Professional Self-Assessment Form

Teacher Candidates Name: Rachel Troutman

Mentor Teachers Name:

Mary Pent

Date: March 2, 2016

School: _Dover Elementary School

Grade Level (s)/Subject Area(s) First Grade

___________________________________________________________________________________
Instructions to the teacher candidate: Please reflect on your professional performance, and
respond to each of the following prompts.
1.

In terms of the ADEPT Performance Standards, what are your professional strengths?
How have you built on these strengths so far, and how do you plan to do so in the future?

I feel that my professional strengths are in APS 4, APS 6, APS 7, APS 8, and APS 10. In
terms of the other standards, I believe that I am competent and working to develop more skills
in those areas.
APS 4 discusses how an effective teacher establishes, clearly communicates, and
maintains appropriate expectations for student learning, participation, and responsibility. One
of the main objectives that I have during the day is to make sure that every student has an
opportunity to give verbal feedback on each lesson. My goal is to check for understanding at
various parts of the lesson to make sure that every student knows the material.
APS 6 says that an effective teacher possesses a thorough knowledge and understanding
of the discipline so that he or she is able to provide the appropriate content for the learners. I
have learned much through planning lessons for the class. If I am teaching on a standard that
I am not familiar with, I study the material myself so I can accurately and effectively present it
to the students.

APS 7 states that an effective teacher maintains a constant awareness of student

performance throughout the lesson in order to guide instruction and provide appropriate
feedback to students. This is a simple concept for me. If 50% or more of the students are
having a difficult time understanding the instruction it is necessary to break down the topic
more. If 50% or more are understanding or exceeding the concepts it is necessary to extend
the lesson.
APS 8 states that an effective teacher maintains a classroom environment that encourages
and supports learning. To have an effective classroom environment the student must know
what is expected of them in the classroom. The students should be aware of how they should
act in the classroom, how they should treat items around the classroom, and how they are
expected to do their work.
APS 10 discusses how an effective teacher is and ethical, responsible, contributing, and
ever-learning member of the profession. It is important to be to be an ethical teacher by not
doing anything in the classroom that would be ethically unacceptable. When I started student
teaching, I thought that I was only going to be teaching the students, but they have taught me
so much during this process. I have also learned from going to Professional Development.
2.

In terms of the ADEPT Performance Standards, what are your professional challenges?
How do you plan to meet these challenges?
I feel that my professional challenges are in APS 1, APS 2, APS 3, APS 5, and APS 9.
In APS 1, I feel that I am still working on my long range planning skills. I have not
had much experience in this area, but I am working towards further understanding.
I feel like I am developing in APS 2. My short range planning is improving as I
practice the skills needed to complete short range plans.
I am still working to become exemplary in APS3 is another skill that I am
developing. I feel that my assessments are accurate and appropriate, but I need to improve
in collecting data. I just want to develop a way in understanding how to use data.

APS 5 is something I am working on. I am learning how to use instructional

strategies in all my lessons. I find them easier to use in some subjects rather than others.
I am actively learning how to have classroom management. I am currently
researching ways to better manage the classroom. My strategies are getting better and I
can tell that the class as a whole are behaving better, but I still feel as if there is room for
improvement.
3.

Describe your students overall progress and achievement. What insights have you
gained into ways to improve student progress and achievement?
I have noticed that if students can make a connection to a topic they are more

likely to remember the material. The students in my classroom have progressed and achieved in
the way that I had wanted them to.
The students and I have made moon craters, developed soil samples, and made
accurate observations of the world around them I think that this is the best way in which they
learn.

4.

How will you use the knowledge you have gained through this professional selfassessment to promote your continuous professional growth and collaboration?
I will use the knowledge I have gained through this professional selfassessment to promote the continuous professional growth and collaboration by
continuing to reflect on my classroom experiences. I now know that in order to
improve on certain APS standards I will need to do research to get better. I also will
need to use trial and error to see what works for my classroom. I do not think that
all growth stops when student teaching stops. I intend to continue to grow and
learn how to improve in my classroom for the entirety of my teaching career.