Technology & Learning - April 2008 - (Page 24)

rubric such as one from TeAchnology, and then modify the rubric to create a formative assessment rubric for her high school science “Save the planet” project. She will make sure this assessment tool describes the learning in such a way that the students will know how to improve. General scoring statements such as “Explains well” do not help the less-than-proficient learners improve; she needs to specify what “Explains well” means. Wik for diagnostic is feedback A teacher can provide more varied feedback to students for particular learning goals if he has created an online bank of the various learning gaps that students show in a standards-based goal. This depository can be a wiki such as Class Blogmeister or a folder on the school’s server. When a teacher includes not only the learning gaps but also the precise formative strategies that will help the students to overcome them, this online wiki bank becomes a powerful formative assessment. The middle school social studies teacher looks at a student’s digital work on analyzing historical documents; diagnoses a particular learning gap; refers to his online wiki; inserts constructive comments into the student’s work; and returns the work to the student. SnapGrades lets students and parents check current grades and homework online anytime. Spreadsheets record gr owth A teacher can keep track of her students’ progress on a weekly basis by using an Excel spreadsheet. She can have a spreadsheet section for each standard; that section will be divided into the various learning goals within that standard. The spreadsheet will include various assessments on each learning goal. For example, the students’ names can go down the spreadsheet while the various assessments-by-learning goals can go across. A middle school English teacher may have five assessments for Standard 1.1 that she labels with the month of each assessment. As she gives these assessments, she makes sure that each one focuses on a specific learning goal. Later, she can easily print out the progress of any student. test scores by labeling each class activity with a standard and learning goal. Instead seeing Homework 9/12–80, they can see Standard 1.2–9/12–80. These grades reveal how well the student is progressing in each standard. Benchmark assessments Students may be taking benchmark assessments as frequently as five or six times a year; their teacher receives a listing of the proficient and learning gap areas for each student. CTB/ McGraw-Hill’s Acuity is a suite of diagnostic and predictive benchmark assessments designed to show student growth toward state standards and performance indicators in English/ Language Arts and math for grades 3–8. Ultimately, through the use of technology, teachers gain many tools that help them give students formative feedback and report on their progress. These students grasp that their teachers sincerely want them to succeed and are empowered with strategies to become successful learners. Harry Grover Tuttle, EdD, is a consultant (harry.g.tuttle@gmail.com). Reporting Progress history A teacher may give many assessments, and the students may see these as individual ratings rather than specific signs of progress. Along with a student’s present rating on a particular standard, the teacher can record past scores for the same standard, so students can see their progress and feel more motivated to try harder. 24 | www.techlearning.com Standards-based homework Students want to know their progress on a regular basis. Many online programs such as Blackboard or SnapGrades offer access to both students and their parents. A high school math teacher provides more than just the students’ homework and http://www.techlearning.com

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Technology & Learning - April 2008 Contents New @ techlearning.com Editor's Desk News and Trends Digital Age Assessment: Part 2 Anytime, Anywhere Learning Caught on Video Cover Story: Plan and Deliver Cutting Edge in Carolina Product Guide Reviews Best of the Blogs What's New LOY Profile Series

Technology & Learning - April 2008

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