Making Instructional Decisions Cover Sheet

Teacher Candidate Title of Exemplar Portfolio Category ACEI Standard

Rachel Mullen Making Instructional Decisions I II III x IV V

Cohort #

414

Assessment Assessment for Instruction

ACEI Standard Element(s)

Candidates know, understand, and use formal and informal assessment strategies to plan, evaluate, and strengthen instruction that will promote continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of each elementary student.

Semester Spring 2014 1.

Date

March 24, 2014

Description of exemplar and how it demonstrates meeting this ACEI Standard and Element(s). This exemplar was a unit plan that I completed for an assessment assignment. It consisted of implementing a pre assessment, assessments at the end of each lesson, and a summative assessment at the end of the unit. My unit was math unit where I taught a 4th grade class about fractions, decimals, and probability. Through out this project, I used formal and informal assessment to make instructional decisions for my students based on their needs and strengths. The picture that I have chosen below for the exemplar was a students summative assessment at the end of the unit. On the pre assessment, this student was performing well below average, and by the summative assessment, he had one of the highest grades in the class.

2.

Reflection on my professional growth in knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to this ACEI Standard and Element(s). My knowledge of the use of assessment grew significantly during the implementation of this lesson, specifically in how to use assessment to plan my instruction. I was able to use my students results in the assessments to alter and change my instructional plan that way I could make sure that they were learning and applying what they needed to know. This also allowed me to develop my skills in using assessment to guide my instruction by giving me a chance to really analyze their learning after each lesson. This gave me a way to see sooner when students were falling behind, and it gave me a chance to catch them up. I feel much more prepared to use my assessment data from my students to alter or adjust my instruction as needed.

My disposition related to using assessment results to guide my instruction showed me that it is important to use the results, that way you dont move on to a new subject when you students are still stuck on the last one. Without using your assessment results, your students may fall further and further behind, making it more difficult for you and them to catch back up later. Just because I think my students will master a subject, doesnt mean that they will. I need to use their assessment results to check, and to see if something needs to be explained more.