Project-Based Instruction Instrument for Student Observation 3 Assessment Observer: Class Date: 02/14/2012 Class Times: 11:55 2:40

0 Class Location: Buchholz High School Course Title: Math for College Readiness

Research indicates that good assessment practices are integral to informing teaching and learning, as well as measuring and documenting student achievement. In a climate of high-stakes testing and accountability, teachers must find the most effective way to balance time and resources while determining if their students are learning the content in a meaningful way. During this observation you will be looking for examples of assessment and personally determine if you feel they are providing adequate information about current and future student achievement. As part of your third observation, you must: Observe the use of any type of assessment in the class during your observation time, Determine whether it is a formative or summative assessment(s) and if it aligns well with the benchmark(s) that are being taught, Suggest a type of formative assessment that would be appropriate for this classroom for this period of instruction, and List any types of alternative assessment formats that you might have observed. 1. List and describe any use of assessment that you observe being used during the class period by type. Include individual and group assessments. Questioning formative Board examples formative Individual activity summative 2. Identify the assessments as formative or summative and indicate whether they were aligned with the benchmark the class was receiving instruction on. Questioning formative questions used were aligned with the specific benchmark of the day. It is important to align questions with standards/benchmarks because students will eventually be tested on the benchmarks. Teachers must guide the students appropriately. Board examples formative examples provided on board for students to answer were directly related to the benchmark of the lesson. For instance, the daily objectives for students were to identify and develop parallel and perpendicular lines. The examples had students create equations of either parallel or perpendicular lines. The material was built upon from earlier lessons in the week.

Project-Based Instruction Individual activity summative the individual activity, which is counted as a homework grade, asked students to develop their own sets of parallel and perpendicular lines. This activity aligned well with the benchmark. When students are asked to create or develop their own problems they must have a solid understanding of the material to successfully accomplish the task. 3. After observing this class for two consecutive periods and so as to inform the instructor as to the level of understanding of the students in the class, what suggestion(s) would you make on the use and type of formative assessment? The teacher did a good job of formatively assessing students but there is always room for improvement. When questions are asked in the class setting some students may be too apprehensive or shy to answer. This can be a problem since usually only a select amount of students typically volunteer. The teacher can select students him/herself but if a student is uncomfortable participating at the whole class level you may not truly assess the particular students understanding. The use of exit tickets allows the teacher to get a good feel of all students understandings. If a majority of students get a particular problem incorrect or state what they do not understand clearly the teacher can revisit at the beginning of class the next day. 4. List and describe any alternative assessment formats you observed by type. I did not observe any other assessment formats during this class period. 5. Discuss how formative and summative assessments could be used in a PBI unit. Include the impact assessment has on monitoring student progress towards project completion. Formative and summative assessments could be used in a variety of ways for a PBI unit. Formative assessments are a wonderful way to grasp students understanding during the unit. Summative assessment would be useful to use at the end to see how much students have learned. It is crucial to assess student progress and understanding throughout the project duration. Towards the project completion, however, assessment (in my opinion) does not hold as much impact than it does in the beginning. If projects are about to be completed, assessment would be used to see what students know and what they took from the project. Assessments at the beginning of the project would help reveal student misconceptions, which teachers must adjust before students can fully learn and understand the material in the project. It is hard to change students misconceptions if they had them throughout the whole project. Teachers must use assessment techniques throughout the duration of a PBI unit.