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Introduction
As a future educator, my job is to make sure that students are not only learning new skills, but
improving in their execution. Assessment plays a vital role in determining whether or not
students have met the standards set by the state of North Carolina. Teachers must balance
content, task difficulty, subjectivity, and fairness as they create and grade tests. While this
process can be difficult and time-consuming, it is fundamental to providing students with the
5 Belief Statements
I believe that grading is subjective. Marking student responses is a vital part of the
classroom, I want to ensure objectivity, so I will use several different strategies. Clear and
concise rubrics will highlight my expectations for students and provide quick, holistic feedback
on various types of assessments (Andrade, 2000, p. 15). Having these pre-determined outlines
will prevent me from putting comments on a paper that could potentially discourage a student
evaluate my feedback to students. It has been revealed that teachers who have close relationships
with students tend to overestimate the abilities of those students (Kamenetz, 2015). To prevent
favoritism, I will blindly grade papers by covering up the names. This practice might get harder
throughout the school year as I begin to recognize handwriting, but it would encourage me to
have concrete reasoning that logically justifies every number or letter grade I assign.
I believe that feedback is more important than a grade. While teachers are here to
help students pass one course or another, not everything boils down to a single number or letter.
It matters whether the student understood the concept and can perform the skill. Students need
regular, consistent, and accessible feedback that tells them how they are doing. David Carless
from the University of Hong Kong discusses how these positive elements of feedback intersect
with improved student achieving. Students have to get the feedback in a timely manner and it
must be written in a language they understand (Carless, 2006, p. 221). Theres no point in telling
a student that a particular film frame in Bottle Rocket manipulates temporal space if they cant
Formative assessments should have a more intense focus in the classroom, as they inform and
drive instruction to meet the specific learning needs of students. By giving students the chance to
practice working with concepts and material in a low-stakes environment, opportunities for
constructive feedback are more accessible. It seems like a natural response for teachers to be
concerned about student performance on end-of-unit tests, standardized tests like the SAT, and
other benchmarks throughout the year. While it is important that students are prepared for these
various types of exams, educators should not lose sight of the methods used to get students to the
finish line.
I believe that you should begin assessments with the end in mind. For teachers that
are teaching three different classes during the same semester, backwards design is a more
efficient way to lay out a unit plan for students. It allows you to pinpoint exactly what students
need to know. Once all appropriate elements that need to be included in the unit have been
specified on the summative test, creating the rest of the unit lines itself up. Wormeli suggests
giving the test to students at the beginning of the unit to introduce expectations. As students are
moving through the unit, it turns into discovery learning as they find answers to the questions
through discussion and class activities (Wormeli, 2006, p. 21).
Modifying assessments only means meeting a kid where they are to get them to
where they need to be. Before this semester, I thought that modifying an assignment meant
coming up with something entirely new. However, a modification can be as simple as increasing
the space between lines or changing the color of a font. If this is what a student requires to be
successful, educators must work to accommodate those needs. Whenever a student and I attempt
a strategy, we will record the process and reflect on the results, much like an experiment.
Throughout my career, I plan on keeping track of the different strategies I use to promote student
success. A cumulative notebook of methods used over the years will help me ensure that I am
meeting the needs of all students with learning disabilities or other needs.
Sample Syllabus Section
Grading Scale
A=100-90
B=89-80
C=79-70
D=69-60
F=<59
Late work
As outlined in the Cary High School Student Handbook, students may turn in completed work
for a minimum of 50% credit for non-homework assignments up until 5 days after the original
due date (Cary High School Student Handbook 2017-2018, 2017, p. 9). They can turn in these
assignments until 3 days before the end of the grading period. For all homework turned in and
completed, the lowest grade that a student can receive is a 50, unless it is turned in outside the
timeline of 5 days for accepting late work. A student may then receive a zero on an assignment.
Late work does not include work missed due to an excused absence.
Makeup Work
Students missing work due to an excused absence will receive 2 days per day absent to complete
and submit make up work for full credit. It is the students responsibility to check with me
concerning any make up assignments following an absence. If a situation arises where the
student has to miss significant amounts of class time, we will together to create an individualized
action plan to ensure that all learning needs have been met.
Conclusion
paired with feedback. Great teachers reflect on student data and make use of those results to
drive instruction forward (North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, 1998, pg. 7). While
it may be difficult to accept that a lesson plan or activity was unsuccessful, it is better to
recognize what does not work and think critically about what could be done to improve student
achievement. Education professionals must not only assess their students, but themselves.
References
Cary High School Student Handbook 2017-2018 [PDF]. (2017). Cary: Cary High School. 1-35.
Kamenetz, A. (2015) If Your Teacher Likes You, You Might Get A Better Grade.
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/02/22/387481854/ifyour-teacher-likes-you-you-
might-get-a-better-grade?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=education
North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards [PDF] (1998). North Carolina Professional
Teaching Standards.
Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated