Assessment {Chapter TWELVE Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

I think assessment is a crucial part of education. I use a variety of assessments with my students. I use paper pencil tests, journal entries, projects, rubrics, running records, reading logs, reading folders, computer programs, math games, word study games, and quizzes. 

One idea that I did have {after the Assessment grad school class}, was for a 3-2-1 rubric. The students helped me generate a rubric that allows me to see, at a glance, how they are doing with a topic. I put a poster of the rubric on the wall in our classroom. I also have several typed up rubrics that I use to grade assignments such as handwriting, response journals, and reading logs. The students, in turn, can use their whiteboard markers to draw a face on their desk to show me exactly how they are feeling about an assignment. 

I also try to analyze the assessments that I give so that I can determine if the students still have an area of weakness. I try to see who has mastered the content, who needs help on one certain area, and who needs the lesson to be re-taught to them. I can then break the students up into small groups to enrich, reteach, or re-mediate them on a particular topic of study {particularly in reading, writing, and math}. 
 
What I Do Wrong...
I think that I still need to work on assessment strategies to help students who do not qualify for resource, yet need something extra in the classroom. I have a hard time figuring out how to find other interventions that I can apply ALONE in my classroom for those students who perform below grade level. I also need to learn more about how to progress monitor students so that I can see if my instruction is working, and so that I can track progress {or the lack thereof}. By progress monitoring, I can analyze the effectiveness of my instructional methods.

How I'm Going to Fix It...
I would like to keep more detailed anecdotal records on my students who are performing below grade level. I think that I should begin tracking progress through the use of a data notebook. A notebook would keep track of notes, tests, running records, and writing samples so that I can see a progress throughout time. This notebook would also serve as documentation to parents so that I could show how successful the child is in the classroom.