Today, we discussed about different alternatives of testing other than using traditional tests. Some examples of alternative testing include students being assessed on what they do every day, a requirement for students to perform, create, produce, or do something else related to what was taught, a simple journal or even a portfolio can be use as an alternate way of assessing. Teaching in a school that is under the Direct Instruction program really takes away the time I would like to use to assess my students thoroughly in other areas such as telling time, shapes,colors, nursery rhymes, etc. Personally, I wanted to begin a portfolio for my students, but looking at the amount of data and work that is expected of me I threw that idea out the door. Portfolios require a lot of planning and time for both student and teacher to go though the portfolio together and communicate about what assignments he/she would like to choose. On the teachers end, we must figure out what exactly the student is being assessed on using the portoflio.
The last two weeks of the quarter is very hectic for me and my fellow kindergarten colleagues because we need to make time in between our DI schedule to assess our students in areas such as personal information, shapes, colors, numbers, etc. I do however assess the way they color, they way they cut, trace lines through their busy work These are alternate forms of assessing. The chapter explains that alternative testing poses a challenge on teachers and I have to agree. Traditional tests, such as standard based tests are designed to be practical and reliable instruments. They also help minimize time and money. On the other hand, alternative testing requires effort, time, and money to prepare and evaluate what the students are being tested on, provide feedback and one on one conference when using portfolios, etc. In my previous studies, I learned that rubrics are the greatest assessment tool, especially when evaluating language. I understand that rubrics require effort, care, and precision from a teacher. And just like creating a standardized test, rubrics must have clear objectives. Most importantly, a rubric must have a scale to rate the student’s performance.
As a first year teacher, I am still looking for ways to make testing fun for kids where their anxiety level is lowered. One way I assess their motor skills is by taking them outside and do a little PE together.
Quote from: http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers
We use a lot of rubrics at my school. Each department has different rubrics that they use. We also have a language arts rubric for paragraph and essay writing that we are trying to implement school wide. We want to make sure that we are at least on the same page when it comes to how we are teaching our students to write properly.
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