One of the PLC’s goals is for schools to monitor each student’s learning on a timely basis and to create additional time and support when students experience difficulty (DuFour et al., 2004). To ensure the impact on students is strong, teachers must ensure that students remain motivated to learn the essential learnings for each subject. The assessments should be given on a unit-by-unit basis with an opportunity for retesting (Newton, 2007). Retesting an assessment may have two outcomes: (1) the teacher and student can get updated information on content development after intervention; and (2) if a grade is recorded, then the student can improve the grade on that skill if the teacher allows it (Newton). Legend has it that Albert Einstein had a plaque on his wall that said, “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” This quote leads to another issue to be discussed: should formative assessments be recorded? Some researchers such as O’Connor (2007) believed that formative assessments should be reported but not recorded. Others believed that formative assessment can support learning as well as measure it (Black & Wiliam, 2003). Assessments that yield formative scores can be recorded. Those scores can be used to track student progress over time, which in turn can be used to generate a summative score at the end of a particular interval of time. Those scores should be reported for each essential learning to create a more complete profile of
homework checks; (13) Mrs. Hodenfield’s one-on-one help was more beneficial than homework checks; (14) they would stay with entrance slips rather than homework checks; and (19) they were more aware of what the essential learnings are for Algebra. All these results answer the question “Would frequent feedback give my Algebra I students a better sense of what they know than past assessments (specifically homework checks) had?” with a resounding yes! Each survey question had a space provided for students to comment. For the purpose of coding the data, all additional student comments were collated on a document by stating the survey question and then listing all the student comments for the question under it. There were 448 comments made by the students on the survey. An extra section was provided for students to give additional comments in general. Thirty-five of the 448 comments came from this section. As students filled out the survey, the amount of comments added became less as the survey went on. The first question had 48 comments and the last question had 17 comments. The document was read multiple and the following themes emerged: (1) the entrance slip’s helpfulness to the student, (2) the researcher’s role in the student’s learning (feedback), (3) the ease and quickness of the entrance slips, (4) entrance slips were a review, (5) negative homework comments, (6) positive homework comments, (7) mention of grades, (8) flashback references, and (9)
References Ayala, C. C., Shavelson, R. J., Ruiz-Primo, M. A., Brandon, P. R., Yin, Y., Furtak, E. M., & Young, D. B. (2008). From formal embedded assessments to reflective lessons: The development of formative assessment studies. Applied Measurement in Education, 21, 315-334. doi: 10.1080/08957340802347787 Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7-75. doi: 10.1080/0969595980050102 Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2003). In praise of educational research: Formative assessment. British Educational Research Journal, 29(5), 623-637. doi: 10.1080/0141192032000133721 J. (2001). Assessment: The gap between practice and theory. Medical Education, 35, 312. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2001.00933.x I. (2008). Assessment is for learning: Formative assessment and positive learning interactions. Florida Journal of Educational Administration & Policy, 2(1), 1-16. Connor-Greene, P. A. (2000). Assessing and promoting student learning: Blurring the line between teaching and learning. Teaching of Psychology, 27(2), doi: 10.1207/S15328023TOP2702_01