Running head: PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

Planning, Preparation, Instruction, and Assessment

Megan Johnson

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2015

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Introduction

Each and every person deserves to be met right where they are. From a teaching

standpoint, this belief, in light of students, can be intimidating. There is a constant battle

between equality and individualized instruction for teachers as they create structure for

their students. However, there are simple classroom practices that can bridge these polar

ways of thinking into one. One very beneficial strategy is assessing students before and

after a unit of teaching. This competency covers the planning, preparation, instruction

and assessment involved in this system. Specifically, this competency focuses on the use

of this structure while teaching a math equality unit.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact for this competency is a table of quantitative results for the post

and pre-assessments for the equality math unit. This table has each student, by number,

with their understanding before and after teaching. The students are either given an N,

novice; DP, developing proficient; P, proficient; or AP, advanced proficient. Each student

was given a pre-assessment. This assessment was given in the curriculum and the

numbers were altered to make it a pre-assessment. After the students took the pre-

assessment, they were graded and the students’ understanding was recorded in the table.

If the students showed that they understood everything on the pre-assessment, including

the advanced proficient question, they would have been checked AP. If the students

understood most of the pre-assessment, they were checked P. If the students were missing

a major part of the objective, they were checked DP. If the students did not know any of

the material, they were checked as an N. This table not only kept track of each student’s

performance, but also was a helpful tool to create individualized instructional input and
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teachings for each student. Based on the table, the students were placed into their

prospective groups based on what they needed to succeed. These groups are listed under

the table. I chose this table as an artifact for this competency because it displays the

process of analyzing each student’s current knowledge and is a clear representation of the

growth that each student had within the objective.

After the students were placed in groups, based on their knowledge or skill, the

teacher wrote a small-group lesson for each group. The second artifact for this

competency is the differentiated lesson plans for these groups. This lesson plan consists

of four small groups. If the students were checked as an AP for the pre-assessment they

would have been tested out. For this objective, there were not any students who could go

over and beyond before the small-group teaching. If the students were checked as P for

the pre-assessment, there was a minor mistake or skill that needed to be improved. If the

students were checked as DP or N pre-assessment, the students needed to be taught a

majority of the information. Because the pre-assessment was the assessment with minor

number alterations, I took the problems form the pre-assessment and split them up, with

new numbers, for teaching and review. Each student received the section and teaching

that they needed to hopefully achieve an AP. I chose this lesson as an artifact because it

highlights the differentiation and scaffolding needed for the class to succeed between

their pre-assessment and post-assessment.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Learning at Regent is rooted in the divine relationship humans have with an

undeniable God. Within the education classes especially, this root system made it self

known. As a prospective teacher, I was always taught to love like my God loves and
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teach through that vein. At first, I did not fully understand how my relationship with God

could be used in the classroom, without being fully spoken of. However, I learned

quickly it is in our actions and not our words that this can be done.

The priority for a teacher is in the success of their students, but more importantly

in the love that their students feel. Without this love, students will not succeed. It is only

“when students, are encouraged and supported by their teachers and peers to reach high

levels of performance, they can respond favorable in school” (Boykin, 2014, p. 514).

Teaching will run void without true and careful support. The process of pre-assessing

students, teaching them where they are at, and then assessing their new knowledge is a

pure example of simple support and love.

Not only does this easy process help every student fully succeed, but it also helps

teachers become better at their own skills. While, pre and post-assessing is just one

system to benefit the classroom, it is “valuable to teachers because it allows for real-time

progress monitoring” within every objective (NDTAC, p.3). This reality is refreshing and

incredibly valuable because teachers have the opportunity to improve themselves in order

to improve their students. With every assessment, teachers have the opportunity to shift

perspectives, pivot, and create a new game plan in order to fully love and nurture the

knowledge of their students.

Fortunately, the structure of assessing before and after an objective is helpful for

both the students and the teacher, but it is also a structure that is easy to implement.

When the students see the routine, they begin to enjoy the consistency of support and are

excited to share what they already know. However, there are still students who do not

succeed in this process and end up with developing proficient assessment scores. It is in
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these scenarios, that teachers have the opportunity to love harder and give a second

chance. Differentiation should not end at the post-assessment, but carry on through

success and failure. As teachers, “we can provide personalized, individual feedback to

[each] student, which includes providing suggestions for improvement” even after the

post-assessment (Johnson, 2009). When a student is still struggling after the objective has

been taught and tested, there is opportunity for the teacher to show the student that they

are willing to meet them again where they are. While a teacher could just give a student

the DP and move on, it is important that instead we are choosing to support and love

through strategies that uplift and encourage.

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References

A. Wade Boykin. (2014). Human Diversity, Assessment in Education and the

Achievement of Excellence and Equity. The Journal of Negro Education, 83(4),

499-521. doi:10.7709/jnegroeducation.83.4.0499

Johnson, B. (2009). Differentiated Instruction Allows Students to Succeed. Retrieved

from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-student-success

N. (n.d.). A Brief Guide to Selecting and Using Pre-Post Asessments[PDF]. National

Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and

Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, and At-Risk.