Misty Mapes EdPsy 490ASA Dr. Katherine Ryan November 9, 2003 Week Eleven Reflection: Informal Assessment Objective assessments are not always the best reflection of a student’s development; sometimes, informal assessment procedures are the most effective method of determining a student’s output in class. In my English classes, I use different types of informal assessment procedures to validate and revise my instructional techniques for each student. Through the use of observation, self-reports, peer-reviews, parent conferences, and staff conferences, I can more easily and accurately evaluate a student’s “skills, work habits, social attitudes, scientific attitudes, academic self-concept, interests, appreciations, and adjustments” (Linn & Gronlund, 2000, p. 316). I personally choose to keep an anecdotal record of my students’ behavior. Whenever I note a behavior that is erratic or abnormal, I jot down a summary of the incident along with the date and time of the occurrence. I also try to notice behavior patterns—if a student consistently acts in an eccentric or nonconformist manner, I note that as well. In the past, I included personal notes of my opinion…but since reading about effective observational techniques in Linn and Gronlund (2000), I will be sure from this point forward to separate the summary from my interpretation of the incident in the files (pp. 321-23). The notes that I create from observations allow me to more accurately assess the students’ skills, interests, attitudes, etc. Without the notes, I would be more bias in my judgment due to “selective memory” (Linn & Gronlund, 2000, p. 317). Observational assessments have been very useful to me. Just this week, I decided—after referring to my grade book, my Accelerated Reader records, and my observational notes—to
make some accommodations for one of the students and to begin the referral process for the student to test for a learning disability in reading. Without the accurate notes (that span throughout one and a half years), I do not think I would have recognized the problem as a learning difficulty; instead, I might have assumed that the student was just not motivated or organized. Besides observing students myself, I also ask students to assess themselves and each other through self-reports and peer-review. Although I think that the personal interview does benefit both teacher and student with an accurate account of the students’ true feelings (Linn & Gronlund, 2000, p. 333), I cannot afford the time it takes to routinely make that individual contact. Still, occasionally I do “conference” with students about their progress and attitude in the class, especially (but not only) when I see grades consistently declining. In addition to conferencing with students, I ask them to fill out questionnaires about themselves and about each other. These assessments refer to a student’s academic rather than social development. They evaluate themselves and each other using a rubric that is the same as or similar to the one that I use to score their work. This technique works well because the students can pre-assess their performance and revise their work before I evaluate them on it. Sometimes I use a different technique—one that is not discussed in the textbook. Occasionally, I find conferencing with parents and/or staff about a student to be effective. This technique may not work by itself, but when combined with objective assessments, observations, and interviews with a student, this method of discovery can be very useful. This week, I called 16 parents of students who were letting their grades consistently decline this quarter. The parents talked to their children, and the problem was resolved in many cases, albeit perhaps temporarily. The problem with most of the students was lack of self-motivation; these students needed their parents to prod them into studying and being more organized. Others, however, had real difficulty understanding the content of the literature that they have been assigned to read. In
these cases, the parents offered their observations of the behavior they have noticed in their children at home (e.g., their study habits and attitudes), and I offered suggestions to both the students and their parents of ways to improve the students’ reading skills and scores. Regardless of the reason for failure, students’ grades have been improving because of my contact with the parents and the insight and assistance parents have provided me. Staff members, such as guidance counselors and other current and past teachers can also offer the same kind of assistance. If I need help interpreting my observations, I may find the answers in observations of these other staff members. Once, I spoke to a guidance counselor about concerns I had with a student’s dropping grades, and she informed me that the student’s parents were working toward a bitter divorce. Neither the student nor the parents divulged that information to me when I asked about any issues that may be contributing to his dropping grades. This is an instance when another staff person could help me assess the reasons for a student’s behavior and allow me to begin working on methods to help this student progress under the difficult circumstances he was facing. I do not think that any of these methods of informal assessment is completely effective and accurate by itself, but together they supply me with the tools I need to assist a student in the areas that s/he needs most. My favorite method, though, is conferencing with the students faceto-face individually to determine together the best means of evaluating their behavior and improving their work. I believe that of all the informal methods, this one is the most personal and accurate. The students usually know the causes for their behavior and, if they are willing, can be an excellent source of insight for a teacher who wants to recognize and/or change their behaviors in the name of progress.