Monday, October 15, 2012

10 questions and answers from CNMI teacher



1.      As a teacher in training, what do I need to know about assessment?

As a teacher in training, I have learned that assessments give us a snapshot of what students have achieved, and what they need to achieve over a period of time. Very much like the SAT 10’s and the SBA’s, assessments give us a view of what benchmarks need to be strengthened in our students; by individual students, or across the whole school.


2.      What are several ways you assess your students?

What I always remembered was DFS: Diagnostic, Formative and Summative assessments.

3.      What is the purpose of assessing students?

With Diagnostic assessments, teachers are able to see what the students know, where their learning levels are, and what needs to be taught. With formative assessments, I could clearly see if there is any improvement or who needs a little more help with a lesson, or use this assessment to see if I need to re-teach the whole lesson (of which, I’ll be glad to do). Summative assessments tell me what my students have learned. This may come after a lesson, after a quarter, or after the whole year.


4.      What do you do with the results of your assessment?

Assessment results may be shared with parents, teachers, school content department members, or administrators.

5.      What are your most effective assessments and why?

All assessments are effective but I believe that formative assessments would be most effective in the course of a lesson. They may be quizzes, they may be projects that students could do in order to show just how much they’ve learned and how they can put their new knowledge to work.


6.      How do we assess without stressing out?

There is nothing I can do if I stress too much but I’m always trying to mind control and this is the most effective for me to not stress out too much.

7.      What is your biggest challenge when it comes to evaluating students?

   My biggest challenge is when I have to balance assessment because I should know what are student’s strengthens are and weakness.


8.      What is the difference between Common Core and CNMI standards and Benchmarks?

Basically, Common core is aligned with every aspect of subject area. The stark difference between CNMI standards and Benchmarks and the common core emphasizes somewhat different cognitive skills; devoting less time to memorization and performing procedures and more to demonstrating understanding and analyze written material.


9.      What is the purpose of assessing students?

The most obvious purpose for assessing students is to determine their individual needs. While teaching a specific subject, it can be difficult to determine which students are grasping the material and which are falling behind. Regular assessments allow you to see which students may need a bit more individual help and which need to be challenged more.

Assessments are also a way for the teacher to get feedback on how well he is doing as an instructor. If a few students in the class are failing to comprehend certain subjects, they may need extra help. If the entire class is consistently showing poor results, however, the teacher may need to change his approach to delivering the material. In this way, regular assessments are also tests to show how well the teacher is doing.

10.  Why is assessment important?

Assessment is important because of all the decisions you will make about children when teaching and caring for them.  All of your assessment decisions taken as a whole will direct and alter children’s learning outcomes.