The Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) is the statewide test that measures the academic achievement of public school students towards meeting the Sunshine State Standards benchmarks. The quarterly Reading and Mathematics Benchmark Assessment exams gauge student achievement on individual strands based on these Sunshine State Standards, which school districts require schools to administer to students within the appropriate content area. Teachers and administrators pour over the information at the conclusion of the exam and the data mining gets underway. The data is analyzed and scrutinized and teachers present their interpretation of the data to the administration to determine what modifications need to take place within their classrooms. The teachers, principal and school district utilize the data obtained from the Benchmark Assessments to determine the level of student achievement within the classroom and create a strategy that will target those benchmarks in which student performance was low. The vital issue with the data driven classroom is the effectiveness of the teachers and administrators at interpreting the data from these high stakes tests and constructing a successful plan that guides instruction based on the needs of the classroom, which continuously change. The data driven classroom provides teachers and administrators an opportunity to gauge student achievement and direct instruction to focus on the individual needs of students. The data driven classroom allows a measure of students’ needs and permits a level of accountability however, teachers and administrators are occasionally uninformed on how to create effective instructional practice based on the results of the data. The important issue facing... ... middle of paper ... ...ment at the elementary school level, which educates and empowers students about businesses, financial literacy and the fundamentals of work readiness. My work ethic and passionate commitment to learning is strong, as well as my love for education and acquiring the skills needed to provide my community with an effective educational leader. As a public school teacher I feel I have a unique advantage in understanding not only what students need for purposeful instruction but also what teachers require in today’s classroom to develop into successful educators. I am interested in the connection between student achievement and utilizing the data within high stakes tests to help successfully guide teachers towards meaningful instruction which is one of the many reasons I want to pursue a doctoral degree in education with a specialization in Curriculum Leadership.
The United States of America has placed low on the educational ladder throughout the years. The cause of such a low ranking is due to such heavy emphasis on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student’s ability, a teacher’s competency, or a school’s proficiency.
Soaked under sweat, I stood on the running machine, took a deep breath, and counted in my mind, one…two… three, GO! With renewed power and confidence, I started to run again with satisfaction. This moment happened every day in last summer at a gym and I lost 62pounds. Had persisted for five months, I am so proud of myself that I am able to achieve the goal of losing weight and established high self-discipline. In addition, I have gained great appreciation for the challenges. However, I also have grown up from this, on the other hand, frustrated experience. Not because the process of losing weight was painful, but because my by-product of the weight loss journey, my online team.
Whoosh!A bed whizzed by, surrounded by about 6 medical personnel. “What’s going on?” I thought immediately with apprehension. I knew whatever was happening it was not ideal. Ensuring I was not in the way, I stood on my toes to see what demanded so much attention. To my astonishment, I saw a coin sized hot-pink little girl. She could not have been bigger than two quarters lying side by side.She was struggling! Even with all the procedures the doctors were executing to save her life, she was performing the most work.
though teaching to the test is another beneficial factor, it doesn’t always work. High-stakes testing’s dependence on state-mandated assessments as the dominant or sole criteria for graduation or promotion can threaten teacher’s fragile capabilities to meet diverse student n...
The issue of standardized testing has been a highly debated issue in the United States for many years and shows no sign of being resolved any time soon. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was an effort to standardize and improve our education system, but 13 years later it is still in shambles. While many people agree there is a need for some sort of measure for quality education, there is much disagreement about the effectiveness of standardized tests. Some even say federal programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have gone too far in using test scores to evaluate teachers (Gordon 2013). Unfavorable results from these tests seem to generate more punitive consequences for the teachers and schools than help for the students. The words “high-stakes” are used often in numerous sources to describe the current testing system and refer to decisions that will make a significant impact on both students and teachers. These decisions include repeating a grade or not receiving a diploma for the student and possible loss of a job for the teacher. Standardized testing is an ineffective and expensive way to measure student achievement.
Education in the United States has changed over the last 60 years. It started with President Eisenhower making sure Brown v. Board of Education was enforced. Next, the National Defense Education Act in 1858 was passed to improve math and science. In 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed to help the poor succeed in school. Finally, in 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child left Behind Act (NCLB) (Robbins & Alvy, 2009, pg. 7). The NCLB change the way schools look at student achievement. One of the biggest changes was all teachers and schools are held accountable for student learning (Robbins & Alvy, 2009, pg. 7). Schools are now graded and labeled. Teachers and schools must close the achievement gap among the different groups of students (Robbins & Alvy, 2009, pg. 7). High-stakes tests measure schools, district, and student’s success (Robbins & Alvy, 2009, pg. 7). NCLB has made schools look at better ways to teach students. Schools have turned to using research based teaching practices. Schools are now using data to guide instruction. How does a school effectively assess students to increases student achievement? How does a school use this data to guide curriculum development? This paper will look at the importance of assessment in P-12 schools to improve student achievement. In this paper a critical analysis of backward design and its effect on student achievement. A critical analysis of fact-based practices that teacher can use now to improve student achievement will be discussed. Finally, a discussion of the challenges a teachers will face when creating a culture of learning.
I grew up in a household where education was seen as a form of self-improvement and empowerment. Being raised in rural Central California by two Filipino immigrants who had nothing more than a high school education, my family did not have an educated or intellectual history I could look up to. That is, until my mother decided to get a college education at the age of 45. I must have been in middle school at the time, before which the word “college” was never really spoken or talked about and I could honestly say I only had a vague idea of what it even was. Rather than having the traditional sit down talk with my parents about higher education, my mom clearly spoke to me through example. I distinctly remember times where I would be her study buddy, and while doing so, I found myself leisurely enjoying the pages of her science textbooks. Instead of asking her questions related to her upcoming text, I inquisitively asked juvenile questions like, “How do the genes make us?” Today I know that this is a very big and complex question that we are still trying to answer. Yet at that moment, I wanted an answer, but mother did not have the solution, nor did the textbook. That was the birth of my pursuit of scientific career.
Please discuss the following items in the order given. Briefly respond to all areas listed.
The leader who wants to improve school success through the use of data will provide ample opportunities for teachers to collect and analyze student data in professional learning communities, time to collaborate, and resources for professional development. She also utilizes data analysis to inform the building goals for the year ensuring alignment with the district goals. Data can tell the leader and the teachers where the students are, where they need to go, and provides opportunity to teachers and administrators to support student success. Collecting and analyzing student data is an important part of a school culture that supports and encourages collaboration as well as holding high standards for student achievement.
Curiosity, ambition, determination and passion are the core constituents that have driven me into the field of biology. I am a very analytical and a punctilious individual. I have always been fascinated by the components of biology since I was a child. I have always been curious and always had the desire to learn to enhance my knowledge. Hard-work and dedication are the building blocks for success. I can remember as a child picking up insects from outside and taking them inside my house to dissect them with a safety pin and play pretend that I was a biologists. I can remember in middle school entering a plethora of small school science projects and winning certificates for outstanding biology student. This immense inertia for investigation and careful scrutiny has propelled my love for science and will expand as I go in-depth in the field of biology. I love to solve complex problems and love being stimulated intellectually. I succeeded in advance biology when I was in high school and have done well in most of my biology classes in college. I have this unequivocal desire to achieve w...
With current trends in the field of education, and the increased emphasis of standardized testing data, classrooms of today have become increasingly outcome driven. Although few would argue with the importance of improving classroom instruction and the logic associated with basing instruction on desired student outcomes, this one size fits all approach is not without its detractors.
Effective classroom teachers use a variety of assessment instruments on a daily basis to determine student progress. Assessing the students is the easy part and can be ongoing or at specific times during the year. After any assessment is given, it is vital for the teachers to analyze the results of the assessment. Finally, teachers much continually monitor student progress in order to ensure student success. The assessing, analyzing, and monitoring requires planning on the teacher’s part. If teachers fail to plan, they plan to fail; this is the result in many classrooms today because teachers access their students and then do not analyze the data in order to monitor and document students’ learning.
The world of computers and the implementation of computer systems into modern society allowed me from an early age, to develop an interest in computing. From listening to music which uses the method of physical modeling synthesis to the usage of computer modeling to study epidemiology. This showed me the advances of technology impacts society in a variety of ways. As my passion grew, the further I studied the advances of computer science, the more my interests grew. This helped me to determine what path I should take in order to one day stand at the forefront of computer science industry.
The state’s new evaluation system was in response to administrators who produced, “superficial and capricious teacher evaluation systems that often don't even directly address the quality of instruction, much less measure students' learning” (Toch, 2008). Too often, the “good-ol-boy” attitude would insure mediocre educators would remain employed. Realizing this was often more the rule then the exception, the governor created educational mandates to focus, “on supporting and training effective teachers to drive student achievement” (Marzano Center, 2013). Initially, they expected the school districts and the teachers would have issues and experience growing pains, but in the end the goal was, “to improve teacher performance, year by year, with a corresponding rise in student achievement” (Marzano Center, 2013).
Formative assessments are imperative to making adjustments when teaching, while summative assessments give educators information on how effective the curriculum is. However these assessments would be unavailing if data is not collected, analyzed, and presented correctly. Data plays an essential role in teaching, as it allows educators to apply the information they collect into their classroom, but not all teachers collect data or provide feedback effectively. However, after completing the class readings and receiving feedback from my peers, I now feel confident that I have developed an effective feedback and data plan for my assessments.