Standard+8

** Standard 8 ** **The teacher knows how to test for student progress.** The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil.


 * __Evidence 1: [|WisCareers]__**

Rationale 1: Studies have shown that students approach learning in many different ways, often referred to as their "learning style." A student's preferred learning style can differ greatly depending upon the subject, the setting, and other conditions. If a student and the educator is aware of their learning style, it is possible to organize learning environments to help the students learn the most effectively. Our district's mission charges the educator to inspire our students to become passionate learners. For us to achieve this goal, it's necessary for us to determine our student's learning styles so that we may facilitate their education in the most effective method with which they can respond to.

Concurrently, one of our principal's goals is to create an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for each of our Middle School students, beginning at the 5th grade level. In an effort to work towards meeting both these goals, our Guidance counselors experimented with a number of companies and chose to purchase a license for the Middle School to implement [|WisCareers]. Working side-by-side with the two guidance counselors at BDMS, I introduce all students to WisCareers at the beginning of the school year within my computer classes. At that time, they will complete the individual inventory evaluations so that we can assess what type of learner they are. Throughout the semester (my classes are all semester-long), I infuse portions of WisCareers into my curriculum, building their ILP's as we go, with the end result being their middle school blueprint.

In my 5th and 6th Grade Computer classes, it is my responsibility to administer the Learning Style Inventory to the students in the beginning of the year. Following that, I team up with the guidance counselor to discuss the results with the students and create class scenarios that would reflect and be conducive to their learning style. This is continued at the 6th grade level, with more emphasis being on long-term goals as they apply to their academics.

Assuming we have been working with the student from the beginning of their middle school career, we would expect to not only understand the student's learning style by 7th grade, but we would expect to have been able to adjust their learning environment to suit their style. By the time the student reaches the 7th grade, I am usually very familiar with their personality, learning style, strengths, and weaknesses. I am also aware of any areas they may struggle in when considering their learning style and what works for them. When setting up my classrooms, I am able to use this prior knowledge to design my lesson plans to suit the student's learning styles. While I wish I had the luxury of working to meet each individual's styles, I am able to set up groups with similar styles to work with each other.


 * __KSD__**


 * 8.K.2** The teacher knows how to select, construct, and use assessment strategies and instruments appropriate to the learning outcomes being evaluated and to other diagnostic purposes.

It's important to learn more about a student's learning style in the early stages of their education so that we may adapt to them. WisCareers includes an evaluation tool, //[|Learning Style Inventory]//, that I administer to all my 5th-8th grade students in the beginning of the year. After analyzing the results, I am able to group students in similar learning style groups so that I can deliver my lessons in a common format conducive to that particular group of students.

Self-assessment plays an important role in my evaluation of a student. It's important for a student to review and analyze their own work, with a rubric as a guide, and then have the opportunity to openly review and compare their results with that of the teacher's. I prefer to evaluate and assign a grade prior to a student self-assessing their work, following up with a brief conversation with the student comparing both assessments.

Our district's standard grading system is Skyward which serves not only as a record-keeping tool and a grade book; it is also the main conduit between the parent and the teacher. We encourage and invite parents to visit the website on a regular basis to keep them abreast of their child's progress as well as to keep the lines of communication open between the parent and the teacher. I often use Skyward to send mass emails to parents when I need to make an announcement which involves their child or when an assignment is coming due. If I send home a worksheet which requires their input, I find it extremely helpful to send an email to the parents asking them to "remind" their child that they have a worksheet for them :)
 * 8.S.6** The teacher maintains useful records of student work and performance and can communicate student progress knowledgeably and responsibly, based on appropriate indicators, to students, parents, and other colleagues.


 * 8.D.1** The teacher values ongoing assessment as essential to the instructional process and recognizes that many different assessment strategies, accurately and systematically used, are necessary for monitoring and promoting student learning.

In addition to administering the Learning Style Inventory, I often pre-test students at the beginning of each unit. My experience, however, has been that pretesting too much can actually negate the value of the results. Not only do students get frustrated with so many pretests; they often blow them off, knowing that it is being used as a measurement for growth and not an actual grade. I have had students literally guess their way through a pretest with the attitude that they can only improve. I maintain that pretesting is an important measurement tool, but I have adjusted my presentation of the tool to the students. While it may be a tool to measure what the student currently knows, I encourage them to do their best by explaining that what they don't test well in, we will cover more thoroughly in class. If the results show that no one knows anything, then I let them know we will be covering every single aspect of the test in class! It's surprising how students will change their attitudes just to "test out" of a particular topic!

I understand that there are many ways to approach studying for an individual, and what works for one may not work for another. I offer numerous options to my students, ranging from flashcards to notetaking. Some students do extremely well with keying notes in their MS Word file; on the other hand, this can be disastrous for those that have not mastered the skill of touch typing. I accommodate those students with hard copies of the notes that are on the board so that they can key them in at their leisure. I also make an effort to review the previous lesson at the beginning of the next class period. Drilling works very well for some students, yet can completely zone out others. For those that tune out with that method, have the option of composing opening questions for other students as a review tool.

I look forward to the day when we can afford the luxury of completely individualizing assessment and use tools that assess each individual more accurately and thoroughly while, as a result, offering the student a meaningful tool they can use to help improve and enhance their development in the future.