654+Assessment+&+Data+Analysis

How can performance tasks help the teacher and the learner? Are there limitations?
 * 12 Iulai Po'aha**

Performance tasks can be used to help the teacher determine if she has actually met her learning targets. They create a framework for thinking of big-picture activities which require students to use higher order thinking skills and really apply the knowledge that they've gained. For students, performance tasks give them the opportunity to showcase their learning in ways that are sophisticated and (hopefully) interesting.

I like the process of developing scenarios to go with performance tasks, in that I feel it shapes a purpose for the task, even if the purpose is an artificial one. As far as limitations go, performance tasks are time-consuming for both the teacher and student, and they require much more effort than say a multiple choice test. Of course, this isn't a reason to not engage in performance tasks; it's just a reason to make sure they are truly well planned and actually measure what the teacher hopes to measure.


 * 11 Iulai Po'akolu**




 * 10 Iulai Po'alua**

Target Matching. I think I've got it. The matrix is helpful in that it outlines basic ideas of what will and won't work for assessment. I think part of what the matrix points out for me is that a lot of times I leave the assessment of knowledge mastery to the end of the unit, when really it should be a part of formative assessment throughout, especially as knowledge mastery is foundational to being able to achieve higher order skills connected to the subject being studied. For me in my classroom, I think I need to start thinking about doing selected response formative assessments earlier in units--maybe without grades going into the grade book; this can provide quick and easy feedback on how the kids are doing.

Another thing that's been highlighted is that wording and intent are key--and although we've been bashing our heads into walls trying to figure this out, I think if we have a clear idea of what we want the kids to be able to do, we can eventually figure out what we should be choosing as far as assessment methods.

I now have a clear idea of how my blueprint is supposed to be populated, so I'm looking forward to working on that sometime soon, and I'm really looking forward to developing the assignment and rubric for this unit.


 * 9 Iulai Po'akahi**

How am I doing with this process? It's interesting that I'm including WEO, strands, and benchmarks in my blueprint, because it occurs to me know that, uh...I don't know what they are for grade 12. I'm not very concerned, because I do understand that the development of the standards is a work in progress, but I am just now AWARE of how disconnected I've been from the process of developing strands. Kind of scary. On the other hand, last year was my first year teaching 12th grade, and the benchmarks and rubrics were being developed, so it wasn't really like I was in a position to become knowledgable about what the benchmarks and strands were. That being said, I am interested in seeing what was developed this summer. I'm wondering if it would be useful to have a sharing session with the whole English department? I'm also wondering how the science guys did; I'd be curious to hear about their process and see what they came up with and how it looks compared to English-y stuff. But that's kind of off topic.

I'm really happy that I'm getting time to look at my Creation stories unit for my Land and Lit class. That class was kind of like the neglected stepchild that still sucked a lot of my time, and I'd like to feel more confident that I have really good information to share with my students. I see this unit as really having the potential to shape the tone of the entire semester--our stories have the power to tell us truths about history, geology, geography, spirituality, people, relationships, and the human spirit, and we should pay attention to these stories and allow them to influence the way we see the world.

I think if I can get a really solid rubric for the culminating essay then I'll be in a sweet spot come the start of the school year. I'm trying to figure out now how to populate the table that I've made; I'm still not quite sure which column the skills-knowledge-understandings bit goes in; I'll take a look at the samples to see if I can't figure it out.

I'm also really enjoying the way the class is unfolding and appreciate how much time we're getting to work. The readings I've looked at so far have been very helpful also, but I'm thinking that so far, this Assessment Bias piece is a little obvious. A fast read, for sure, and I'm kind of wishing I hadn't printed it out. It's always good to articulate things, though, and I'm guessing I'll probably find that some of my tests are a little biased in some aspects. It'll be good to look at our new 9th grade final through the lens of bias. Put that on the To Do list.


 * 5 Iulai Po'aha**

A strong, basic understanding of facts, concepts and generalizations seems to me to be a large part of academic success. It is not necessarily a reflection of intelligence or ability, but I think that students who have the skills to master these facts and concepts quickly are students who generally do well in school; they know how to "play the game." They are students who know what to focus on and how to store information away and retrieve it quickly, and they are the students who are rewarded in traditional classrooms.

However, for students who do not have this strong basic understanding, if they are fortunate enough to be nurtured in school and are able to maintain their confidence in their academic potential and their love for learning, they have the potential to become some of the most creative and innovative thinkers of their generation.

It seems more and more like the educational system is moving away from the rote model of input---output, and requiring students to think innovatively and creatively, relying more on how to acquire knowledge rather than begin so concerned that students have things committed to memory. The skill to locate basic facts, rather than committing them to memory, seems to be where educators are moving, particularly with 21st century skills.


 * 3 Iulai Po'alua**

I think that most important instructional decisions have been made by adults, rather than by the students, because we as adults feel like we know it all. We know what content we want to teach, we know the timeframe in which we can operate, and we know the best way to get to where we think we need to go. It's so much easier to plan things in our heads and without student feedback, especially when we have many students we need to be working with. Traditional classrooms relied on the teacher giving out the information and the students putting it in their brains. As we shift towards a model that is more student-centered, we have to retrain ourselves as a community to allow students to have more feedback and input and to utilize their input to help us plan our lessons.

In PBL, I worked on a children's story project. The goal of the project is to use children's stories to educate people about the wahi pana of the islands with the hope that knowing the history of a place will inspire people to honor and care for it. The project was inspired by my trip to Ka'ena in May--the place was so trashed, but I still saw a lot of families with their kids. I thought, "What if the kids knew the amazing history of this place? How would they change the way it was treated?" The project involves three parts: A research paper on a wahi pana, a children's story inspired by the research paper, and a reflective piece on group dynamics and how the process went. The vision is to have kids work in groups of 2-3 and turn out a totally illustrated project at the end. I'd like the kids to make copies of their books and send them to a school of their choosing in the wahi pana they write about. I'm also thinking about having someone from KPub come in to talk to the kids--if we could turn out some publishable work, that would be really awesome. Regarding assessment--well, now that I know we have to do data analysis too, okay... I'd really like to build more assessment pieces for my classes and think about what I really believe about assessment. I'm of several different minds, depending on the day and how I feel. Mostly I'd like work and information that is relevant and practical. Or, I'd like readings that challenge me to reflect on my personal philosophy--along with time to reflect. :) The most important thing I think I've learned about this kind of class (15 days, all in a row) is that it's better to focus on one or two large items than to have a lot of smaller things. Concentrated focus is key when you have so little time and so much information back to back. I like what I've heard of your plans so far!!!  **Reflection** Assessment experience from personal educational past that was a GOOD and NOT SO GOOD experience. What made it productive? What emotional and learning impact did it have for you?
 * 2 Iulai Po'akahi**

This past school year, I changed the format of how I graded my essays for my 9th grade students. I moved to a format where they outlined on their own and then met with me individually in class--the new block schedules we have are great for sitting down with kids and talking. After meeting with them to see where their essays were going, they wrote for a few days and then we re-met so I could check their progress and provide feedback. They completed their essays which then went through a process of peer revisions, and after that they turned in their revised drafts. I graded and commented on their drafts and returned the essays to them. At that point, they were to make further revisions and then turn in a final copy with all changes highlighted. I put their old rubrics next to a new rubric, checked for changes they'd made, and then changed scores according to revisions they'd made. I love this process, because it allows me so many check points and really lets me see how the kids are doing and what kinds of struggles they're facing.

One major highlight of this year's essay writing was when one of my students came to see me because he wanted a perfect paper. He made major revisions based on the comments I'd made, and while his paper was not perfect, I was happy to give him full credit for the assignment, because I felt that he'd mastered what he needed to in the process. I've found that, while the days of meeting one on one with students non-stop are very draining, they are SO worth the energy because the students and I get to see the process together, and I get to provide a lot of feedback. I like skimming through their work, shooting out suggestions to them, and then giving them free rein to run with what I've said. I feel like this is how things will be in "the real world" a lot of the time--they won't get a lot of hand holding. On the other hand, when I sit down to grade and comment on their papers, I provide the support they still need in 9th grade. It's also great at the end of the year when I get to pull back from meeting so much and tell the kids, "You know how to do this. Make it happen." And, for the most part, they do.

Regarding not-so-good experiences, I have to say that one of the apps we worked with last session was very frustrating. For me personally, it was a lot of jumping through hoops rather than having an authentic learning experience. Emotionally, it was very draining because of the negative attitude that I had towards it. I think what I learned is that assessment really, really has to be applicable or it's a pain in the butt.