Professional Self-Assessment Form

Teacher Candidates Name: Danielle C. Hicks

Mentor Teachers Name:

Date: March 31, 2015

Mrs. Yarbrough School: Marshall Elementary School

Grade Level (s)/Subject Area(s) 3rd grade G&T Math and Science

Instructions to the teacher candidate: Please reflect on your professional performance, and
respond to each of the following prompts.
1.

In terms of the ADEPT Performance Standards, what are your professional

strengths? How have you built on these strengths so far, and how do you plan to do
so in the future?
While completing my Professional clinical practice at Marshall Elementary school in
Mrs. Yarbroughs class, I have noticed that there are several areas that I excel in and there
are several areas that can be improved upon to ensure that I become the best teacher
possible. The first ADEPT Performance standard that I am strong in is APS 4:
Establishing and Maintaining High Expectations for Learners. While I am instructing my
students I am constantly trying to find ways to help further promote their thinking in
order to establish and maintain high expectations. My students are rarely asked questions
that require them to respond by simply saying yes or no or true or false. I am constantly
asking them questions that provoke them to dig deeper. For instance, if I ask a student a
question and they respond by saying no, I then ask them why you chose no as your
answer and to explain your thinking. Additionally, the students know that I expect
exceptional participation from all of them. They know that they are not allowed to just sit
there and be uninvolved in the lesson. I expect all of them to be actively engaged in every
component of the lesson at all times. In order to help me to facilitate high expectations

for participation I made some pop sickle sticks with their names on them so that every
child will get the same opportunity to participate. If the student that I call on does not
have the correct answer I will ask them to take a moment to figure out where they went
wrong and I will come back to them because, even though they got the answer wrong
they are still expected to figure out how to correct the problem. Additionally, since my
students are G&T I have high expectations from their class assignments. The students
know not to turn in work unless it is done to the best of their ability. I clearly
communicated to them that their name and date as well as their answers should written
accurately and neatly. The second ADEPT Performance Standard that I am strong in is
APS 8: Maintaining an Environment That Promotes Learning. I try my best to create an
environment that is and conducive for learning. Additionally I try to create a positive
classroom environment and I try to maintain a culture of learning in my classroom. When
the students enter my classroom they know that they are entering a safe place. It is
important that the students feel safe because if a student does not feel safe then they will
be less likely to learn and thrive in the classroom setting. I also want my students to feel
happy and excited about learning that is why I tried to add some colorful touches to the
classroom such as posters and the bulletin board(with permission from my cooperating
teacher). Lastly, I try to facilitate a lot of group work in the classroom because it is
important for my students to learn and value the importance of teamwork. I have built
upon these strengths by making sure that I find more and more ways to make sure that I
continue to establish and maintaining high expectations all of my students because I
want them to be challenged to reach their fullest potential. I will also make sure that I
continue to seek ways to make sure that my students are constantly in an environment

that promotes learning. In the future I plan to continue to incorporate all of the skills that
I have learned as far as establishing and maintaining high expectations for my students
and maintaining an environment that promotes learning so that every student that I
encounter in the future will receive and extraordinary education and feel excited about
coming to school and learning.

2.

In terms of the ADEPT Performance Standards, what are your professional

challenges? How do you plan to meet these challenges?

While completing my Professional clinical practice at Marshall Elementary school in Mrs.

Yarbroughs class, I have noticed that there are several areas that I excel in and there are several
areas that can be improved upon to ensure that I become the best teacher possible. The first
ADEPT Performance standard that is a Professional Challenge is APS 6: Providing Content for
Learners. Although I am definitely trying my best to meet these challenges I do find it
challenging to draw from a substantial repertoire of instructional strategies, and to vary my
strategies both within and among lessons according to the particular objectives and the students
ability levels and learning styles. I also find it challenging to align the content with the learning
objectives to ensure that my students are provided with opportunities to acquire knowledge. I
plan to meet these challenges by seeking guidance by enlisting help form experienced teachers,
books, and the Internet. There are a vast amount of veteran teachers that I could seek guidance
from. For the most part they are very knowledgeable ad supportive because they have been
teaching for a long time and they could provide me with some valuable advice on areas that I
find challenging. I can also seek information from the Internet. The internet has a vast variety of

helpful websites that could help provide me with the answers to some of the questions that I am
having, and I have unlimited access to it. The internet is a resource that is readily available.
Lastly, is reading helpful information from a book. A lot of people may call it old fashioned but,
there is a lot of information that can be gained from researching it in a good book. Another
standard that is challenging is APS 9: Managing the Classroom. Although my classroom
management is pretty good, my students are young and full of energy and sometimes I find it
difficult to calm them down and get them to be quiet when they find something new and
exciting. I plan to meet this challenge by enlisting advice from a veteran teacher. There are a
vast amount of veteran teachers that I could seek guidance from. For the most part they are very
knowledgeable ad supportive because they have been teaching for a long time and they could
provide me with some valuable advice on some methods to help me manage the classroom better.

3.

Describe your students overall progress and achievement. What insights have you

gained into ways to improve student progress and achievement?

My students have made great progress and achievements in their scores on the ACT Aspire. Over
75 percent of the students made improvements and I am so proud of them. Additionally every
day that I am in the classroom I see progress and achievement in the lives of my students. I do
not only see academic progress and achievement I also see behavioral progress and achievement.
When I first entered the classroom I noticed several students were constantly doing things to
interrupt the lesson and disturb their classmates. I analyzed their behavior and I noticed that they
were not bad students but they were simply lacking attention. I had several talks with the
students and I encouraged them to pay attention to the lesson and actively participate because I

knew that they were smart and I knew that they could do anything that they put their minds to.
After I began to encourage them and incorporate them more and more into the lesson I noticed
their achievement level rise and I began to see great progress in their behavior. Currently, these
students are thriving in the classroom and their achievement level is extraordinary. Additionally
since my students are G&T their level of achievement is already high but I have seen great
improvement in their test scores. When I first came into the classroom and began to observe
them the test scores were good but now they seem to be great, since they have been able to get
more practice with the material that is being covered on the test. I have also seen great
improvement in their spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The insights that I have gained into
ways to improve student progress and achievement is to always make sure that you encourage
your student constantly to do their best at all times and to make sure that they are excited about
learning. If a student is motivated and encouraged to succeed and excited about learning they
will progress and achieve wonderful things that they never thought possible.
4. How will you use the knowledge you have gained through this professional selfassessment to promote your continuous professional growth and collaboration?
I have gained a lot of knowledge over the past weeks.I believe that the knowledge that I have
gained through this professional self-assessment will definitely promote my continuous
professional growth and collaboration. By completing this professional self-assessment I have
been able to analyze my strengths and professional challenges. By being able to evaluate my
strengths and professional challenges I was able to see what areas I am strong in and what areas I
need to work on, so that when I become a teacher I will have a thorough understanding of how to
accurately and appropriately provide content for all learners and so that I will be able to manage
my classroom efficiently and effectively. By brushing up on the areas that I find challenging and

making sure that I maintain through command of the areas that I am strong in, my classroom will
be a place that is conducive for learning.