Culminating Project: Using Evaluated Assessments for a Teaching Unit
Select a teaching unit designed for your classroom. You may also conduct an Internet search for an
appropriate teaching unit created for another classroom.
Design assessment tools that measure the unit�s learning outcomes.
Include the following in your Culminating Project:
� Identify the content standards, specific benchmarks, and checkpoints on which you will focus. You may
use national content standards or state standards.
� List clear objectives, results, or learning outcomes on which you will focus your instruction and
assessments, making sure that they are aligned to the national or state content standards targeted for
your classroom�s grade level. State ( Florida)
� Design a preassessment for the unit, based on the student�s needs identified from baseline data for
your classroom. ( make up the data)
� Develop multiple assessments for the unit. The assessments must include all of the following:
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Identify the content standards, specific benchmarks, and checkpoints on which you will
focus. You may use national content standards or state standards.
The content is aligned to meet the expectation identified from the data. The teacher
ensures that it is compatible with Florida Standards suitable for the 4 th grade level and content
area for which it is established. It targets a continuing model or proficiency or a subset of
information and skills. Learners should demonstrate their skills; high and low achievers. Present
access and prospects for all learners, in addition to students that are impaired in some way
(Barton, 2012).
List clear objectives, results, or learning outcomes on which you will focus your instruction
and assessments, making sure that they are aligned to the national or state content
standards targeted for your classroom’s grade level. State (Florida).
During the 2015/16 academic years, my 5 th grade English learners will enhance their
competence to develop arguments that underpin assertions and apply textual evidence to
underpin claims and refute counterarguments. All 5 th graders will improve when it comes to the
collective score, based on the district argumentation rubric. More than 75 percent of my learners
will attain at the proficiency echelon (level 3) on the 4-point rubric (Kifer, 2011).
Design a pre-assessment for the unit, based on the student’s needs identified from baseline
data for your classroom (make up the data)
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Focus 1 2 3 4
Controlling Idea 0% 15% 80% 5%
Composition
Writing 15% 80% 5% 0%
Development
20% 70% 10% 0%
Organization
0% 20% 800% 0%
Use of
Vocabulary 20% 15% 60% 5%
Heteronyms 10% 20% 70% 0%
As of the first week, the teacher evaluates formative review from the instructional
pedigree as well as the final product to determine that learners, in entirety, had difficulties with
vocabularies in developing compositions that are coherent (Whiting et al. 2013). The teacher will
identify if learners had a problem with the use of heteronyms (the use of words with similar
spelling but different meanings). The teacher reviews of all the challenges students face, and
make changes for the academic year 2015/16 where all students are expected to achieve
measurable progress in the use of vocabularies and heteronyms. All learners will move at least
one level and seventy five percent of learners will attain at the 3 or higher level in writing
composition.
Develop multiple assessments for the unit. The assessments must include all of the
following:
Standardized Assessments
Standardized assessments can be in form of;
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The teacher develops an achievement assessment during week two to assess the level of
understanding learners have acquired in accordance with learning objectives. For
instance, intelligence scales will be used in assessing IQ.
Scholastic: The teacher uses Aptitude assessment to evaluate collective ability of learning
as well as predicting performance. For instance, SAT will used to evaluate vocabulary
skills.
Self-assessments
The teacher uses questionnaires at week two to assess students’ performance with the
objective of enhancing skills. The results determine whether or not teaching methods should be
altered. The teacher can use quantitative research whereby learners become participants (Kifer,
2011). The educator will then collect feedback via questionnaire to determine the effectiveness
of the teaching model. Survey is critical because it obtains a detailed performance assessment
based on how teaching is conducted. The views help the teacher in changing their teaching
approaches (Barton, 2012).
Formative assessments
Quizzes: The educator adopts the quiz approach to determine the students’ comprehension skills
such as verbs and syntax
Exit slips: The educator uses small papers to impute or respond to questions from the student
before moving to the next class (Kifer, 2011). For the teacher to have a grasp of whether or not
students have a strict understanding of various concepts, the responses will form the basis.
Demonstrate how different assessments may be used for various purposes to meet the goals
of formative, summative, standardized, or self-assessments.
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At week three, the educator evaluates students by way of a rating scale, questionnaires,
observations and tests. This approach is aimed at ensuring objectives of formative, summative,
standardized, or self-assessments in various ways are realized including;
In planning for the unit, the educator might make content errors then fails to correct
learners’ errors
In displaying extensive understanding of relevant concepts and the manner in which they
are related to other subjects
In demonstrating comprehensive understanding of a wide range of pedagogical
techniques relevant to learners learning ability
When demonstrating understanding of concepts and their relationships
When reflecting awareness with a range of effective pedagogical methods
Explain the purpose of utilizing assessment evaluation in a teaching unit.
The teacher will adopt assessment evaluation in teaching the English unit owing to its
effectiveness in ranking learners (Guskey, 2011). Based on results the assessment will help the
educator to enhance quality of their class and align assessments with learning objectives.
Describe how you would approach a summative assessment for the teaching unit that
shows attention to formative assessments. Provide an example of a formative and a
summative assessment.
For the teacher to enhance quality and improve student ability, they need to implement
embedded formative assessment at week five This will ensure questions, learning goals,
feedback, group work are aligned to ensure a proficient classroom environment. The assessment
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will also provide necessary data to help in highlighting the intricacy of changing teachers’
practice. The assessment will also advance the sharing of teaching skills.
Quick Formative Assessment: The educator will evaluate the level of learning using quick
formative assessment to determine whether or not learners have comprehended what was taught
(Guskey, 2010). To ensure students have understood these activities will be carried by the
teacher;
Outcome sentence: the educator uses this technique to get various responses from the
student.
Headlines: The educator asks students to write down captions that were taught in class.
Pair share: The educator groups students in two for purposes of sharing knowledge.
Think-Write-Share: The educator gives students more time to re-organize their ideas.
Quick Write or draw: The educator gives students a topic to write about and timing them
to understand how far they can reach.
SOS: The teacher involves learners writing quick statements or views in accordance
with declaration and eventually a support them.
Grade self: The teacher allows learners to provide themselves with in-progress rating and
substantiate the basis of getting such grades.
Summative Assessments
Summative assessment comprises of;
Exams; the teacher uses exams in quantifying what learners know and what they do not
understand. Moreover, exams are used in evaluating learning and acts as a standard for
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comparing issues like class aggregates and scores that tend to demonstrate curriculum
quality (Wiggins, 2009).
Graded projects: The teacher uses this technique occasionally; nevertheless they lack an
instant impact on the quality curriculum. For example, English example on verbs at the
end of the semester helps the teacher under the degree of students’ understanding.
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References
Barton, P. E. (2012). Staying on course in education reform. Princeton, NJ: Statistics & Research
Division, Policy Information Center, Educational Testing Service.
Guskey, T. R. (2010). Twenty questions? Twenty tools for better teaching. Principal Leadership,
1(3), 5–7.
Guskey, T. R. (2011). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Kifer, E. (2011). Large-scale assessment: Dimensions, dilemmas, and policies. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press.
Whiting, B., Van Burgh, J. W., & Render, G. F. (2013). Mastery learning in the classroom.
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research
Association, San Francisco.
Wiggins, G. (2009). Educative assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
