School of Education and Human Services

Office of School and Field Services

381 Pawley Hall
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4494
248-370-3083

Final Assessment of Student Teacher

Student Name_____Alicia Pemberton___________Program____Student Teaching____

Building__Weston Elementary___District____Imlay City Schools___State___Michigan_

____Fall__/__2016_____ Assignment___Second Grade all subjects_________

Term Year Grade level/subject(s)

Cooperating University
Teacher_______Trina Byerley____________Supervisor_____Gary Cornish__________

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

Weston Elementary is one of 4 schools in the Imlay City School District and contains
grades K-2, including preschool. Weston Elementary is located in Imlay City, Michigan.
Located at the intersection of I-69 and M-53, Imlay City lays in between Flint and Port
Huron and within a 30 minute drive to the suburbs of Metro-Detroit. Currently at Weston,
we have 537 students enrolled. There are 108 preschool students, 24 begindergarten
students, 128 kindergarten students, 142 first grade students, and 135 second grade
students. Of these 537, 2 are American Indian or Alaskan, 6 Asian Americans, 13 Black
or African American, 395 white, 114 Hispanic or Latino, and 5 unclassified. Our staff
consists of 4 general education preschool teachers, 1 early childhood developmentally
delayed preschool teacher, 1 Begindergarten teacher, 6 kindergarten teachers, 5 first grade
teachers, 5 second grade teachers, 1 special education teacher, 1 speech pathologist, 1
ESL aide, 4 special education aides, 2 K-2 general aides, and library, kitchen, and
playground staff as well. In the Imlay City Community School district, we have a large
population of students that migrate with their families. These students start the school
year with us and then in early autumn, leave our district. They typically return to our
district in early spring. This presents a unique challenge because these students may or
may not attend other schools when they are gone from our district. When they return in
the spring, we have to work with them diligently to get them back on track. Often, these
students are not on grade-level due to the frequency of their time away from school.
Weston Elementary has a Hispanic population of roughly 18% and a migrant population,
which is entirely Hispanic, of 9%. Students at Weston Elementary are 63% free/reduced.
We also face socio-economic challenges as well. Imlay City is part of a county that has
high percentages of unemployment.

COOPERATING TEACHERS ASSESSMENT

Student Name____Alicia Pemberton _____

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Alicia Pemberton has been a wonderful addition to the staff at Weston Elementary but
especially to the second grade classroom in room 208. Alicia is a positive person who
greets each child every morning with a smile. She has worked hard to establish a caring,
nurturing classroom where all students are encouraged to learn and do their best. She
communicates with parents, staff and students in a caring, professional way. Alicia has
participated in all professional development opportunities in our district. She participates
in a book club with other staff members that is focused on better guided reading
practices. Alicia also has attended all grade level meeting and actively participated in our
discussions. Because of her own struggles as a students, I believe this motivates her to
establish a caring, supportive, and positive atmosphere in the classroom. Her
relationships with her students is a top priority.

CLASSROOM CLIMATE AND MANAGEMENT

Alicia was always well prepared for lessons and activities. This consistent preparation
provided little to no loss of instruction time and seamless transitions. Alicia worked with
students with challenging behavior and worked out behavior plans to help these students.
Alicia consistently followed the classroom behavior chart. She did a wonderful job
complimenting students who were on task and those students she saw being kind and
respectful to others. When regards to classroom management skills, Alicia is constantly
adding to her bag of tricks. She reflects on her day and makes adjustments so the next
day is better. Due to the positive environment Alicia created, students were always
willing to take risks and ask questions.

INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

Planning lessons for all subjects, five days a week can be an intimidating task for the
most seasoned of teachers. Alicia took the job of lesson planning very seriously. She
would look over materials several days or weeks in advance. She was often for planned
two weeks of instruction. Alicia did not hesitate to ask questions if she was unsure of a
topic or lesson. Alicia quickly familiarized herself with the Wonders Reading program
and used this to guide her instruction. In phonics, she developed fun activities that
engaged the students in understanding the phonics skills and their word lists. In math,
Alicia used the EnVision series to guide her math instruction. If there was a learning
target that students struggled with, Alicia would seek additional resources to supplement
her teaching. Alicia has shown that she has the ability to plan and implement lessons and
activities that are curriculum-based, well-structured, and meaningful to students.

2
Student Name____Alicia Pemberton _____

INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING AND INCORPORATION OF TECHNOLOGY TO

ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING

Alicia used our classroom computer to project pictures, short videos, and web-based
activities on our projector screen to enhance her lessons. Alicia also used the Doceri
program/app with the iPad to work along with the students. This also enabled her to use
the desktop and the projector but not be tied to the desktop and the mouse. She also
utilized the classroom document camera as well. The ipads were used as an alternative
way for students to practice skills.

EVALUATION

Alicia was constantly formatively assessing students. She often used a simple thumbs up
or thumbs down to quickly gage student knowledge. She would group and pull students
that were showing lack of understanding in that particular area. While checking
homework and other daily work, Alicia made notes of students who were showing a lack
of understanding on a topic. She then used these notes to work with those who needed an
extra bit of practice. Alicia quickly learned how to record grades in Powerschool and to
track when assignments were missing. Alicia administered weekly online assessment to
assess reading. She used our rubrics developed by the school improvement team to
assess writing and to evaluate student work. In math, Alicia administered topic tests and a
benchmark assessment. Based on the results of these summative assessments, she
retaught students who were still below grade level in any area.

COMMAND OF SUBJECT MATTER

Alicia has a strong command of the subject matter in second grade. Her enjoyment of
teaching writing was always visible in her lessons. Students responded to her enthusiasm
for writing and this shows in their writing. Alicia showed her knowledge of math,
reading, social studies and science, by planning lessons for these areas. Alicia also
planned a social studies unit on the subject of map skills. Her enjoyment of teaching was
always present in every lesson.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

Alicia Pemberton has excellent work ethic. She has arrived early to class to mentally and
physically prepare herself for the days work. Alicia is hard working and very organized.
She is prepared for the week on Monday and often planning for the next week. She has
taken the time to form connection with each of the students. She has very good instincts
for noticing different qualities within students. She has a heart for students and strives to
create an environment where all students feel positive about themselves and encourages
them to do their best. She has developed good relationships with the other second grade

3
Student Name____Alicia Pemberton _____

teachers at Weston. Alicia is a positive and caring person and she has shown these
qualities time and time again in the classroom. The students and I will miss her
tremendously.

PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES

It has truly been a pleasure to mentor Alicia Pemberton. Her passion for teaching has
been like a breath of fresh air. I have seen her go from an unsure, yet capable student
visiting a classroom in her last field placement to a confident, secure, positive teacher
during her student teaching. Alicia has been open to any and all critics, taking them as
opportunities to improve her and her skills. Student teachers can be taught how to write a
lesson plan, to form reading groups, etc. but they cannot be taught to have a teachers
heart or the teacher gene. Alicia has both naturally. She plans lessons based on state
objectives but most often she uses an approach or theme that she knows will interest her
students. She understands that if a student has had a difficult morning at home, this will
spill over into the classroom and their learning. She seeks this student out first thing and
tries to turn their day around so their day can be a positive, productive one. She has made
it her goal to form relationships with all her students and strives to understand them and
how they learn and/or behave. Alicia has taken all that she has learned at Oakland
University and has applied that knowledge in a real classroom experience. She has been
very professional and positive in all her interactions with students, parents, and staff.

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY SUPERVISORS ASSESSMENT

4
Student Name____Alicia Pemberton _____

Alicia Pemberton recently completed her student teaching while she was a student at
Oakland University. This was done while working with the second grade children at
Weston Elementary School in Imlay City, Michigan. Throughout her student teaching
Alicia showed the ability and willingness to collaborate with her cooperating teacher,
fellow colleagues at the school and with her Oakland University supervisor.

Alicia Pemberton is passionate about teaching. She has demonstrated all of the skills that
qualify her to work with children at every level in an elementary school. Her confident,
caring and humble demeanor quickly helped her to connect with the children in her
classroom. She is gentle, soft spoken and respectful in her interactions with students.

Alicia's ability to diagnose when a child was confused and to intervene appropriately
gained her the respect of the students and admiration of her cooperating teacher.
Throughout her student teaching, Alicia honed her instructional skills in a manner not
often seen in such a young educator. Respect for students, commitment to thorough
planning, attention to the details of classroom management and a creative ability to
engage the learners are all reasons for her early success with lessons. Alicia has that
awareness in the classroom that helps her to pace her instruction to meet the needs of her
students.

Alicia Pemberton quietly and confidently impressed all that interacted with her at Weston
Elementary School. Her ability to view a lesson by her supervising teacher and then
apply this learning to her own teaching is a tribute to her intelligence. One of the many
reasons for her success was her classroom management style. Her ability to connect with
her students yet still succinctly redirect distracted students was exceptional. Children
knew that she cared about them, but also understood their boundaries.

In planning units, Alicia would assess students' prior knowledge to determine what they
knew and what she needed to teach. She would then plan her instruction drawing from a
variety of resources. Alicia was always mindful of the different learning styles of her
students. Once lessons were planned, she would "walk herself" through the lessons to
ensure that she had enough time to teach the lessons. Alicia would try to anticipate "road
blocks" that might interfere with the learning of her students. Finally, she always made
the lessons "hers" so that teaching was meaningful and more natural.

Alicia's attitude, her frame of reference, her sparkle and heart are what really separate her
from her peers. She listens! She listens to kids as they seek to understand a new concept,
as they struggle with a playground situation or as they tell a story about home. She
listens to understand, not to judge. Alicia seeks to find that win/win solution to all
situations. Throughout her student teaching Alicia has not only immersed herself in the
instruction of second graders, but in what it takes to be a quality teacher. She has been
involved in professional development, in leadership committees, in connecting with the
parent within the school and in opportunities to reach out to the needs of the community.

Alicia Pemberton is ready for the next phase of her journey. As with any new teacher,
she will benefit from a mentor, a grade level team for collaboration and a supportive

5
Student Name____Alicia Pemberton _____

administration. She will be a teacher that others try to emulate. She will be a leader but
will always be grounded in her own classroom community. She draws her energy, her
creativity and her love for the profession from her students.

Certification Recommendations:

__x_Recommended for certification _x__Recommended for certification

___Not recommended for certification ___Not recommended for certification

_____________________________/___/___ _____________________________/___/___
University Supervisors Signature Date Cooperating Teachers Signature
Date

The above assessment and certification recommendations have been shared with me.

_____________________________ /___/___ ___Mark here if additional comments by the

Student Teachers Signature Date student teacher are attached.

Please provide 4 copies of the assessment and distribute to the Cooperating Teacher, Student Teacher,
University Supervisor, Office of School and Field Services