Megan_journal+1

Assessment Journal #1 In my practicum placement I observe in a first grade classroom. One of the first and main assessment types I was able to see during my first few visits were anecdotal records. An anecdotal record is a written record kept in a positive tone of a child’s progress based on milestones particular to that child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. In the classroom the teacher was doing an anecdotal record of her student’s literacy skills and progress. The teacher has an individual sheet for each of her students and marks their reading behaviors in various areas. During reading, the teacher will sit down one-on-one with a few students daily and have the student read her a book, so she can assess them. This is an ongoing assessment that is done throughout the year. The different areas being assessed can change over time, as well as the higher level reading materials to be assessed, as they move on in their reading progression.

I feel that anecdotal records are very important to have and keep track of the student’s reading behaviors. First grade students are at a critical time in their reading development, and reading and writing is a huge part of their school days. The students spend their entire morning working on reading and writing every day, so knowing what level each student is at reading wise, is very important in helping them progress. Along with keeping anecdotal records, it is also important to reflect and analyze the records. I am not sure how my teacher assess’ the records, but I know that she is aware of who needs help in what areas, and she is always working on a specific task with certain students who struggle with areas involved in reading. For example, I once worked with a student on helping them with the skill of grasping information as you read and not simply reading without knowing what you are reading. This can be done by asking questions throughout the story so you know that they are learning to retain information. I feel that this assessment is common among teachers and their readers, and that this assessment is a positive one being done accurately. As long as teachers are using their data as a reference to help the student with their weakness’ and understand their strengths, anecdotal records is an effective way to assess reading behaviors.

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