Teacher Evaluation

By Zalino Bona

As someone looking in from the outside, teacher evaluation in the United States appeared to be a controversial and contentious issue causing big rifts between teachers and policy makers. However, having had the opportunity to study it in some detail this week, albeit not in depth as I would have loved to, I have come to understand a bit more about some of the issues faced by stakeholders on both sides of this seemingly divisive topic.

Two teacher evaluation approaches that I have looked at are:

1.       The traditional system which is characterized by:

-          ‘outmoded evaluative criteria, usually in the form of checklists with simplistic evaluative comments, such as "needs improvement," "satisfactory," and "outstanding" without any consistency as to what those words mean. (Danielson, 2011)

-          evaluation based mostly on classroom observation.

2.       The Framework for Teaching which identifies those aspects of a teacher’s responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical research as promoting improved student learning… to define what teachers should know and be able to do in the exercise of their profession. (Danielson, 2011)

In the Framework approach, teacher performance is judged by teacher practice and effectiveness in the classroom and impact on student learning. Some states, Tennessee (TVAAS) and New Jersey for example, have included value-added measures to their systems. Value-added measures, or growth measures, are used to estimate or quantify how much of a positive (or negative) effect individual teachers have on student learning during the course of a given school year. (Edglossary.org) Test results, combined with other information about students, are used to determine a “value-added score” for a teacher.

In the New Jersey system, teachers are evaluated based on multiple measures: Teacher Practice (based on classroom observation) + student achievement which includes student growth objective set by teacher and principal + student growth percentile (based on state assessment performance) = Summative rating which is the overall evaluation score.

Standards for assessing teacher practice must include evidence of both good teaching practice and student learning. (AFT) NEA observes that ‘more than 25 new or proposed state laws and regulations regarding teacher evaluation focused on using evidence of student learning or achievement in the evaluation process.’ Based on these observations, it seems reasonable to conclude that evaluations of teacher effectiveness should be based on multiple measures, including teacher practice, based on classroom observation, and student achievement.

The problems of teacher evaluations seem to arise from focusing too heavily on students’ test scores as evidence of teacher effectiveness. Perhaps mistakes were made in the past, and actions taken that harmed rather than helped some teachers and schools, but as pointed out by experts: ‘If used appropriately and thoughtfully, the results of student test scores can provide useful information to enhance the quality of educator effectiveness determinations.’ (Colorado Education Initiative, 2014)

Based on what I have learned about this topic, elements that I think should be included in teacher evaluations are:

• Effectiveness in creating a positive learning environment
• Effectiveness in communicating goals/content and reaching out to diverse learners
• Effectiveness in the classroom which should include evidence of student learning

References:

Danielson, Charlotte. (2011, December 2010). Evaluations that help teachers learn. The Effective Educator. 68 (4) 35-39 Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec10/vol68/num04/Evaluations-That-Help-Teachers-Learn.aspx

Hull, Jim. (2013, October).Trends in teacher evaluation: At a glance. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from  http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teacherevalreview

Teacher Development and Evaluation. American Federation of Teachers. Retrieved from

 https://www.aft.org/position/teacher-development-and-evaluation

Teacher Evaluation: A Resource guide for National Education Association Leaders and staff. NEA. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzYfzjQoASL_eGdtNFdsbXRIRDQ/view

The Teacher Evaluation Overview. (n.d.). AchieveNJ. Department of Education. Retrieved form http://www.nj.gov/education/AchieveNJ/teacher/

Pre-Assessment for Differentiation

By Zalino Bona

“Pre-assessment provides valuable information about what is already known about a topic and readiness to start new instruction.” – Carol Ann Tomlinson

 Classrooms today have a wide range of diversity in terms of experiences and abilities. If we want to ensure that we meet the needs of every student in our class, we need to know what they already know, so that we can create lessons that are engaging and at the right instructional level. “Knowing what students know and can do when they come into the classroom or before they begin a new topic of study, can help us craft instructional activities that build off of student strengths and acknowledge and address their weaknesses.” (Eberly Center, 2008)

A pre-assessment will help me to know what the students know about the topic, what they are able to do, and where I should begin with each student or group of students. For this Literacy unit on using ‘Asking Questions’ as a comprehension strategy, I will begin by giving them a pre-assessment on Kahoot.

Link to my Kahoot Quiz:

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/fceba940-5857-4725-b433-e5a967daf05e

Based on the results, I will put the students into three groups:

1.      Group of 5 students who know how to use this strategy and answered the questions on thin and thick questions correctly: This group will work independently on the assignments which will include using sticky notes to write down questions before, during and after reading, gathering information in a graphic organizer, identifying thin and thick questions, identifying important questions, and working in twos/threes to discuss and refine their questions.

2.      Group of 12 students who have some knowledge about the 'asking questions' strategy, but needs to learn to use this strategy: I will review the strategy, teach them to use sticky notes and graphic organizers to write down their questions and gather information. This group will learn about thin and thick questions, before working in pairs to discuss and refine their questions.

3.      Group of 5 students who have limited knowledge about the ‘asking questions’ strategy: I will work with this group by- 

-          introducing the strategy and explaining that good readers ask questions

-          explaining that we use this strategy to gain information and to better understand what we are reading.

-          Modelling the strategy using the ‘I do it’ ‘We do it’ ‘You do it’ learning strategy

-          Showing how sticky notes and graphic organizers help us to keep track of our questions and to gather information

-          Introducing different types of questions: thin and thick questions, and identifying important questions

-          Having students work independently on reading and asking questions

-          Putting students in two groups to discuss and refine their questions

Here is a chart that shows how I will differentiate learning for my students:

References:

Assessing prior knowledge. (2008). Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation. Retrieved from: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/priorknowledge.html

Pendergrass, Emily. (2013, December/ 2014, January). Differentiation: It starts with Pre assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/dec13/vol71/num04/Differentiation@_It_Starts_with_Pre-Assessment.aspx

Pre-assessment ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/site/lrtsas/differentiation/5-preassessment-ideas

Problem or Opportunity?

By Zalino Bona

A high-stakes test, as defined in the Glossary of Education Reform, is “any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability.”

High Stakes tests have become a hot topic in educational circles in many countries as stake-holders and others in the field of education are getting increasingly concerned about the effect these tests have on students, teachers, and schools. In many Asian countries, where good results in these tests open doors to good colleges, it is expected that students will be put under a lot of pressure to do well. Teachers and schools also come under immense pressure because the results of their students are taken as an indication of the quality of teachers and schools.

In countries like India and Korea, where the pressure is very high on students to perform well, there are reportedly increasing cases of suicides among young people. (MaCaskill and Ashreena, 2014, Voices of Youth, n.d.) Family, school, and the society’s expectations along with their individual aspirations put a lot of pressure on many young people. These added to lack of proper emotional and psychological support lead many young people to take their lives when they do not do well in their tests.

In the United States, according to Popham, “the nation's public schools are evaluated annually under the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act,” which puts educators in public schools “under tremendous pressure to improve their students' scores on whatever NCLB tests their state has chosen.” (Popham, 2005) “These tests are tied to consequences for districts, schools and teachers as well as students.” (Kamenetz, 2015). Great pressure is put on teachers and schools to perform at a high level. As a result, you hear stories of teachers who are “tempted to adopt unethical practices during the administration or scoring of accountability tests” (Popham, 2005), or of “the entire school experience being distorted by these tests because the school is worried only about kids who are just on the edge of passing or failing the tests.” (Kamenetz, 2015) With these examples of what Kamenetz calls “perverse response to incentives,” it is no wonder that students, parents, and educators in some countries, and specifically in the United States, are asking serious questions about the tests their children are taking.

However, these high stakes test are seen in a positive light in many countries. In an international school in the Middle East, tests like the SAT, AP, TOEFL, etc. are offered, but not required. Only students who want to get into colleges in the United States take them. For these students who need good scores to be admitted into good colleges, these high-stakes tests are seen as opportunities. The students take responsibility for these test, and they usually perform well because the outcomes affect their future. In these cases, the tests do not put a lot of pressure on teachers or the school because the results are not tied to consequences for teachers or the school. Students at the elementary level take some tests, like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (which was recently changed to MAP test), but as the consequences are not very high (The results do not contribute to student’s final grade, or affect sanctions/funding for the school), the pressure to perform is not very great. Teachers would spend a week or so, going over some concepts in their classes (especially concepts they would be covering after the tests), but they are not as big a deal as they seem to be in some other countries.

In an international school in India, till recently, all students were required to take high stakes tests like GCSE, AP, SAT, etc. However, as the school’s focus is changing and moving towards real-life educational experiences, and not so much on how well a student can perform in a test, these high stakes tests are no longer mandatory. They are taken only by students who choose to do so. And as most students from this school go to the US or the UK for higher studies, and others into prestigious colleges in India, the tests are a big deal for them and the outcomes of these tests affect them greatly. For instance, a student who wanted to get into the London School of Economics needed to get a score of 5 in five subjects in the AP exams, so the stakes were extremely high for him, and he was under a lot of pressure to reach that goal. However, for teachers and the school, the pressure was not as great. In cases like these, students take responsibility for their own performance.

With the negative rap high stakes test are getting in some countries, I think we, as educators, need to be careful about how we approach and interpret these tests. “Tests, along with student grades and teacher evaluations, can provide critical measures of students' skills, knowledge, and abilities.” (APA n.d.) ”It's what allows you to get outside of your one individual school, and be able to answer the question, 'How is my son or daughter doing compared to other kids across the entire state,'" says Zurkowski, the Executive Director of Assessment for the Colorado Department of Education.  

Tests like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are helpful because they help countries to see where their students are in comparison to students in other educational systems. PISA tests are different from other tests in that they test students’ ability to apply what they learn in schools. They test “if students can use their learning in real life situations and problems” (Edu Skills OECD, 2011).  PISA’s results help governments rethink their policies to improve their students’ performance in school. The look at their educational system and compare them with others to see how they can improve their programs. PISA’s aim is to help governments to use their survey findings to improve their own teaching and student performance. (Edu Skills, 2011) If tests can be used to help policy makers to make good decisions regarding the education of their children, I think that is a positive use of test results.

In conclusion, I think what is important is that we have a clear and specific purpose for including these tests in our educational system. Whether we see them as problems or as opportunities would depend on how we use them. While it is true that a school’s test scores say something important about its academic success, scores do not provide the whole story.” (GreatSchools, 2013). We also need to remember that not all students are good test takers. “Many students are affected by test anxiety or do not show their learning well on a standardized test, resulting in inaccurately lower scores.” (Fairtest, 2007) So, high stakes tests alone cannot be taken as an indicator of teacher or school quality. However, if test results give classroom teachers important information on how well individual students are learning and provide feedback to the teachers themselves on their teaching methods and curriculum materials (APA, n.d.), and if it is true that they can provide useful information that can be used to inform instruction,  then I would say it is worth hanging on to these tests.  And until educators and policy makers come up with a better option, I think high stakes tests are not going anywhere any time soon.

References:

Appropriate use of high-stakes testing in our nation's schools. (n.d..) Retrieved from

http://www.apa.org/pubs/info/brochures/testing.aspx

Erdahl, Kent. (2014, March 29). Parents protest against standardized testing by opting kids out. Retrieved from http://kdvr.com/2014/03/27/parents-protest-against-standardized-testing-by-opting-kids-out/

The Dangerous Consequences of High-Stakes Standardized Testing. (2007). Retrieved from: http://fairtest.org/dangerous-consequences-highstakes-standardized-tes

International comparisons of achievement. (n.d.). National Center for Educational Statistics. 

Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=1

Kamanetz, Anya. (2015, January 22). The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing
Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing

MacAskill, A. and Ashreena, T. (2014, December 11). In modernising India, suicide is on the rise among young. Retrieved from: http://in.reuters.com/article/india-suicide-idINKBN0JO2A420141211

PISA - Measuring student success around the world. (2011). EduSkills. 

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1I9tuScLUA

The secret to comparing schools based on test scores. (2013, Feb 5). Great chools. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhRHnXZGG3M

Student suicides in South Korea. (n.d.). Retrieved from 

http://www.voicesofyouth.org/fr/posts/student-suicides-in-south-korea

Incorporating Multicultural Pespectives

             “Diversity is being asked to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
                                                                                                             - Verna Myers

My students come from diverse cultures, language groups, religions, socio-economic backgrounds and other social constructs that separate and divide people. They come with different experiences, expectations, talents, abilities, hopes and dreams. They have been asked to the party. And like all kids who are invited to a party, they come through their classroom door with great expectations, a bit nervous and wondering: will I be asked to dance?

 What can I do to ensure that the light in their eyes reflecting their hopes and dreams are not snuffed out? How can I create a learning environment in which each student will feel accepted and understood? Culture, as defined by Scharf (2014), “can refer to an individual’s race, class, gender sexual orientation, religion, immigration status and age, among other things.” Marzano recommends bringing students’ interests- which can include any of the factors listed by Scharf- into content and personalizing learning activities. Knowing the range of diverse cultures in my class will enable me to personalize learning activities and make learning relevant and meaningful for my students by connecting it to their real-world experiences.

 This diversity in my class gives me an opportunity to teach my students to understand and embrace diversity as it exists in the real world. I need to craft my lessons to reflect the diverse cultures. I can use multicultural resources in a variety of ways to expose students to, and help them to learn about their peers’ cultures. For example, reading about different cultures and discussing the different aspects of the culture will help students to learn about cultures other than theirs. We can explore and learn about the history, stories, literature, hopes and dreams of different people groups. 
Some things that I can do in my class to celebrate diversity:

·         Reading stories from different cultures and having books from different cultures available at different levels

·         Watching videos and movies of different cultures

·         Learning about dress, music, dance, and literature of countries represented in class

·         Celebrating their national holidays

·         Learning a song, dance, or a game; getting the students to teach them to their classmates

·         Making and eating food from different cultures

·         Learning about a culture by setting a day aside to celebrate that culture, and inviting parents to take part

In almost every community today, myriad cultures are represented. To prepare my students to live and work successfully in the community, I should help them to appreciate diversity by focusing on understanding each other’s cultures and on what we can learn from, as well as do for, each other.  Learning about their classmates’ cultures will help students to understand and respect each other. The quiet ELL student may be a great dancer, singer, or soccer player, and may become the class hero overnight. There’s nothing like music, dance, and games to break down cultural barriers and I can incorporate these into my lessons to help students to get to know each other.

How will I know if my students are developing cultural competence? They will respect and accept each other and be willing to work, play and spend time together. They will be sensitive to the needs of the special needs student, and will offer to work with him/her. They will encourage the shy ELL student to join in their games. They will share their supplies with those who are not as privileged as they are. Most importantly, they will learn to see things from other people’s perspectives as they are exposed to new cultural experiences. And hopefully, they will learn to ‘walk in another’s shoes.’

Scharf (2014), in Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education, talks about the importance of “genuinely seeing diversity as a strength and an opportunity, rather than as an “issue” or problem.” I, the teacher, should lead the way in seeing the diversity in my class as a strength and opportunity, and in making each student feel accepted and valued. My attitude and behavior should reflect this belief. I would need to let them know that I’m interested in them as individuals, and that their interests and dreams matter to me.

Marzano calls the teacher-student relationship the ‘keystone’ to creating an effective learning environment, and that “teacher behavior is the language of that relationship.” This is a language I will have to learn to speak each day to make every student feel valued and supported. That every day, every student in my class should hear me say: May I have this dance with you?



References:
Marzano, R.J. (2007). The Science and Practice of Teaching and Learning. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.

Scharf, Amy. (2014). Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education. Montgomery, Alabama. Teaching Tolerance.

Differentiating For and Anticipating Student Needs

By Zalino Bona

It’s Monday morning, and as I open my Grade 4 classroom door, I pause for a moment to take in the scene in front of me: bulletin boards on the walls, bookshelves filled with colorful books of different topics and levels, a rug for students to sit on when we have whole class meeting, tables with chairs around them for group work, and a couple of quiet areas for students who like to work alone. Is this a room where each student can find a place to work in at his/her comfort level?

I think of Jane, my ELL student. She has just moved to this country, and although she understands basic English, she is reading below grade level and struggles with vocabulary and comprehension when we read grade level books.

Loki, an ADHD student, needs help to stay focused, and works best alone and in a quiet place. He has a lot of energy and needs an outlet for them every now and then.
At the other end of the spectrum is David. David is a gifted child and is reading above grade level, and able to complete most assignments efficiently and speedily.

And of course, I have twelve other students with different talents, interests, weaknesses and strengths and ability levels, and who are more or less able to face and overcome challenges faced by all fourth graders daily.

How do I ensure that I am meeting the needs of all these learners? As I teach a lesson on a reading strategy today, how can I ensure that all my students are learning? In Carol Tomlinson’s words, a differentiated classroom is one that “provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively.” How can I differentiate instructions so that every student is appropriately challenged and engaged and learning effectively?

I can begin by addressing content, process and product.

Content: I begin by thinking about what I want my students to be able to do at the end of the class. With what specific skills will they walk away? This is where my objective comes in: By the end of the lesson, the student will be able to use question words like who, what, when, where, when, how, or I wonder to gain information while reading an informational text

Everyone needs to participate in the Do Now and Mini lesson where I introduce new concepts. But I can differentiate content by letting students choose topics of their choice and providing books at their reading level. As John McCarthy points out, “The first step to differentiate for interests is to find out what students care about and like to do. When a topic connects to what students like to do, engagement deepens as they willingly spend time thinking, dialoging, and creating ideas in meaningful ways. Making learning contextual to real-world experiences is a key learning technique with differentiating for student interests.”

Students for whom I would need to differentiate content:

Jane ELL	-          Books at her reading level aligned with her interests and readiness level -          Visual aids -          She will watch the videos and join in whole class instructions, would need more individual help -          Access to audio versions of books to enable her to read and listen at the same time, and to help her with fluency
David	-          Books at his interest and readiness level -          Content rich, challenging and engaging activities

Process: How will my students learn the content? Students have different learning styles, and knowing them well will help me to know how they learn best. I would have to use different methods and strategies to reach all the students. Discussions, stations, purposeful groupings, think-pair-share, peer tutoring, graphic organizers and checklists are some methods I would consider using. Some students would need more help to reach their goals.

Students for whom I would need to differentiate the Process:

Jane	-          Peer help with assigned work -          Pair her with a partner who can explain assignments and tasks to her when the teacher is not immediately available. -          When needed, she will be given more time to complete assignments.
Loki	-          Would need short breaks every now and then to refocus his attention -          Assignments broken up into smaller chunks to enable him to complete them in a short period of time. -          Use graphic organizers for organizing ideas -          Use checklist to self-monitor performance

Product:
Students can demonstrate mastery of learning in a variety of ways:
Discussion
Written response
Oral presentation
Poster

The Learning Environment:

For effective learning to take place, an environment that is conducive to learning is imperative. A community of learners is built by setting specific goals and teaching rules and procedures. Creating a collaborative classroom where it becomes second nature for students to work together to solve problems and to find answers would be my goal. This would ensure that everyone in the class is working on being a responsible member of the class.

A good learning environment is important for all students, but more so for some than others. The learning environment would also include the physical layout of the classroom, and should be planned with the needs of the students in mind. A student for whom the physical layout would make a big difference is Loki. He is one person I would have in mind as I plan my classroom layout.

Some things I would need to think about:

Loki	-          A desk in a quiet area -          A high table if he needs to stand while working

Resources to support these students:

Jane	-          Books at reading level -          Audio books -          Rewordify (an online tool that simplifies difficult English) -          Picture dictionaries
Loki	-          WordQ: a software that helps with typing and proofreading by providing features like word prediction, highlighting, and auditory feedback -          Audio books -          Portable word processors for note-taking

If, through formative assessment, I find that some of my students are not understanding content, while others are grasping the material quickly, I will let those who are learning work independently at stations, or reading contracts, while I reteach those who are not getting it. I would consider using some of these strategies:

One-on-one instruction
Peer tutoring
Flexible grouping for discussions

Here's a flowchart that shows how I will address the needs of some students who need differentiation:

          

References:

Cox, Janelle. (n.d.). Differentiated Instruction Strategies: Tiered Assignments. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/differentiated-instruction-strategies-using-tiered-assignments

McCarthy, John. (July 23, 2014). 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: Wat Teachers Do. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy

McCarthy, John. (August 25, 2014). Learner Interest Matters: Strategies for Empowering Student Choice https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-learner-interest-matters-john-mccarthy

Stanberry, K. & Raskind, M. (n.d.). Assistive Technology for ADHD Challenges at School. Retrieved from
https://www.additudemag.com/change-the-program/

Articulating Outcomes: Thinking Like an Assessor

By Zalino Bona




Standard: The student will ask and answer questions before, during, and after reading in order to gain new information and give purpose and focus.

Source: Reading Literacy, Grade 4 (Quality Schools International)

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment is ongoing, informal assessment that happens in class after the lesson is taught.

The big idea in this unit: Good readers ask questions.

When readers ask questions, they engage with the text in a deeper way, and it helps them to better understand what they are reading.

To ensure that students learn to ask questions before, during and after reading a text, I will begin by explaining how good readers ask questions to get new information, and modelling it as I read an informational text aloud. I will think aloud as I read, asking questions and writing them down on sticky notes. After a couple of pages, I will ask students to join in with their questions. Then students will practice it independently as they read a text and write their questions on sticky-notes. The questions will then be transferred to a graphic organizer. Formative assessment takes place as I read their written work and give feed-back.

“One of the strongest positive influence on achievement occurs when students get formative feedback that they immediately can apply.” (Linda Darling-Hammond))

1	The student will demonstrate their ability to ask purposeful questions by using right vocabulary:
What I will Look for…		How I will know the student is meeting the standard
Right vocabulary using question words		The student uses who, what, when, where, why, how and I wonder to ask questions about the text during class discussions and his/her written work. For example, the student uses ‘Who?’ What? Where? When? etc. to ask questions about characters, events, setting and time.
2	The student will demonstrate their ability to effectively use a graphic organizer to collect information: ten to fifteen questions before, during and after reading a text, and answers to some questions.
What I will look for…		How I will know the student is meeting the standard
·         Questions generated before, during and after reading the text ·         The graphic organizer filled out with questions and answers.		·         Evidence of ten to fifteen questions in the graphic organizer ·         Evidence of answers to some of the questions.

Some strategies I would use for formative Assessment:

-          Observation: walking around and observing to check for learning

-          Think-Write-Pair-Share (Students will discuss and refine their questions by working collaboratively with their peers)

As I work on giving feedback, I’ll need to ensure that I understand my students’ thought processes, and not just check their answers. What have they understood and what are they having trouble with?

Summative Assessment:
Summative assessment is assessment that takes place at the end of an instructional unit. Student learning is evaluated by comparing it against specific standards or benchmarks.

At the end of the unit, the student will demonstrate their understanding of the unit by:

1.      Explaining verbally, or by writing a paragraph, how asking questions help them to better understand what they read.

2.      Producing evidence of effective use of graphic organizers by writing ten to fifteen questions they asked before, during and after reading of at least three informational texts. (They can pick one as their best work for the final assessment).

3.     Categorizing their questions, identifying important questions and explaining how and why these questions help them to better understand the text.

	At the end of the unit, students will categorize the questions on their graphic organizer, identify important questions and explain (verbally or in a written paragraph), by giving an example, how those questions help them to better understand the text.
What I will look for…		How I will know the student is meeting the standard
·         Graphic Organizer filled out with questions and answers ·         Questions categorized into important and interesting. ·         Oral or written explanation of how important questions help them to better understand the text. ·         An example of how a question helped them to better understand the text.		·         The student has a graphic organizer filled out with questions and answers ·         The student categorized the questions and identified important questions. ·         The student explained how important questions help them to better understand what they read. ·         The student gave an example of how a question helped him/her to better understand the text.

How Will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning?

The student will self-assess his/her performance by using the following rubric:

Objective	“B”	“A”
The student will explain how asking questions help him/her to better understand what they read.	I can explain how asking questions help me to better understand what I read.	I can explain, in a written  paragraph, how asking questions help me to better understand what I read.
The student will use a graphic organizer to write ten to fifteen questions.	I have at least ten questions on my graphic organizer.	I have fifteen questions on my graphic organizer.
The student will categorize questions into important and interesting questions.	I can categorize my questions into interesting and important questions.	I can categorize my questions and explain how the important questions help me to engage with the text.
The student will identify important questions and explain how these questions help them to better understand the text.	I can identify important questions and explain how they help me to better understand the text.	I can identify important questions and explain how these questions help me to better understand a text by citing an example from the text.

The real test of learning comes when students are able to transfer their learning. As Dana Huff notes, “What is hard is making sure our students actually create true understandings and transfer their understandings.” The next step for students who finish early will be to create an ‘Asking Questions’ game or to generate purposeful questions which they will use to interview  a person and create a profile of that person using a digital tool.

References:

Darling-Hammond, Linda. (March 25, 2015). How Should We Measure Student Learning? 5 Keys to Comprehensive Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/comprehensive-assessment-introduction

Hilliard, Patricia. (December 7, 2015). Performance-Based Assessment: Reviewing the Basics. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/performance-based-assessment-reviewing-basics-patricia-hilliard

Huff, Dana. (June 18, 2007). Understanding by Design: Thinking like an assessor. Retrieved from http://www.huffenglish.com/understanding-by-design-thinking-like-an-assessor/

What Is performance based assessment? Retrieved from

https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/events/materials/2011-06-linked-learning-performance-based-assessment.pdf

What is the difference between formative and summative assessment? Retrieved from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html