Dorlisa Wells

Reflective Essay
MEDT 7476
Fall 2017

“Assessing Assessments”
Introduction
In this class, I gained understanding on why the assessments that we used have a need to

be assessed. As educators, we are moving more from the traditional “cookie cutter” methods to

more individualized testing methods to better fit the needs of our students. I am currently a

special education teacher for resource language arts. The majority of my students have different

assessment needs such as individualized assessments, small group assessments, read aloud

assessments, or assessments with extended time. Based on these various needs of my students,

this class has helped me make better analyze assessments to ensure that my students are able to

demonstrate their learning. Most importantly, I was introduced to assessments that are beneficial

to my students. Assessments are important because they are the determining factor in how much

money our government invests in educations. Assessments are not just for student use because

they are the driving force for instruction (Gillies, 2014).

Review of Learning

In this class, the assigned artifact’s requirement was to develop and implement an

assessment plan that could be used for another certified instructor. To meet this requirement, I

discussed some challenges that we were having at my school when it came to assessments. The

major challenge that we have is a large percentage of students with below grade level reading

skills. We decided to use an online program called “PowToon”. Instead of doing a written
assessment, students were able to create their own cartoon to demonstrate their comprehension of

a story using animated pictures. Not only did the students have less complications with

demonstrating comprehension, they were engaged in the assignment because of their opportunity

to show their creativity. This assessment worked well with my students. However, I know that I

can not use this type of assessment the majority of the time because writing needs to be

incorporated to prepare students for standardized testing. The one component that I would

change would be to require more writing in addition to creating the animated cartoon. Diane

Heacox developed a formula for educators to consider when determining which assessment to

use. She stated that the learning experience is the sum of the content, process, and product.

Special education teachers must decide how to deliver the content, the delivery process, and the

product that students will do to show mastery (Smutney, 2003).

Implications

This class has persuaded me to change my focus when in comes to assessing students in

my professional practice. In this course, we discussed assessing in the 21st Century. Assessing in

the 21st Century requires the use of technology. My school uses an online learning platform

which allows students to complete assessments online which are similar to paper tests. My goal

is to incorporate more diverse methods such as blogs, discussion posts, and other non-traditional

methods such as the animated cartoon that was used in my implementation project. I documented

some of the assessments that my classmates discussed in our discussion posts that I felt would

help my students academically. It is also my goal to do continuous professional development so

that I remain confident in assessing with technology. Research has shown that teachers who are

not confident in their ability to teach using technology use it less which affects the students and

21st century learning (Saine, 2013).

 Conclusion

In conclusion, in order to meet our students where they are as far as learning, assessing

with technology is increasing in priority in the field of education. Using technology is not only

an educational requirement, it is also needed to prepare students for the real life workforce.

There is a need for continued learning because of continued changes in the tech world. This

course has taught me that there is always something new to learn and there always will be. Never

be afraid of change or trying something new with our students. We can never prepare them too

much for what is ahead of them.

References

Gillies, R. M. (2014). The role of assessment in informing interventions for students with
special education needs. International Journal Of Disability, Development &
Education, 61(1), 1-5.
Saine, P. (2013). Implementation and assessment of technology-based common core state
standards for english language arts: An exploratory study. New England Reading Association
Journal, 49(1), 100-103
Smutny, J. F. (2003). Differentiated instruction. Phi Delta Kappa Fastbacks, (506), 7-47.