteristics of the student assessment makes it reliable as well as what motivational factors are included that will encourage students to want to succeed.
Assessment is defined in the Merriam – Webster Dictionary as “the act of making a judgement about something” and thus connotes a worthwhile activity based on sound, careful thought. In Education, assessment has been variously defined as “any systematic method for obtaining information from tests and other sources, used to draw inferences about characteristics of people, objects or programs” (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999, p.172); “any purported and formal action to obtain information about the competence and performance of a candidate’ (Schuwirth & van der Vleuten, 2014. p.243). Generally, assessment has three purposes. First, to determine what students do and do not know,
Reading is an essential skill that needs to be addressed when dealing with students with disabilities. Reading is a skill that will be used for a student’s entire life. Therefore, it needs to be an important skill that is learned and used proficiently in order for a student to succeed in the real world. There are many techniques that educators can use to help improve a student’s reading comprehension. One of these skills that needs to be directly and explicitly taught is learning how to read fluently for comprehension. “To comprehend texts, the reader must be a fluent decoder and not a laborious, word-by-word reader” (Kameenui, 252). Comprehension can be difficult for students with learning disabilities because they tend to be the students that are reading below grade level. One strategy is to incorporate the student’s background knowledge into a lesson. This may require a bit of work, but it will help the students relate with the information being pres...
It is important that teachers give children a fair chance to show their knowledge when assessing. “The purpose of assessment is to provide feedback that can be used to improve student performance” (Orange 2000). Teachers assess children to ensure that they are understanding the material, and to make sure they are learning. For young children, tests should never be the only criteria for assessment. Instructors should always make sure that their assessment is fair.
As teachers, we have to monitor the progress our students make each day, week, quarter and year. Classroom assessments are one of the most crucial educational tools for teachers. When assessments are properly developed and interpreted, they can help teachers better understand their students learning progress and needs, by providing the resources to collect evidence that indicates what information their students know and what skills they can perform. Assessments help teachers to not only identify and monitor learners’ strengths, weaknesses, learning and progress but also help them to better plan and conduct instruction. For these reasons, ongoing classroom assessment is the glue that binds teaching and learning together and allows educators to monitor their efficacy and student learning.
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a
As I reflect on my past assessment process, I realized how much my assessments have changed over the years. In my early years, I used tests for informational recall as my assessments. I felt these were appropriate guidelines in which I needed to follow in order to substantiate a student’s grade. Every assignment or tests was given a point value and then based on the amount of points, a grade was given. Every student’s assessment was exactly the same, and the assessments did not contain any subjectivity. I felt confident in giving the grade based on a valid point system. However reflecting back, I see that I did not include any performance-based assessments or individual learning styles in my early assessment. I also did not take into consideration the individual needs of my students. My assessment approach was awful. I am embarrassed that I use to assess students in this manner.