Running head: ASSESSMENT 1

Assessment Framing Statement

A teacher facilitates, monitors and assesses student learning.

Candidates plan and implement instruction based on knowledge of students, learning

theory, connections across the curriculum, curricular goals and community. They 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.

The Teacher Work Sample exemplifies my assessment philosophy and ability to use

assessment analysis and data to make instructional choices. Assessment is an integral part of

teaching and learning; it is a “means of informing, guiding and supporting the growth of

students” (Perrone, 1991 p. 55). As a teacher of literacy, I work to make sure that my

assessments create the condition of response: “feedback from exchanges with more

knowledgeable others. Response must be relevant, appropriate, timely, readily available, and

nonthreatening, with no strings attached” (Cambourne, 2005). I use assessment to provide

students with timely feedback that helps them move towards learning goals and to determine my

instructional next steps.

Learning is enhanced by assessing students existing knowledge of a topic or skill and

using that knowledge as a starting place for instruction (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 1999). I

use preassessment to determine students’ skills, knowledge and preconceptions before teaching a

topic or skill. Preassessment tools include evaluating student work samples, pretests, KWL

charts, anticipation journals, self-evaluations, entrance tickets and concept or picture maps

(Mertler, 2017). In my kindergarten Teacher Work Sample, I used a picture quiz about a read
ASSESSMENT 2

aloud as a preassessment for the reading goals. The quiz was accessible to all learners and the

results revealed that some learners already had the skill to be taught. I used work samples from

the previous unit to determine a starting point for the unit’s writing goals. In addition to helping

me establish a beginning point and direction for instruction, the preassessments helped with

differentiation. They facilitated the creation of small groups based on assessment data rather than

a best guess or student reading levels (Pendergrass, 2014).

Formative assessment is used to collect detailed information about students’ progress

during the teaching of a unit. It is “an ongoing exchange between a teacher and his or her

students designed to help students grow as vigorously as possible and to help teachers contribute

to that growth as fully as possible” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 12). Formative assessments are an

integral part of Cambourne’s condition of response. They provide learners with the information

they need to improve their approximations (1995) while providing teachers with evidence of

student learning. Formative assessments allow teachers to identify patterns and “clusters of

student needs” and plan instruction that helps each group of students move forward (Tomlinson,

2014, p.13). Every lesson affords opportunities for formative assessments which may include

observations, checklists, rating scales, KWL charts, exit tickets, free writes and quick writes,

conferences and journals (Taylor & Nolen, 2008).

In my Teacher Work Sample, I examined student writing samples and graphic organizers

to determine instructional needs and to provide students with feedback. I looked for patterns in

student work and chose common strengths and difficulties within each group to work on in the

next day’s lessons. During reading and writing time, I conferred with students individually

showing them what they were doing well and offering one suggestion for improvement (Taylor

& Nolen, 2008).

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Summative, or end of unit assessments should match the goals of the unit, allow for

student choice, provide opportunities for authentic work and help the teacher reflect on the

effectiveness of instruction (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006). Performance tasks are an alternative to

traditional tests in which students are given authentic work that allows them to apply their

knowledge to real world situations (Taylor & Nolen, 2008). For primary students, authentic work

means reading and understanding what they read or is read to them, and communicating through

writing, speaking and drawing (Taylor & Nolen, 2008). Whether end of unit assessment is

conducted through traditional tests or performance tasks, it is essential that we establish clear

expectations by pre-teaching rubrics, providing study guides or checklists and sharing exemplars

that help students understand what a successful performance looks like. End of unit assessment

data should also be used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the instructional design and

plan how to adapt future instruction to maximize student growth (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006).

The end of unit reading and writing tasks in my Teacher Work Sample allowed the students to

apply their learning and show their understanding through writing, drawing and speaking. I used

the results of the end of unit assessments to measure student progress towards meeting

kindergarten standards and to reflect upon the effectiveness of instruction.

Assessing kindergarten learning requires creativity, patience and careful observation. The

information gathered through preassessment, formative assessment and observation provided

valuable insights into learner progress, helped me give feedback to students, and allowed me to

make instructional decisions to support student growth.

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References

Bransford, J., Brown, A. L., Cocking, R. R., & National Research Council (U.S.) (1999). How

people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C: National Academy

Press.

Cambourne, B., (1995). Towards an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning. The

Reading Teacher. 49(3) 182-190.

https://globalconversationsinliteracy.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/cambourne-

towardsedrelevanttheorylitlearning.pdf

Mertler, C. A. (2017). Classroom assessment: A practical guide for educators. London, UK:

Routledge.

Pendergrass, E. (2014). Differentiation: It starts with preassessment. Educational Leadership.

71(4) 22-26.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/dec13/vol71/num04/Differentia

tion@_It_Starts_with_Pre-Assessment.aspx

Perrone, Vito (1991). A Letter to teachers: Reflections on schooling and the art of teaching. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Taylor, C., & Bobbitt Nolen, S. (2008). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and

learning in real classrooms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The bridge between today’s lesson and tomorrow’s. Educational

Leadership. 71(6) 10-14. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-

leadership/mar14/vol71/num06/The-Bridge-Between-Today's-Lesson-and-

Tomorrow's.aspx
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Tomlinson, C.A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding

by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.