Journal_One_Nicole

// Assessment Journal #1 // On Friday January 6th, 2009 my fourth grade cooperating teacher at Raymond C. LaPerche Elementary School in Smithfield, Rhode Island offered for me to visit a first grade classroom for an hour to assist a teacher with a spelling test. I was excited for this experience since I have spent far more time and focus in the upper grades and middle school classrooms. As I walked in I noticed the class was attentively working on a math assignment the teacher had previously given out. After a few minutes of introducing myself to the teacher and the class and then getting familiar with the classroom itself, the teacher announced that it was now time to put their materials away and get ready for the spelling test. The teacher was especially excited that I was assisting her during this class because she needed me to guide one particular student with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that has struggled on spelling tests in the past. The student had trouble listening to the words, that were only repeated a couple of times, and being able to write them on paper. What I was asked to do was repeat the word to him right beside his desk very closely to his ear, while he was still in his group, so that he was not distracted by any classroom noise. While assisting the student, I still allowed opportunity for me to observe exactly how the spelling test assessment was being implemented. I noticed that in this whole group assessment, all the students stayed in their assigned groups of four. Each student only had a pencil and a yellow sheet of lined paper that the teacher gave out placed upon their desks. They were asked to keep their eyes on their own paper, number their paper 1 through 10 and write the word that the teacher spoke next to the correct number. As the test proceeded, the teacher paced back and forth saying each of the ten words at least three to five times. The words were ‘at’ words such as //hat//, //cat//, //mat//, //pat//, //bat//, and //sat//. As the teacher pronounced them she used exaggerated mouth movements to make sure the students new exactly what word she was speaking. After all the words were announced and each student had finished writing she collected all the papers and told the class it was time for science. What I really liked about how the teacher handled the student with the IEP is that she allowed me to repeat the words to him right beside his desk instead of asking me to pull him aside to a separate area. This way the student was completed included in the class’ testing session. Also, when asking the teacher how she handles the situation with no assistance, she informed me that she will stand right next to the student’s desk and say the words loudly and then repeat them to him a few times. I liked how she had a plan to accommodate for that particular student when no assistance could be provided during particular testing sessions. What I really liked about how the assessment was implemented was how the teacher gave clearly stated instructions that were step by step. In a first grade classroom where attention span can be limited, this was a really good tool to use. What I may have recommended to the teacher was writing the instructions on the white board step by step as well since I did notice a few students still had trouble following the directions. In light of the classroom being young and some students not being able to read, perhaps recognizable one word steps like ‘pencil’, ‘paper’, ‘quiet’, ‘listen’, and ‘look’ could have been used. I also really liked how the teacher used mouth movements to really allow the students to understand exactly which word she was saying. Another recommendation I do have is that perhaps she could have used images to really make sure the students knew what word was being tested. After offering to correct the spelling tests for her and going through them, I noticed there were still some misconceptions from the students about which word was being pronounced. In these cases, students had to be interrupted from their science activity and I spoke carefully to them the correct word that was tested. Overall, I think the oral assessment the teacher facilitated was the best way to assess what the students had to learn. In this case she pronounced each word out loud and the students had to write each word down. I am sure a spelling bee-type test where each student is asked individually and one-at-a-time to spell specific words out loud would have been too time-consuming and perhaps a little intimidating for the students. Also, part of the purpose of a spelling test is so the teacher can monitor any issues with writing letters that some students may have. I also don’t think a proofreading-style test would have been affective due to the words that were being assessed. Find incorrectly spelled words in a sentence and rewriting the correct spelling would have been too simple in the case where there is only one letter before an ‘at’ ending. For this same reason a multiple choice spelling test would have not been as effective and would have lowered the validity of the assessment.