Module 4: PowerPoint Responses

Assessment: Formative and Summative PowerPoint

The PowerPoint states that formative and summative assessments are interconnected. I’ve always assumed the two were similar, but not actually related. One of my favorite things stated in the PowerPoint was that formative assessment has the greatest impact on learning and achievement. I love using formative assessments in my classroom. It provides me with a clear understanding of where my students are and what they comprehend from my lessons. Formative assessments allow me to able to modify my lesson plans to meet the needs of my students through their feedback and responses. Another thing the PowerPoint mentioned was that formative assessment is assessment for learning and summative assessment is assessment of learning. This cleared up the confusion I have had of the two through those two phrases. The summative implications for classroom were also helpful. It mentioned having the students participate in self-assessments and sharing learning goals, which I would love to implement in the classroom.

Assessment: Identifying Reading Disabilities

Throughout my student teaching experience my CT and I had many students that had reading disabilities.  Although we were in a third grade classroom of 19 students, 13 of the students were well below grade level.  Of those 13 students, 6 were on RTI.  In our school we used a four-tier pyramid as apposed to the three tiers provided in the PowerPoint, with the fourth tier being special education services.  The PowerPoint mentioned, “Performing poorly on English reading test not indicator of reading disability-Need to be tested in reading in their native language.” I had many ELL students in my class and I always wondered if that contributed to their reading issues. I wish I would have provided them with texts in their native language to determine if that was the issue. Before the previous literacy course I always believed in the part-to-whole approach, however, now after EDRD 7715 and this course I fully believe in the whole-to-part approach as mentioned in the PowerPoint, especially in phonics and comprehension.