Cameryn Olesh

SCIENCE ASSESSMENT RESULTS

ELA ASSESSMENT RESULTS

Cameryn Olesh

MATH ASSESSMENT RESULTS

SS RESULTS

GOOD SERVICE CREATE OWN

Cameryn Olesh

“What were the formative assessment results each day in each of the content lessons that you
taught? DESIGN electronic TABLE GRAPHS to identify the results for each content. How
would you use the results the next day in your planning and why: Be very specific and
correlate your reasoning with sound research/readings from what you know about young
children and learning. It is expected that you have 3 citations. Did you expect these results?
Why or Why not?”

Science
Reflecting on my science lesson, the assessment results showed that students grasped
the primary objective of manipulating objects in straight, zigzag, and circular movement
patterns. As indicated in the graph, 34.8% of students correctly identified all three of the
outcomes, 47.8% of students identified two outcomes, and 17.4% only identified one of three
outcomes. All of the students found that a circular maze would trap a leprechaun, but it was
surprising to see how many students circled that a zigzag maze would also successfully trap
it. In planning my lesson, these were not the results I expected, as I thought students would
recognize the starting and ending points as exits for the leprechaun in the straight and zigzag
mazes. However, in listening to students work together and explain their reasoning, they
came up with reasonable and creative explanations for why they would use a zigzag maze. A
notable example that a group gave was that it takes longer for the leprechaun to get through a
zigzag maze than a straight maze. So, when the leprechaun was running through the maze,
they would close the entrance and exit with additional playdough. This type of
outside-the-box thinking was not something I expected in planning this lesson. I thought that
it would be simple for students to see– but they were so creative! In analyzing these results to
plan for future lessons, I would go over each type of movement maze with the students. In
doing so, I would reinforce the importance of starting and ending points. Looking back, my
students did show a high level of understanding of how objects move. When considering this
factor, I could assess that most, if not all, of my students met the standard objective.
English Language Arts (ELA)
The results of this assessment were quite interesting to analyze, as it showed the
students’ ability to self-assess their understanding. Based on my own observations, the
Cameryn Olesh

results were quite accurate. As the graph shows, most of the students were able to identify
the characters, setting, and the main events of the story (green bars). However, there seemed
to be a slight difference in their ability to recall the main events in the story. Since there were
only two characters and a clear setting of the text, many students identified this aspect with
ease. On the other hand, there were far more events in the story and some students left out
chunks of information in their retell of the story. When discussing the events, it seemed to
click with these students and the class worked together to create an anchor chart. This was an
extremely useful tool for students to use throughout the lesson and accompanying
assessments. Anchor charts can be used as a reinforcement of key ideas and details from a
text. Completing an anchor chart after an interactive read-aloud provides an opportunity for
discussion and provides an ongoing level of support, acting as a reference for students. The
whole anchor chart needs to be created for the use of students beyond the original lesson
(Simmet, 2016, p. 10-13). In my ongoing planning of the next lesson, the anchor chart
created in this lesson can be used as a reinforcement tool. For many students in my class, the
use of an anchor chart is necessary to reinforce the ideas from the text and for them to work
on their skills of identifying the characters, settings, and main events in this text. Based on
my pre-assessment data and knowledge of students’ abilities, the results of this assessment
were expected. The students were highly engaged in the interactive read-aloud and were able
to translate their listening skills to the anchor chart and self-assessment.
Math
The results of the formative assessment, as reflected in the ‘Coin Craze’ scoring
guide, 21 out of 22 students were able to successfully identify a penny by name and 18 out
22 were able to identify it by value. Likewise, 19 out of 22 students named the dime, but
only 17 correctly identified the value (the other 5 students said five cents). When it came
time to combine coin values, from their coin ‘banks’, only 14 students successfully added the
values together. However, this aspect of assessment was not outlined in the standard, so this
was written in the note portion of the scoring guide. The results of this assessment were as
expected, based on the students’ level of background knowledge and experience with
identifying coins. In planning for a future lesson, I would use the results of this assessment
by allowing students to practice with comparing nickels and dimes. When looking at pennies,
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this is, generally, the easiest coin to identify by name and value, based on its small size and
differing copper color. However, the fact that nickels are bigger in size, but lesser in value
than dimes is a difficult concept for students to grasp. Allowing students to handle and
manipulate real coins can help them get used to the feel of each coin and enhance their ability
to identify these coins. According to Lange, manipulative use helps students gain a better
understanding of math concepts and aid in keeping students engaged in their learning and the
content at hand (2021, p. 7). Thus, having students use manipulatives to compare coins in
future lessons would greatly benefit their learning experience and better prepare them for
future interactions with coins.
Social Studies
The results of the Social Studies formative assessment were outstanding, in terms of
identifying a good and a service. All of the students in the class were able to successfully
distinguish between a good and a service, when prompted. However, when given the task of
creating their own good and service, five students needed moderate assistance and 2 students
needed heavy prompting and assistance. This may have been due to the fact that students
were using an assessment tool they were unfamiliar with, an online forum. In the future, I
would introduce the platform to students prior to the lesson and allow them to practice using
it. Overall, the students’ results were expected, as this was a review lesson and the students
were able to correctly identify goods and services, both from a read-aloud text and from a
decodable text. In future planning and continuation of this lesson, I would connect the
standard objective to the students’ own lives. Smuty & Von Fremd state that, when designing
a social studies lesson, it is important to make meaningful connections to their everyday lives
and use learned content inside and outside of the classroom (2010, p. 144). Making these
connections to home in future lessons will help students make sense of the concept of goods
and services by integrating these ideas into the world around them.
Cameryn Olesh

“When reflecting on the feedback you provided for the 2 students and the whole class (students
you taught), do you feel this effectively provided them with insight into their learning about the
content? Why? How did you or will you help students use this feedback? You will want to
discuss the concrete ways you will use to remind them of the feedback and the teaching
strategies you will incorporate to have them use the feedback in a follow-up lesson. Describe
what you learned about teaching and learning related to assessment and feedback? Please be
specific and use some concrete professional citations in your answer. What would you have done
differently during this lesson week? Why? Be specific!”

In terms of the feedback provided for my 2 specific students, I feel as though it

effectively portrayed expectations and met the needs of these students. Through working
individually with these students often, I have come to understand the quantity and quality of
feedback that works well for each students. Student #1 often struggles with reading and
writing, but is able to comprehend when ideas are read to her. Providing her with verbal
feedback throughout lessons ensured that she understood and was able to use the feedback
that was given. The exception to this feedback was that it was written in math, which is the
student’s strong suit. She does well with notes and underlining numbers when adding and
subtracting, especially when she was combining her coins. Student #2 needs a combination
of verbal and written feedback across the content areas. He struggles with attentiveness, but
it does not appear to affect his academic performance. Simple reminders and positive
reinforcement are the most effective forms of feedback for the student. I have also found that
chunking material into sections and setting clear goals helped the student successfully
complete his classwork. For the whole class, the feedback that was given served useful for
the students. In post-lesson activities, I often refer to anchor charts created and connect to the
content we learned/reviewed in the lessons. With my feedback, I have seen the students
working together within their table groups often and using the skills learned in discussions
and classroom conversation. For future lessons, giving students verbal feedback often, such
as skill reminders, reinforces the objective of the lessons and helps students scaffold their
knowledge with prior learning.
Cameryn Olesh

Looking back on lesson week, it was a highly beneficial learning experience for me,
as a teacher candidate. The act of planning, designing, and implementing assessments into
my lessons reinforced the importance of using formative assessments creatively and
effectively in the classroom. Specifically, I learned that assessment is a broad term and can
provide the teacher with extremely useful data used to check for student understanding and
plan for future instruction. Throughout course readings and assignments, I have developed a
deeper understanding of formative and summative assessments. Combining this knowledge
with classroom experience has prepared me for future assessment planning. Going hand in
hand with assessment is the feedback that accompanies it. Before lesson week, I thought
feedback was a far simpler term. Reflecting on the natural and intentional feedback I gave
students during my lessons, I have learned that feedback is a highly useful tool. This is best
correlated to the observations that are done by my mentor teacher and supervisor. Research
has shown that when observation and feedback are used together, results show an improved
implementation of a teacher strategy in subsequent observations (Krummerl Reinking, 2015,
p. 4). As teachers, we are constantly learning, growing, and improving our teaching
strategies. Therefore, effective feedback is a necessary tool to grow. It only makes sense that
we should provide the same quality feedback to our students, to help them grow into lifelong
learners. Without feedback, the continuation of learning is eliminated. Lesson week taught
me the true vitality of effective assessment and meaningful feedback in extending student
knowledge and understanding of content.
Being that lesson week was an incredibly useful learning experience, there are many
things that I would change. As I was teaching Science and Math, I could feel that I
overplanned and that some of the activities I had planned took away from the main learning
objectives. In unison with this idea, for my assessments, I would simplify the ideal outcomes
to better meet the needs of my students and align with the standards. Specifically, for math, I
would remove the portion of the scoring guide that required students to combine the value of
coins. Though the students have experience in using addition strategies, this was not being
assessed within the requirements of the standard. Throughout all my lessons, I would have
also been more clear in my expectations for student outcomes. Though I clearly stated the
Cameryn Olesh

learning objective at the beginning of the lesson, I wish I would have reinforced this idea
throughout the lesson frequently.

References
Simmet, C. (2016). How anchor charts can engage students in interactive read-alouds. School
of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations, p. 10-13.
Lange, J. (2021). The importance of using manipulatives in math class. Northwestern
College, p. 7, retrieved from The Importance of Using Manipulatives in Math Class
(nwciowa.edu)
Smutny, J. F. & Fremd, S. E. (2010). Differentiating for the young child: Teaching strategies
across the content areas, preK-3, 2nd ed. Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data, p. 144
Krummel Reinking, A. (March 2015). Increasing accountability measures for early childhood
teachers using evaluation models: Observation, feedback, and self-assessment.
Current Issues in Education, Vol. 18, No. 1, p. 4-5.