LiterateLife

Since my last post described a discussion on assessment in The Learning Network listserv about the Teaching/Learning Cycle, it’s logical to follow up with today’s post on the required training I attended today focused on assessment. An initiative in Texas this year is that all students who failed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test in reading as 6th graders last year will be assessed for fluency at the beginning of the year  using an assessment instrument developed by the Texas Education Agency and The University of Texas.

We have been encouraged, though, to use this instrument to assess ALL of our students on an ongoing basis, which is excellent educational practice, and a new paradigm for many secondary teachers.

The assessment, for reporting and following the progress of students, mostly focuses on reading rate and accuracy. However, it is easily (and we are encouraged by TEA to do so)expanded in its usefulness to us as teachers by coding student miscues (well, they were called ERRORS in my training). There is also a comprehension component that consists of asking the student to recall what the text was mostly about. This component is rated holistically with a 0,1,2 or 3.

We were given a table which “diagnoses” student instructional needs based on the numerical result of the 3 sample fluency probe and the associated holistic comprehension rating.  Based on results, we will choose instruction that targets decoding, fluency, or comprehension.

This kind of assessment is very new to secondary teachers. Since I taught in 3rd grade for many years, I had a lot of training in assessing student reading behaviors with running records and miscue analysis. I think that if used correctly, middle school reading/language arts teachers will find they can really inform their teaching.

I do have my reservations about the rigidity of the system, but I think it’s a move in the right direction for secondary language arts education in Texas. It’s also pretty prescriptive, but as a scaffold for teachers new to the idea of basing instruction on assessment, it’s a good start!

The Learning Network Listserv has just had a great conversation about The Teaching/Learning Cycle (TLC) (this is a transcript of the discussion at www.rcowen.com). This is the very first concept teachers need to know about when they begin teaching. I have been to the TLN Institute twice and it changed my whole way of teaching.

ASSESSMENT

 Any act of teaching begins with the assessment of a student’s ability to use a skill or knowledge of a concept. I was taught in college in the late Eighties, early Nineties, that assessment was the LAST step in the cycle. The teacher teaches the curriculum, then assesses understanding. Responsive (and economical!) teaching BEGINS with assessment, though.

I will focus my blog when the school year starts on how I am applying the TLC in my work as in-class ESL support for science teachers in my school.

Two weeks ago my AVID site team attended the AVID conference in Dallas, TX (just a hop, skip and jump from home in Arlington). I attended the Science Write Path I strand, instead of the English Language Learners strand (which I attended last year, since I am an English as a Second Language teacher), because this year my job description changes a bit. I will be going into the Science classrooms to support ELL students in class rather than pulling them out. THis is a great opportunity for me. I am not sure how this will work logistically though.

I don’t want to be a glorified homework helper, only assisting the students to complete their Science worksheets. On the other hand, is it fair to take up these students’ homework completion time to instead  give them intensive instruction on their science curriculum?

Or am I more a resource for the teacher in how to present the curriculum more effectively for ELLs? I know that my principal wants ne to help these teacher use more AVID methodologies in their classrooms. Less book-worksheet and more “let’s be scientists” and explore our world, sharing our learning through writing and speaking about it.

This will be an interesting endeavor that I will, of course, share here on my blog!

How cool are the science interactive notebooks, an AVID method that blends right brain and left brain to help kids really learn science concepts!

The right side of the notebook is always “input”: notes, information, etc. The left side is student “output” utilizing 4 colors, poetry, art, creative thinking and representing of science concepts.

I have been really upset about the recent actions of kids centered on MySpace and YouTube. Of course, the cheerleaders that beat up their peer were horrible and I hope they are prosecuted as adults for their actions. What makes me even more angry is watching the mom of the attacked girl. She made no reference to the fact that her daughter had any fault in the situation because of posts she made on MySpace that led up to the attack. The attack was wrong; no question, no matter what the girl wrote it was wrong. BUT to cry and act like her daughter was an INNOCENT victim and had no role in what happened galls me. When are parents going to teach their kids how to get along in this world, and take responsibilty for the consequences of their actions?

When does a parent sit down with a kid and say you messed up, too, what you did was wrong too (even if she LEGALLY had the right to post whatever she wants, MORALLY she was wrong.) Why aren’t parents teaching their kids how to be good citizens?