EDLD+5364+-+Week+5

This week was the culmination of the course. Creating a reflection of the course on our Google site so that everything can be "presented" to the world is exciting and knowing that people that have never met can work together in a group to create a plan with different lessons that merge together.I believe that the process was a difficult one and we had obstacles to overcome but we worked through everything and completed a product that I am proud of.

The readings this week were discussions of authentic assessments using technology and data is tied to achievement. As a middle school teacher, I believe that we see many students that don't feel like they have to work or perform and they don't care. We have data walls on our campus that students do (without names) to reflect their individual TAKS scores, class TAKS scores, and campus TAKS scores and I am very impressed that the students stop and look at this data and discuss it. We have the campus data wall of TAKS outside the cafeteria so they are looking at them as they wait to go in to eat. I also think that the FINO folders we work with students to complete ties achievement to data. Students know they passed or failed the TAKS but not sure what that means except a possible grade level retention. Our teachers meet with each student individually to discuss the scores and to show them where they did well and where they need improvement. Using this information, students help the teachers to create "IEPs" to encourage additonal support where needed. The students take pride in what they are doing and know that if they work a little harder on an objective that they might pass the next time around. They also work together in groups to support each other. We go back to 4th grade for the writing scores and 5th grade for the science scores. This has been a shock to students but they are also seeing the connection between the data we supply them and the work they must complete to get to the levels they want.