Running head: PLANNING, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT OF LEARNERS 1

Planning, Preparation, Instruction, and Assessment of Learners

Amanda Davis

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2017

Assessment of Learners 2

Introduction

While assessing learners is a common practice that is used at the end of lessons, pre-

assessments can also be a valuable tool to help drive the instructional process as well. Pre-

assessments can be useful in identifying incoming knowledge, recognizing misconceptions of

content knowledge, help raise the interest level of students, and help drive and guide lesson

planning for educators. Research confirms that diagnostic assessments are a useful tool for both

students and teachers alike.

In order to demonstrate this competency, I choose a science lesson on the sun, which

includes a pre-assessment and post-assessment of the subject matter. In this, I applied the

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) requirements of science of the first-grade Standard of

Learning, (SOL), in which it states, The student will investigate and understand the basic

relationships between the sun and the Earth. Key concepts include: a)the sun is the source of heat

and light that warms the land, air, and water; and b)night and day are caused by the rotation of

the Earth (VDOE, 2010, p. 1). By using a diagnostic tool, I was able to increase student learning

by identifying the level of current knowledge of students. This aided in meeting individual

needs to help bring students to a deeper understanding of the subject content.

Rational

For the first artifact, a pre-assessment was chosen that closely aligned with the content

contained in the VDOE essential knowledge, and clearly demonstrated student understanding of

such content. According to Edutopia, Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it

determines whether or not the goals of education are being met (Edutopia, 2008, p. 1). In stating

this, it was vital that the diagnostic clearly identified current content knowledge of students;
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thereby driving the instructional process and aiding in the selecting of resources, pacing, and

learning groups in order to successfully meet the VDOE goals for student outcome.

It was vital that engaging, yet effective activities were selected that reflected student

needs. According to Edutopia, Teachers need to take an active role in making decisions about

the purpose of assessment and the content that is being assessed (Edutopia, 2008, p. 2). Therefore,

I carefully thought out the purpose of my assessment, which was to identify student weakness and

strengths in the subject matter, which exemplified student understanding, thereby driving

instruction.

In addition, I carefully examined each student diagnostic assessment and allowed this to

assist my selection process of engaging activities that would allocate student time and energy in

the most productive way. According to Eberly Center, assessing prior knowledge can enable both

the instructor and the student to allocate their time and energies in ways that will be most

productive (Carnegie Mellon University, 2015, p. 2). By examining student data, I was able to

utilize valuable classroom time to focus on student understanding, and to further develop student

knowledge, which lead to student success and mastery of the VDOE SOL 1.6.

The second artifact that I chose was an activity that aided in guiding students to the

proficiency of subject matter. For example, an activity that demonstrated the rotation of the Earth

around the sun was performed within the classroom. This allowed the student to construct a

working model of the process of the Earths rotation. I chose this artifact because data from the

pre-assessment reflected whole-class weakness in the understanding of the Earth rotation and how

rotation effects the Earth. Therefore, activities were selected to help students grasp the rotation of

the Earth in a more visual way. By allowing the data from the pre-assessment to drive instruction,
Assessment of Learners 4

and assist in the selection of learning activities, I made better use of student time and classroom

resources.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Reflecting back on the lesson, I believe the adequate use of the pre-assessment was used

to help drive instruction, develop engaging activities, as well assist students in developing a

deeper understanding of essential knowledge, while providing a mastery of subject content. The

students were engaged throughout the lesson as we went deeper in areas of content strength, and

spent more time in areas of content weakness as to help build proficiency.

In addition, this competency exemplified the importance of applying a pre-assessment to

aid in guiding lessons studies. It revealed student background knowledge and provided the

opportunity to recognize areas of weakness and to help pinpoint the best activities in order to

develop proficiency in the subject matter.

Furthermore, the pre-assessment allowed me to understand that true growth took place in

the class as I compared the pre-assessment to the post-assessment. According to Naiku, Pre-

assessments help measure true learning. By comparing pre-assessments and summative

assessments, we are able to see what our students actually learned from the lessons that we

developed (Wagner, 2015, p. 2). Without the pre-assessment, not only would I not have known

where to begin teaching the lesson, but I would also not have fully realize the amount of learning

that took place within the classroom.

In closing, while assessing learners is a common practice, pre-assessments can be a

valuable tool that helps drive the instructional process as well. Pre-assessments can be useful in

identifying incoming knowledge, recognizing misconceptions of content knowledge, help raise

Assessment of Learners 5

the interest level of students, and help drive and guide lesson planning for educators. Research

confirms that diagnostic assessments are a useful tool for both students and teachers alike.

Data Analysis of Pre-Assessment

Grade: 1st

Student Population: 24 Students

Science Unit: Sun and Earth

Standard of Learning

1.6 The student will investigate and understand the basic relationships between the sun and the

Earth. Key concepts include:

a)the sun is the source of heat and light that warms the land, air, and water

b)night and day are caused by the rotation of the Earth

Essential Knowledge and Skills Does not meet proficiently Proficient

The sun will heat land, air, water 4 20
The Earth rotates around the sun 20 4
The cardinal direction of the sun rise and sun set 23 1

Data Analysis of Pre-Assessment

Essential Knowledge and Skills Does not meet proficiently Proficient

The sun will heat land, air, water 1 23
The Earth rotates around the sun 3 21
The cardinal direction of the sun rise and sun set 5 19
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References

Carnegie Mellon University. (2015). Eberly Center. Retrieved from Teaching Excellence and

Educational Innovation:

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/priorknowledge.html

Edutopia. (2008, July 15). Edutopia. Retrieved from Why is assessment important:

https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-importance

VDOE. (2010). Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved from Standards of Learning

Science: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/science/index.shtml

Wagner, S. (2015). Naiku. Retrieved from Importance of pre-assessment:

http://www.naiku.net/naiku-coach/importance-of-pre-assessment/