SUMMATIVE
Assessment
Summative assessments are post - assessments, meaning that they are given after content or skills have been taught in order for educators to analyze their teaching methods. These assessments are incredibly beneficial in adjusting instruction, as they allow teachers to identify what students know after they implement lessons, therefore demonstrating what worked and what didn't in said implementation. In my classroom, I utilize summative assessments at the end of each unit as well as at the end of the year in order to identify what my students have learned through my instruction, as well as gaps that still might be evident in understandings of specific concepts or skills. Below, you will see how I implement summative assessments within my classroom to inform my instruction and future planning.
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Completion of Unit: Story Elements
During the story elements unit, students spend two weeks preparing to answer the essential question: how can I apply my understanding of story elements to craft an original narrative? In order to inform my teaching of the unit in week two, I administer one summative assessment at the end of week one in which students must identify the five elements of an unknown story. This informs what, if any, adjustments I need to make to ensure that students meet the standard with success. Hover over each picture to see how I analyze data from student work for the upcoming week.
This student demonstrated understanding of all five elements of a story. He is ready to apply his knowledge by writing his own story that contains each element.
This student was in my small group, so we were able to discuss the story as he populated his graphic organizer. He needs additional supports with understanding what the plot of a story is, which I will pull him for during the next instructional block while other students move on to writing their own narratives.
This student demonstrated understanding of the conflict of the story, but struggled with identifying how it was resolved, as well as explaining the overall plot of the story. I will pull her in a small group in which we practice with a more simplified graphic organizer that is focused on identifying the beginning, middle, and end of a story before I set her on to the next task of writing her own narrative.
Below are two completed narrative writing assignments, with rubrics attached. Students were expected to apply their understanding of story elements to craft their own original stories that apply to an agreed upon theme. These two students demonstrated understanding of this unit by writing stories that contained all five story elements.
Completion of Unit: Why was land important to Native Americans before Westward Expansion?
In this unit, I asked students to make connections between early Native Americans and the land they lived on. Instead of having students write a paper on this topic, I opted to have them practice working on their Speaking and Listening standards by drafting and performing speeches that explained the connections that Native Americans had with their homeland. This was the first performance task that I administered, so it gave me a really good idea about who was ready to get more complex in their speaking prompts, and who needed to practice using sentence structures. As this was in my Baltimore school, which consisted of about 70% English Language Learners, it was imperative for me to gauge where my students were when it comes to verbal communication.
This student received a 9/12 on his presentation rubric. He did not utilize evidence in his speech, nor did he look at his audience while speaking. He was obviously nervous to speak in front of his peers, so when I had students practice with each other during small group, he was tasked with finding at least three people each week to speak with so that he was more comfortable with communicating with people he didn't know. His presentation improved exponentially with practice, as well as his growing grasp of the English language.
This student was able to explain his ideas, but also had issues looking at his audience, as well as standing up straight. His performance showed to me that he needed additional practice in public speaking. Due to this, when I modeled presenting in front of a group the next week, I made sure to have him demonstrate for the class what posture you should have when speaking to a classroom full of people. His presentations vastly improved throughout the year through practice and discussions about meeting expectations.
Analyzing Writing Progress
At the end of each unit, or module, students were given an End of Module Task in which they wrote essays that answered the essential question for that unit. I introduced the rubric to students before they began writing, and analyzed their writing process throughout the year. For each End of Module Writing Task, I identified one area of growth for students that I needed to work on for our next essay, and used one on one conferences throughout the year to discuss progress on those goals, thus engaging students in their own learning.
Narrative Writing
These students, like many of their classmates, struggled with adding detailed actions to their stories. This led me to increase my emphasis on elaborating with action-based details, and hold back on practice with writing dialogue, something that most students demonstrated understanding of.
This was the first writing task in which students were graded on their ability to cite a text when explaining what was happening within it. These students were two who struggled with introducing the quote, and instead placed it as the beginning of their sentences. I noticed that the vast majority of students had this problem, so I retaught in a whole group setting how to introduce a quote. The next essay demonstrated that 70% of students gained a deeper understanding of how to introduce a quote.
Informational Writing
Writing Progress Through Interest Level Prompts
With all of the expectations thrust upon educators to improve not only reading strategies, but also writing strategies of our students, it often feels like there aren't enough hours in the day to practice and improve upon everything. Therefore, I utilize homework as additional writing practice for my students. Throughout the year, I have students answer daily writing prompts on the back of their homework. Many of the prompts are stories that students must creatively finish, or would you rather questions: both avoiding forcing students to practice reading strategies, and instead enjoy writing new, interesting, often fun stories! This ensures that students practice writing fundamentals while not having to focus too much on the content.
This student tested out of ESOL the year before she came to my classroom. Due to that, I knew that she had demonstrated mastery of the English language to the point that she could handle exposure to fifth grade content, but her writing stamina and strategies were lacking at the beginning of the year. Every day when we reviewed homework, I would model how to structure a sentence as well as how to rephrase a question when crafting an answer. Each page on this PDF represents a snapshot of her writing for each quarter (the first PDF is from the first quarter, the second is from the second quarter, and so on).
This student was able to demonstrate comprehension of and ability to utilize writing strategies to answer questions, so he and I worked throughout the year on adding creative, sensory details in making stories really come alive. Each page of this PDF represent each quarter throughout the year.
This student moved to the country from Honduras at the beginning of the year, and started the year off as a Non English Proficient student. She progressed so much throughout the year, not only in her ability to communicate verbally, but also through her written expression. She still needs to work on grammar and English Language fundamentals, but she made so much growth in her writing ability over the course of the year! Each page of the PDF represents her writing progress in quarters one, two, three, and four.
This student came into my classroom above grade level in both reading and writing. She demonstrated advanced understandings of fifth grade writing standards, and I therefore challenged her early in the year to go beyond the expectations and write "as much as [she] can". She went above and beyond expectations, often writing 20-30 sentences per night!
IN
Summation
By providing my students with opportunities to demonstrate understanding at strategic intervals throughout the year, I am ensuring that I am able to adjust and improve upon my own instruction in a timely manner. In conjunction with utilizing diagnostic and formative assessments, my use of summative assessments ensures my organization and accountability in providing the best supports and implementing the best lessons that I can for my students.