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A. Philosophy of Assessment
My name is Sarah Kosik and I am currently a senior at the University of Akron studying
Early Childhood Education. My career will focus on young students who are developing in the
following areas: language, motor, cognitive, and social. As a future educator, it is my
responsibility to establish a foundation of knowledge to enable students to strive academically
and identify how they learn effectively. Therefore, as a pre-service teacher working in the field I
am learning the most effective ways to assess students and measure their performance.
Interacting with students to identify their abilities and providing material and content that is most
appropriate has been very crucial to my learning experience. I concluded from my experience
that my approach to assessing students will vary depending on student background and prior
knowledge. Through trial and error I will learn to assess students effectively and see
improvement in all aspects of learning.
My goal as a future educator is to find various ways for students to express what they
know and show evidence that they comprehend the content. Additionally, these assessments
should not only evaluate student performance but most importantly guide students toward a
common learning goal. According to the Effective Instructional Strategies text, an assessment is
the process of documenting and measuring knowledge, skills, attitudes, and belief. My field
experience has shown me that assessment is more than just giving a student a traditional paper
and pencil test. I have learned that assessment comes in four types of assessments that I have
studied so far in the field: formative, summative, authentic, and traditional. Formative
assessment occurs during the learning process when students are learning new content or
integrate it into their prior knowledge. It allows teachers to make modifications to their lessons,
activities, content, and teaching strategies. It can be done informally through observations or
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class participation or a formally written test. Summative assessment is used to evaluate student
learning at the end of a unit which hold higher point values than formative. Summative
assessments can be in the form of a midterm or final, projects, and essays. Authentic assessments
require students to demonstrate their ability to perform a particular task in a real-life situation.
This can be in the form of a portfolio, projects, experiments, journals, debates, plays, and
presentation. Finally, the last form assessment is traditional; they come in the form of multiple
choice, fill in the blank, matching, true and false, short answers, and standardized tests.
The Effective Instructional Strategies text book defines the process of evaluation as
making judgments, placing value, or deciding worth. The process of evaluation is assigning
grades or points to information completed by a students. Teachers must be aware of the age
group that they are teaching and base their grading system off that. For example, pre-school and
kindergarten students receive grades such as P for proficient, S for satisfactory, N for needs
improvement, and U unsatisfactory.
As an educator, it is especially important to inform myself of the community in which I
will be teaching in as well as the student bodys overall performance on standardized tests. In
this case I worked in a school that was rated effective. With this knowledge I knew that students
in this school needed structure and reachable objectives to achieve academically on their
assessments. It was crucial to design assessments to guide them through the learning process and
adapt to their abilities within the classroom. Incorporating various forms of assessment will
prepare students for a successful education and for standardized testing.
Overall, I believe assessments should enhance and support student learning as well as
their performance within the classroom. Assessments allow teachers to modify and differentiate
lessons as well as teaching strategies to accommodate to students needs. In addition, it enables
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classroom teachers to identify were individual students excel and struggle academically. With
that being said, it is crucial to have an understanding that every student is an individual with an
extensive range of abilities, skills, and knowledge. Assessments should be aligned with state
standards and be designed to be developmentally appropriate so students can meet objectives.
References
Moore, Kenneth D. Effective Instructional Strategies: From Theory to Practice.
Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2012.
















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B. Description of Assessment Instruments

Assessment Selection #1
The first assessment I gave was a reading and comprehension assignment, the focus of
this lesson was on story elements and to compare contrast both two versions of Goldilocks and
the Three Bears. Before the worksheet was passed out I did a matching activity with the class so
that they had guided practice. I had the story elements placed on the board and I called students
one at a time to place the corresponding picture with a sentence onto the board. Following this
activity students were asked to fill out a graphic organizer which involved the following story
elements; setting, characters, problem and solution. The worksheet had a total of eight boxes
where students could complete their answers. Students used a combination of words and pictures
to complete this assignment and demonstrate if they were meeting the objectives. For those
students who wanted to challenge themselves they were encouraged to write sentences below the
picture. This assessment took approximately about 15 minutes. This assessment was done
individually therefore it was a tradition form of assessment.
Assessment Selection #2
For my second assessment, I designed an activity for a small group of students. The focus
of this lesson was to work with students who needed extra support with phonic and phonemic
awareness. The most effective strategy to teach young learners this concept is through constant
repetition. Before the assessment I used flash cards with the letters and pictures on them to
activate their prior knowledge. For the actual assessment I constructed a jar and filled it with the
twenty six letters of the alphabet. On each side of the pieces of paper were upper case letters and
lower case letters front and back. I had students take turns pulling letters out of the jar going
clockwise. When a student got the jar and pulled out a letter they were asked to tell me the
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following; name of the letter, the sound the letter makes, and what word starts with that letter.
This assessment was authentic because they were required to read words around the room and
the letter on the card. Students were given 10 minutes to participate in this activity.
Assessment Selection #3
For the third assessment I used a math worksheet that corresponded with the video for
this section. Students sat in front of the smart board and listened to a math story that involved a
group of counters and one being removed from the group. Following this video the class was
instructed to go back to their seats for the guided practice activity. This involved the students
using bears to visually show the group of numbers so they can physically take one away and
count how many were left over. This prepared them for the assessment and activated their prior
knowledge. I handed out the worksheet; this was an opportunity to see if they could complete the
worksheet independently. They were given approximately ten minutes to complete the
worksheet. This assessment was a traditional form of assignment because students worked
independently at their seats.
C. Administration
Assessment Selection #1
I provided students with instructions about what they were to do on the graphic organizer.
They were instructed to draw a picture that represented the following story elements; setting,
characters, problem, solution, beginning, middle, end, and finally their favorite part. I made
students aware that they were being assessed on their comprehension skills, how well they
followed directions and if they could complete the assessment. I noticed some students
struggling so I used the smart board to guide them in the right direction. I began by telling them
to point to the first box and I told them that in this box draw a picture of the setting of the book.
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This was a helpful strategy to scaffold their development. The class got as far as they could with
the time that was given and I collected the worksheets and they went to special. The mentor
teacher and I discussed the assessment together and she noticed first hand that there was too
much material on the worksheets. Secondly, I was going too fast and this overwhelmed students.
The assessment needed to be modified and made into a bigger version of the worksheet with only
four story elements. This seemed to work well because it was appropriate for their development.
The grading was still the same and was based on whether students understood the material and
were able to complete the assignment. The grading system used was P, S, N, or U.
Assessment Selection #2
I worked with a small group of five students that needed extra support with letter
recognition, phonic and phonemic awareness. We sat at their table and I reviewed letters with
flash cards that included pictures that were associated with the letter. As we went through the
cards I made two piles; one good pile with cards that the group mastered and one bad pile with
letters that needed more practice. They were given ten minutes for this activity to prepare for the
assessment. The assessment was authentic; I constructed a jar and filled it with the twenty-six
letters of the alphabet. On the pieces of paper I wrote both upper case and lower case letters and
going clockwise students took turns pulling out a letter from the jar. They had to tell me the
name of the letter, its sound, and one word that begins with the letter. For those students who
were struggling I allowed them to use sight words, words posted around the room, and their
names. This activity was successful because it was a small group and very engaging. It took
approximately ten minutes to complete. The mentor teacher and I discussed the assessment and
agreed that it went well. It was beneficial and students were making progress throughout the
activity. It allowed them to master the letters that required more attention.
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Assessment Selection #3
For the third assessment I used a math worksheet, students listened to a math story that
involved a group of counters and then one was removed from the group. Then an X was used
to indicate that one was taken from the group and students had to write the number that was one
fewer. Following the instruction students worked independently at their seats on a worksheet that
was provided by the teacher but I incorporated it into my lesson as the assessment. This
worksheet included focus on whether the student could identify whether the number of objects in
one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the objects in another group. Students must
demonstrate multiple strategies to arrive at their answer such as matching or counting. There
were eight problems total and on the front of the worksheet students must look at the group of
objects that showed one fewer and they had to write the number next to space provided, similar
to the story they listened to. On the back, students were instructed to draw a group that had one
fewer counter and then write the numbers that tell how many counters. The next problem
required students to count a group of cups, draw a group that had one fewer cup and then write
the number that tell how many cups. The last problem instructed students to count the group of
balls, draw groups that have one more and one fewer balls and then write the numbers that tell
how many balls were left. As I walked around the room and checked on students work I noticed
it was a difficult concept to grasp. The mentor teacher suggested that I use the smart board and
walk the class through each problem. After the time was up I collected the worksheets and talked
to the mentor teacher for some feedback. She told me that one fewer is a difficult concept to
grasp because they are just beginning to learn that numbers have value and they count in
sequential order not backwards. It was helpful that I used the smart board to scaffold learning
because some students were able to complete at least one side. She told me that the bears worked
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because her students were able to physically add or take away objects and count with their
fingers to see how many were left. This assessment was traditional because it was a simple paper
and pencil assignment and it was independent work.
D. Outcomes
Assessment Selection #1
The outcome of this assignment was not what I expected it to be, there was too much
material presented at once, for some students story elements were still new to them, and the class
was overwhelmed with having it completed within fifteen minutes. The boxes were too small for
the students draw their pictures and there was little space to write words or sentences. With that
being said, the assignment needed to be modified to only four story elements such as the setting,
characters, problem and solution of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Also, the graphic organizer
needed to be expanded to provide more workspace for the students. However, despite those two
factors the class worked around those issues and were still able to fill in some of the boxes
therefore I believe they met the objectives set for them which were identify story elements, be
able draw or write their answers to demonstrate their comprehension, and finally compare and
contrast both versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. After looking at student work I saw
that eleven students out of nineteen students completed the worksheet. With that being said, I
graded with only satisfactory and needs improvement.
Assessment Selection #2
The outcome of the math worksheet was better than I expected it to be. My mentor
teacher informed me that it was going to be a difficult lesson. The most difficult part of this
lesson was having students identify one less a number with a group of objects. I needed to ask
more specific questions during the video to help students think about problem solving rather than
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broad questions. There was not enough time for students to complete the worksheet front and
back with the time given. However, students managed to answer the questions and complete the
assessment while others needed more support. After reviewing the worksheet, I saw that thirteen
out of twenty students completed the assessment and met objectives. With that being said, I
graded student work only using satisfactory and needs improvement due to the modifications.
The objectives were for students to compare sets of numerals, after viewing the lesson 4-5 video
students will be able to join and separate situations with objects, and finally in a class discussion,
students will be able to identify one fewer using objects
E. Recommendations
Assessment Selection #1
The first assessment I gave required students to complete the story element worksheet to
the best of their abilities. Due to the fact that the assignment needed to be modified I only
required students to complete four of the story elements. With that being said, a checklist would
be most accurate for this type of assessment than a rubric. This assessment will graded based on
the following grading system P, S, N, or U. The student will receive proficient if they were able
to complete all four story elements correctly, satisfactory if they were able to complete three out
of the four story elements, needs improvement if the student was able to complete two out of the
four, and unsatisfactory if one or no story elements were completed. The grades and check list go
into the students take home folder for parents to review. During this time I would keep
anecdotal notes to keep track of individual students progress and grades will be kept in the grade
book.
Assessment Selection #2
The second assessment required students to complete a total of eight problems. The
criteria for this assessment will be provided with a checklist. Students will receive a proficient
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grade if they were able to complete 8 or 7 problems on the worksheet; they will receive a grade
of satisfactory if 6 or 5 problems were completed correctly on the worksheet and so on. The
checklist will be attached to the assessment to send home to parents. Anecdotal notes will also be
kept to monitor student progress and grades will be kept in a grade book.

















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Assessment #1

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Proficient Satisfactory Needs
improvement
Unsatisfactory
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
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19



















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Assessment #2

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Proficient Satisfactory Needs
improvement
Unsatisfactory
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
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18
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20