Assessment+2A

To view the Self Assessment of Practice, [|reflection.docx]. In August of this school year, I completed a self-reflection using this framework. At that time, I created two goals for academic year 2008-2009. First, I wanted my students to operate more independently, especially in the pre-Calculus class. My main concern for this independence was the amount of awareness and clarity in assessments. I have made efforts towards this goal. The frequencies of self-assessment and collaboration have increased. Peer-led discussion and instruction has been more varied. Nonetheless, I have concerns about the levels of investigation and communication. My second goal was to improve the quality and consistency of communication with both colleagues and parents. Though there remains much room for improvement, this personal professional behavior is much improved. After completing this second reflection of the current academic year, I believe that the need //to improve assessments in my classroom remains most poignant.// Specifically, my students need to be able to //communicate// their knowledge and skills more clearly, and students need to be asked to //investigate// more authentic-type tasks. There is a call by developers of curriculum to create both types of outcomes inside any curriculum. The College Board (through its advanced placement program) and the International Baccalaureate program have both endorsed creativity and communication as necessary components of quality math assessments. This has been difficult for me to replicate in my own class. I have discovered that it has called for huge process changes, especially regarding student energy. Students must discuss their own learning more acutely. Students must discuss their outcomes. Students must draw independent conclusions and relate those conclusions clearly. I continue to improve the assessments in other areas (frequency, self-correction, clarity); there remains a need for my students must develop a more acute sense of the previously related skills. I have the pleasure of teaching our most advanced math class, Advanced Placement Calculus “BC.” This class has clearly stated goals and outcomes that guide everyday instruction and assessment. This has facilitated the creation of coherent curriculum. The class is exam-based, and the skills and knowledge necessary for this exam mandate the students develop communicational and investigational skills. The College Board, importantly for me, has created a //vertical-teaming guide to complement their advanced-placement calculus and statistics curriculums.// This guide has created two streams of activity for my professional development. First and most importantly, this guide has forced me to reflect on the pre-Calculus class that dominates my schedule. I have adopted outcomes based on feedback from this guide. I have restructured instruction to mirror more frequently the type of conversational skills needed in the advanced placement class. Second, I have become very motivated to create our own math vertical team within the elementary, middle, and high school. The vertical-teaming guide calls for all levels to facilitate and streamline towards both statistical and calculus-related knowledge and skills at all levels. I recently completed a workshop for my district colleagues regarding vertical teaming, and they were very receptive. This is very encouraging and points me towards a new professional development goal. As always, the Danielson framework has provided new and insightful clarifications to intuitions I already had about priorities in my development as a math teacher. I truly admire the soundness, validity, and variability of the framework.