Chris Frost - Teacher Evaluation - M6U4A3

My school conducts annual teacher evaluations, and my first-ever took place in April 2017.  I was contacted via email by our school secretary asking me for a convenient time to meet with the principal for my "pre-evaluation celebration."  Anything to make it sound better, right?  During this meeting, my principal was interested in knowing how I was feeling in the classroom, about my TEACH-NOW studies, etc.  Unlike the chemistry teacher in the Teaching Channel video, I was not required to submit and discuss a lesson plan during my pre-evaluation.  The pre-evaluation was more of a heart-to-heart discussion.  I had taken over for a teacher mid-year and started my own schooling soon after.  My life changed drastically in a short period of time, and my students also experienced the loss of a teacher and gaining of a new one.  She provided me with a self-assessment to complete and return prior to my observation.  It contained questions about classroom management, relationships with parents, students and staff, professionalism, planning for instruction, instructional strategies, etc.  The self-assessment was a rubric that required rating myself as highly effective, effective, developing, or ineffective, which I found extremely difficult.  I read and re-read each question.  I didn't want to give myself too much credit since I'd just recently started school and felt like I was "developing" in many ways.  I tried to be as honest as possible.

I was able to choose the day and time of my evaluation, which I appreciated.  I was required to have a copy of my lesson ready and waiting for the principal when she arrived.  She slipped in very quietly and, while I hoped her presence would cause my students to be on their best behavior, they seemed to forget she was there within minutes.  Ha!  I taught a mathematics lesson, which the students really enjoyed, but also caused a great deal of excitement.  Their excitement caused me grief because they seemed more talkative and louder than usual.  

My post-evaluation conference was scheduled exactly one week after my observation.  Before anything else was said, the principal asked me how I felt it went.  Then, she went on to discuss areas of strength and provided helpful suggestions for things that seemed to trouble me.  The assessment form she used to evaluate me was the same one I used to do my self-assessment.  Her ratings lined up nicely to mine, but I would argue that she was more complementary than I was of myself.  

In looking more closely at my evaluation, I do not see where state test scores, for example, are included.  This differs from, say, the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), which does place emphasis on test performance.  However, what I really like about the TVAAS is that student growth over time is what is measured.  Based on how students have performed in previous years, predictions are made about expected performance in the current year.  This provides a more reliable predictor of performance.  Teachers are not assessed per student, but are assessed on how the class on average is progressing as a whole as compared to others in the state.  When state test results are made available at my school, there is a lot of talk about each teacher's passage rate.  There is very little talk about the makeup of each class or student growth, which I think the TVAAS does a great job of taking into consideration.  TVAAS takes into consideration the starting line for each student, and that each student starts in a different place.  

When I think about what should be included in an evaluation, classroom management definitely comes to mind.  To even have a chance of being an effective teacher, you must have control of your class.  My four years of subbing really helped drive this home.  Relationships with students and staff should be evaluated as they are an integral part of one's success as a teacher.  To be successful in teaching and collaborating, you must build positive relationships with your students and colleagues.  Also included should be a teacher's ability to plan and carry out lessons using meaningful instructional strategies.  And, by including an assessment piece similar to TVAAS, a teacher's ability or inability to carry a class forward will be included.  This will show whether or not a teacher is effective in moving students in the right direction based on standards and objectives.  I also feel that evaluations should include a recommended professional development section.  To be honest, I'm not even sure what professional development opportunities are available to me.  Setting some professional development goals would be a worthwhile part of the evaluation process.  

Chris Frost - Pre-Assessment for Differentiation - M6U2A3

My pre-assessment and differentiation strategies are based on the following 3rd grade math standard:

3.M.OA.A.01

Model the process of multiplication using repeated addition, arrays, a number line, and groups of.  

I chose this standard as it is one of the first I will be teaching in the 2017-18 school year.  Because I started teaching full-time in December 2016, the first half of next school year will be foreign to me.  There is a huge emphasis on learning multiplication in 3rd grade, so I want to be as prepared as possible.  

At the end of last school year, my school purchased 60 Chromebooks for use in classrooms.  While I didn't have a chance to utilize them last year, I have every intention of putting them to use in 2017-18.  My pre-assessment was made using Kahoot!, and it is conceivable that my students could use the Chromebooks for the purpose of taking the pre-assessment.  Depending on availability, each student may be able to have his or her own Chromebook or, if resources are limited, students could work in pairs sharing one Chromebook.  The pre-assessment contains ten questions, which was intentional because it's easier for me to grade 😀.  The first three questions are related to multiplication terminology and symbols that students were exposed to at the end of 2nd grade.  This will help me assess whether or not students are familiar with key concepts.  The next four questions take things up a notch by asking students to choose the repeated addition and array answers that match the pictures shown.  I created these questions after looking at the final summative assessment 2nd graders at my school should have taken.  Responses to these questions will help me gauge if they did learn these concepts.  Depending on how far a particular 2nd grade class progressed, it is possible they may not have covered this in great length.  Other 2nd grade classes may have reached or surpassed these concepts.  The results of the final three questions will be very interesting to analyze.  Those having a solid understanding of multiplication terminology, repeated addition, and arrays, may have little difficulty solving multiplication problems using groups of and a number line.  Those with a weak understanding may have more difficulty.  The pre-assessment will give me a very good idea of where students stand.  The results are not meant to penalize or pigeonhole anyone but, rather, help me plan lessons to best suit the needs of all of my students.  To view my pre-assessment, please click on this link.  Kahoot! Pre-Assessment

Once pre-assessment results have been analyzed, students will be grouped according to their abilities for activities.  Students with a low level of understanding will spend time reviewing important multiplication terminology, symbols, and the different strategies of multiplication. Using Chromebooks, students will watch a Khan Academy video that introduces multiplication and provides practice problems. The practice problems will serve as a formative assessment.  Problems for these students will contain smaller factors and, as time progresses, factors will become greater.  Math manipulatives will be utilized in the building of multiplication models.  Finally, students will be given pre-lessons to prepare them for the following day.  They will be asked to share what they've learned to help teach others, and to build trust and confidence.  

Using Chromebooks, students with an intermediate level of understanding will watch a series of Khan Academy videos to reinforce what they already know, plus provide a refresher of concepts they may have forgotten.  Practice problems will be completed by students, which will serve as a formative assessment.  I envision students in this group, which will most likely be the largest group, working with a partner.  As students gain understanding, they will move on to more challenging activities, like the "Problem of the Week," which is explained in more detail in my mind map (click to open).  Students will also create their own multiplication word problems that group members will solve using the various models of multiplication.  

Students with a high level of understanding will begin work on the "Problem of the Week," which is explained in more detail in the above mind map.  Students will create their own multiplication word problems and equations that will be shared and solved by the rest of the class.  These students will be given an opportunity to help struggling students via peer tutoring.  Lastly, when ready, they will be introduced to division and its relationship to multiplicaton via Khan Academy videos and practice problems.