Assessment and Accountability

Topic: How does this teacher manage assessment?

As I have stated, the classroom that I did my field work in was a contained classroom.  Although the students in this class are very smart they struggle with everyday classroom activities.  Due to their behavior in a main stream classroom they have been put into this contained classroom where they can get the kind of one-on-one help they need to succeed.  "Mrs. Kay" has done an excellent job of creating a classroom environment and schedule that keeps her students on task and proficient.  What does all this have to do with assessment?  Because of the situation I have described above you can see where it might be difficult to assess these students.  While I spent a great deal of time in "Mrs. Kay's" classroom I only ever saw her give a weekly spelling test to each student.

The time I did spend in "Mrs. Kay's" class was the last few weeks of school, which you already know is crunch time for standardized testing within the school district and state.  Although "Mrs. Kay" may find it easier to give less tests on her own time and in her own classroom, she has no choice but to give each student the standardize tests required by the state.  However, I thought she managed this very well, she changed up the daily routine of her classroom, which some students had a hard time adjusting to, while individually taking one student a day out of class for most of the morning and sometimes into the afternoon to test with her.  After reading about the No Child Left Behind Act, I can see how valuable these standardized tests are even for special education students. As a parent I can see that in this case you would want to know that your child is getting the very best education they can and if they are not you would have the option to move them to another public school.

Diversity of Students

Topic: What modifications for learners who are exceptional do you see?

In the classroom where I did my field work I found several things that "Mrs. Kay" had done to help her exceptional students achieve academic success.  One of my favorite things she did was have a very tight schedule for the student to follow.  She had a big schedule on the board that could be changed from day-to-day and an individual schedule for each student to carry with them.  One of my other favorite things she did was have the students cycle through centers were they could practice a variety of skills.  One center might be the math table, another center might be computers, and another might be the reading table and so on.  I liked this set up a lot because it gave each student the opportunity to work with auditory, visual, and hands-on learning strategies.

Along with adjustments being made to help exceptional students progress in the classroom there needs to be a set of guidelines and disciplinary actions in place.  "Mrs. Kay" had a great plan in place for such things.  When a student would misbehave they were given a verbal warning, if the student continued this behavior they were given a wasting time card meaning that they had to sit quietly for one minute during recess.  In a case where the wasting time card was not enough the student was then given a wait card meaning that they had to sit quietly for three minutes during recess.  What was so cool about this disciplinary plan is that it was very clear and to the point as well as easy to understand, each student knew the consequences almost better than the teachers.

Along with the disciplinary guidelines there also needs to be a method for praising the student for choosing good behavior.  In "Mrs. Kay's"class she also used great positive reinforcement to show here appreciation for and pride in her students.  An example of this might be when a student was kind to another student such as sharing or saying something nice then they would receive a kind friend card.  Another example would be when a student faces forward, with eyes forward, and quietly listening then they would receive a good listener card.  Finally, when a student would choose to work exceptionally hard and focus at the math table or reading table they would receive a hard worker card.  At the end of the day these good behavior cards would count towards there overall points for the day.  At the end of the week these points were then converted into play money that they could use to make a purchase at the class store.

Although these ideas may seem small to the average learner I have seen them work wonders for the exceptional learner.