Module 3: PowerPoint Review

Overview of Assessment: This PowerPoint helped put into perspective some assessment terms and vocabulary that I was unfamiliar with. As scary as this might sound, the information and difference regarding formative and summative assessments was cleared up through this presentation. I have always had difficulty remembering what information was assessed with a formative assessment vs. summative. The way I will be remembering this difference is summative assessment “summarizes” what the students have already learned, where as the formative assessment helps guide instruction. This year I have assessed my students with both assessments, as a ticket out the door or a 3-2-1 are very informative and eye opening. For example, we are studying multiplication and division using the standard algorithm in fifth grade, and by giving my students problems to solve, I was able to easily see who knew what they were doing and who had never been exposed to this math concept before. I am being more intentional with my assessments this year, as they are what tend to drive your instruction.

Also, when it comes to keeping parents informed about their student’s behavior and academic progress (or lack of), I send home graded assignments every week. Biweekly, I send home a behavior progress report in which states the recorded grades for each subject that parents have the option to average. My goal is to have no surprises when it comes to report cards and conferences. I believe that with adequate parent communication, students have the means to make growth across the board.

Phonics Evidence and Strategies- I loved how this presentation gave us ideas of what things to look for in our struggling readers and how to help them better. I initially thought that the skills listed and explained were more geared toward primary grades, but the one that stuck out to me the most was syllabication. The student I am tutoring has difficulty with this reading strategy. When he reads, he is more focused on each individual sound, verses using blends and chunks. I found it very helpful to see the six different kinds of syllables, as I never knew there was a difference. I think it would be a good idea to look into what kind of syllable types my student and others are having the most difficulty with.