Evidence Based Practices

Progress Monitoring: While student teaching at Whitney Elementary, I progressed monitored students every week using AIMSweb assessments. The specific ones that I used were RCBM, MCAP, and MComp. Students scores were recorded in Data Notebooks and on the RTI wall (see picture). After monitoring growth for eight weeks, students cards are moved to the correct tier based on their scores. If a teacher highly disagreed with the results, students were able to move into or out of a tier. Students who are in tier three receive intervention for 30 minutes, 2 times a week. For example, if a student was in tier three for math and reading, they would receive an intervention for both subjects. Students who are on tier two or three are progressed monitored on a continuous basis. Data Notebooks: At Whitney Elementary, each student has a Data Notebook that moves from grade level to grade level with them. They are a continuous work in progress. There are student friendly recording sheets for them to record their own progress. For example, at a kindergarten level, students color in their progress (see picture). These recording sheets change as student move through the grade levels. Summative Assessment: At the beginning of the school year, students take the Discovery test on the computer. These tests are given to show projections of how students will pass standards. They are given four times a year. The results could be used to make intervention groups or to design guided reading groups. Formative Assessment: I used a variety of formative assessments during my student teaching experience. As I was teaching the students about thinking maps (flow maps, circle maps, double bubble maps) I modeled them using the gradual release method. When introducing a new map, I would model as an I Do as students offered information that needed to go into the map. The next day, I would teach a lesson as We Do. The students would have a graphic organizer with the map we were creating. They would fill in information as we came up with it together on the ELMO. I was constantly listening to their discussion about the maps, evaluating their knowledge. If I felt they were ready, we would move onto You Do in a partner setting. As they did this, I would facilitate learning and evaluate their understanding. When I felt they were ready to create a thinking map on an individual level, we would move onto individual work settings. At times, I had to reteach lessons on thinking maps if the students moved to an individual level and were still unsuccessful. (See picture)