Digital Portfolio

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to my second blog post for assessment. I would like to share with you how the Growing Success document impacted my beliefs in assessment.

Purpose of the document is to..

• update, clarify, consolidate and co-ordinate new policy when teaching
• to achieve fairness, transparency, equity and consistency for all. 

I learned from the document that teachers need to be fair, transparent, and equitable for all students by including hose with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nations, Metis, or Inuits.

I learned that as a future teacher, I would need to carefully plan the curriculum expectations while also meeting each students need, interests, learning styles, preferences, needs and experience of all students. It is also important to always provide ongoing descriptive feedback to students, which should be clear, specific, meaningful to support their learning and achievement.  I also learned that it is very important as a future teacher to develop students' self-assessment skills. This is important to enable students to asses their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.

Well folks,
Don't forget to read the Growing Success document and how you can provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their full potential in their learning.

EDBE 8Y01 Digital Portfolio: AER Strategy Form                  Name: May Ghalib
GROWING SUCCESS POLICIES	My Professional Learning Goals 1 goal for each	Strategies For Meeting My Goals 1 strategy for each	Curated Resources minimum of 2 sources for each
POLICY Fundamental Principles	My goal for this policy is to be confident in being able to provide personalized and meaningful feedback to students so that they and their families may clearly understand and received a fair and meaningful evaluation.	My strategy to work towards this goal will be to develop a running record system or book that is easily accessible so that I can digitally or physical record learning skills and work habit records for easy access and evaluation later. I will discuss strategies with my associate teacher to come up with a system that is logical and meaningful for individualization.	Growing Success, Chapter 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rQXis1zUZk www.yrdsb.ca www.edugains.ca Ontario Ministry of Education. (October 2006). Finding common ground: Character development in Ontario schools. K-12. Toronto: author.
POLICY Learning Skills & Work Habits	I want to incorporate the learning goals and work habits as often as possible into lessons I am teaching without it becoming overbearing, tedious or hindering the curriculum learning.	I plan on achieving this goal by setting up a co-created success criteria chart with my students at the beginning of the year and keeping it posted and visible throughout the year. I will refer back to this chart when necessary for lessons and also as a tool to guide the students in their own learning.	Growing Success, Chapter 2  EduGains - Hastings and Prince Edward DSB   OSCA Learning Skills Page  WCDSB Parent Resource for Learning Skills
POLICY Performance Standards: The Achievement Chart	I want to ensure that I developing lesson plans that enable students to succeed and reach a level 4 on the achievement chart. I also want to help students produce work that is evidence of a level four piece of work.	I will achieve these goals by being clear in my instruction, seeking feedback and guidance from colleagues in regards to me lesson plans, sharing success criteria once again with my students, clarify any student questions before assignments are begun, and conference regularly with my students to ensure they are meeting their full potential.	Growing Success Chapter 3   HWDSB Achievement Chart samples  YRDSB Parent Brochure on Achievement Charts   EduGains E-Module
POLICY Assessment FOR Learning & AS Learning	My goal for my teaching practicum will be to implement assessment FOR learning in order to gauge where my students are at their learning. This will help me when planning based on their current understanding.	My strategy for this goal will be to utilize diagnostic assessment at the beginning of different units or strands. Then I will continue to use formative assessment when possible so that I can continue to develop assessment tools and strategies that are most appropriate for my student and promote the most learning. I will continue to self-assess to evaluate if my methods are having a positive impact on my students.	Growing Success Chapter 4 UK School Resource on Assessment for Learning   McGraw-Hill Textbook on Assessment for Learning   Unleashing the Promise of Assessment for Learning
POLICY Evaluation	My goal for evaluation will be to minimize as much bias and preconceptions as possible for my evaluation.	I need to become confortable with acknowledging prior biases and have discussions with my associate teacher regarding prior biases and be open about current biases we may consciously or unconsciously be portraying during evaluation.	Growing Success Chapter 5  Reporting for Student Learning Article   University of Georgia TA Handbook  Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning from Atlantic Canada
POLICY Reporting Student Achievement	Since I don’t have much experience in reporting student achievement, I will make assumptions that, in the future, I want to produce meaningful report cards with feedback that is encouraging for the student and parent. My goal is to provide a clear direction for students and parents to where a student can go next to improve.	I will achieve this goal by maintaining a detailed digital notebook or daybook with insightful comments about my students achievement or room for growth.	Growing Success Chapter 6 EduGains Reporting for Student Learning   Reporting Student Progress: Policy and Practice from BC    Pan-Canadian Assessment Pro
POLICY Students With Special Education Needs	My goal is to gain more knowledge and experience on differentiated instruction for children with special needs into the assessment portion of those with special education needs. I will maximize student participation in all activities and lessons, and provide an inclusive classroom.	I will achieved this goal by differentiating my learning so all students can be included, by using universal design when creating my lesson plans and by promoting culture of inclusivity by using diverse examples and language.	Growing Success Chapter 7  Learning for All  OFT Teaching Strategies for Students with Special needs   Teacher Vision: Teaching Students with Special Needs
POLICY English Language Learners	I was once an ELL student, and I know I can closely relate to ELL students. I want to support my ELL students through their incorporation into my classroom and school environment by modifying lessons and activities that best suits their comfort. Most of the students in my classroom are either ESL or speak more than one language. My goal is to learn how to effectively implement ELL considerations into my assessment method and strategies.	I will achieve this goal by getting a better understanding of the school and classroom culture. I will also ask my associate teacher to get better understanding of any accommodation that are provided and are made in terms of developing assessment with ELL students. My other resource will be to assigned ELL teacher for our classroom, as have done when I was once an ELL student.	Growing Success Chapter 8   Supporting English Language Learners  A practical guide for Ontario educators      Learn Alberta ELL Resources    English Language Learners: A Guide for Classroom Teachers

Assessment #1

Hey folks,

In my following page, I will provide to you a summary of the resources I have collected in class regarding assessment and what I have learned based on my experience from the past and my experience today.  In the Growing Success document, we used a jigsaw method and were divided into 6 groups where we covered the chapters from 1-6 in the document. Well, first off, I learned that we are constantly always assessing students no matter what, and thinking back to my days, I would never imagine that when a teacher did not hold a clipboard and checking off boxes when evaluating me, was actually still evaluating whether with a clipboard or without.  The document also provided personal reflection on which given ways to help me improve on my own personal practice while also learning to implement them into my classroom.

Learning Skills and Work Habits (Chapter 2)

Growing Success lists six learning skills and work habits that are an integral part of a student's learning (page 11). They are as follows:

•    Responsibility

•    Organization

•    Independent Work

•    Collaboration

•    Initiative 

•    Self-Regulation

My professional learning goal is to incorporate the learning goals and work habits as often as possible into lessons.  I plan on achieving this goal by setting up a success criteria chart at the beginning of the year. I will keep this success chart posted and visible throughout the year and would refer back to this chart when necessary for lessons and also as a tool to guide the students in their own learning. This will be a criteria that students need to meet especially when students are assessing and evaluating themselves. 

Performance Standards: The Achievement Chart (Chapter 3)

The Ministry of Education provides achievement charts as a way of standardizing the assessment of the curriculum expectations. The Growing Success documents offers teachers several examples of what a ministry-approved achievement chart looks like on page 20.

4 Types of Knowledge (page 17):

•    Knowledge / Understanding: subject-specific content acquired in each grade/course (knowledge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)

•    Thinking: the use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes

•    Communication: the conveying of meaning through various forms

•    Application: the use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts 

Levels of Achievement:

•    Level 1:achievement that falls much below the provincial standard. The student demonstrates the specified knowledge and skills with limited effectiveness. Students must work at significantly improving learning in specific areas, as necessary, if they are to be successful in the next grade/course.

•    Level 2: achievement that approaches the provincial standard. The student demonstrates the specified knowledge and skills with some effectiveness. Students performing at this level need to work on identified learning gaps to ensure future success.

•    Level 3: the provincial standard for achievement. The student demonstrates the specified knowledge and skills with considerable effectiveness. Parents of students achieving at level 3 can be confident that their children will be prepared for work in subsequent grades/courses.

•    Level 4: achievement that surpasses the provincial standard. The student demonstrates the specified knowledge and skills with a high degree of effectiveness. However, achievement at a level 4 does not mean the student has achieved expectations beyond those specified for the grade/course.

My professional learning goal will be to ensure that I develop lesson plans that allow students to succeed and reach a level 4 on the achievement chart.  To do so, I would have to set clear instruction and clarify with any students questions before an assignment. I will also provide constant feedback and guidance from my colleagues in regards to my lesson plans, while also sharing success criteria once again with the students.  

Assessment for Learning, and Assessment as Learning (Chapter 4)

In chapter 4, it is stated "assessment is the process of gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject or course" (page 28). According to the Growth Success document, there are two types of assessments as follows:

•    Assessment for learning: teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement.

•    Assessment as learning: teachers help students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning.

 My professional learning goals will be to incorporate as much assessment for and as learning as possible into my daily routine by using a day planner or journal to jot down notes throughout the day on students work/behaviors.  I will also provide students with a journal book or an "interactive notebook" where the students reflect weekly on what they have learned and how they think they are doing in the class.

Evaluation (Chapter 5)

Evaluation is "the process of judging the quality of student learning on the basis of established performance standards and assigning a value to represent that quality" (page 38). The evidence of achievement is collected from three different sources: observations, conversations, and student products.  Grades 1-6 student's will be reported using letters, while grades  7-12 will use a percentage mark.

My professional learning goal for evaluating is to NOT be bias when evaluating students and always mark them fairly not matter what their situation is. I will do this by keeping a detailed record book of student marks. 

Reporting Student Achievement (Chapter 6)

Student achievement is recorded in a series of report cards which reflects a student's general progress through the curriculum as well as their development of learning skills and work habits. The elementary progress report card indicates a student's progress towards achievement of the curriculum. while the elementary provincial report card indicates a student's development of the learning skills and work. This is issued twice in the school year. 

The report cards have many different codes representing different items reflective of student learning. Some additional resources useful when considering report cards and reporting student achievement are the EduGains document Reporting Student Learning which outlines guidelines for effective parent-teacher communication. There is also Reporting Student Progress: Policy and Practice which is a British Columbia provincial document. While most of us are familiar with our school board's policies, it is always interesting and beneficial to do some research into other school board's policies to help enhance our own board's policies. Finally, the Pan Canadian Assessment Program assesses students in their math to help students reach their full potential by taking their findings back to the government to see if there is a need to change the current curriculum. 

My professional learning goal is to provide student's with meaningful feedback that can encourage and motivate them to work harder in a subject that they might have found to be challenging. In order to provide student's with a personal and meaningful report card, I will  have to achieve a detailed, notebook with comments about student's achievements or room for growth. 

Students with Special Needs (Chapter 7)

"Every school board in Ontario must have procedures in place to identify the level of development, learning abilities, and needs of every child who is enrolled in the school, and to ensure that educational programs are designed to accommodate those needs and to facilitate the child's growth and development" (page 70). This quote, taken directly out of the Growing Success document, outlines Ontario's policy for inclusion of student's with special needs.

Many students with special needs are placed on IEPs, or Individual Education Plans. They specify whether a student requires accommodations only, modified learning expectations, with the possibility of accommodations, or an alternative program, not derived from the curriculum expectations for a subject/grade or a course.

Students will be evaluated based on their expectations as listed in their IEPs, not the curriculum requirements for the grade level they are currently enrolled in. 

There are many documents containing more information on assisting students with special needs. Learning for All is a document that outlines many different support systems for students, especially the exceptional learners. The Ontario Teacher's Federation offers resources for Teaching Strategies for Students With Special Needs. Teacher Vision offers a similar article discussing ways in which teachers can best teacher their student with special needs. 

English Language Learners (Chapter 8)

On the student report cards, there is a specific ESL/ELD box that should be checked off to indicate that these students are receiving modified curriculum expectations. The box, however, should not be checked to indicate that these students are participating in ESL or ELD courses or programs or that accommodations have been provided to enable the student to demonstrate his or her learning (page 76). 

There are three different types of accommodations that can be made for ELL students. Accommodations to:

•    instructional strategies (i.e. extensive use of visual clues)

•    learning resources (i.e. use of dual-language materials)

•    assessment strategies (i.e. allowance of extra time)

Modifications vary and are reflective of each students circumstance based on how extensive their knowledge of English is and the amount of schooling the student has received. 

There are many helpful resources online for ELL/ESL/ELD students. The first is a government document called Supporting English Language Learners. This artifact deals with supporting ELL students best. Another artifact I found particularly helpful was the Learn Alberta website. While this is an out of province source, the work examples and ideas for modifying curriculum can be applied just as easily in an Ontario school setting. Another interesting document I have located is the ELL Guide for Classroom Teachers from the British Columbia provincial government. Once again, this is an out of province document, but it has many ideas and strategies for the classroom teachers planning. This document will be useful when developing lesson plans that can include ELL students.

Well everyone,

Hope you learned a lot from my blog post.

Stay tuned for my digital portfolio blog post !