"What are different ways a student could show benchmark achievement?"
- Depending on the benchmark we could use things such as project, videotapes, non-traditional tests that are not English-ability
dependent. Allows us to evaluate a student's knowledge and skills even if they have limited abilities with written English.
- Portfolios for a variety of subjects.
- Self and peer evaluation
- Role-playing, mock interviews
- Need to change our ideas about assessment - more than paper and pencil tasks.
- Could use one evaluation tool to measure many benchmarks.
- Student presentations at a parent conference which would include self-evaluation, peer evaluation, teacher evaluation and reflection
on the feedback.
- We send papers home to parents, they discuss them and they are brought back to school but they are not discussed as a team (parent,
teacher, student) at school.
- How could we use this concept at an IEP - would give students input at the IEP.
- Student involvement in IEPs develops their skills in meetings.
- How would we use self-evaluation with younger children?
- Workforce requires more self-evaluation. This should be a goal for all students. Presentations/feedback through a variety of modes:
print, through-the-air, videotape.
- Self-analysis could be part of portfolio. Use for goal setting. Put on video and used annually as part of assessment.
- Some students can express themselves well on video but not as well in writing.
At Kendall this question led to a discussion of community service:
- Should community service be required for graduation?
- It should start in middle school and increase hours through high school.
- Completion occurs senior year.
- Provides an opportunity to explore different careers.
- Allows students to experience interactions with hearing people, we can assess how the students are doing in more controlled
situation.
- Allows students to compare different settings, different environments, etc.
- We have to define how many hours and for how many years.
- Different students can serve in different ways.
- Goals could be defined in community meetings - build on the concepts of community and service through all teams in a developmental
way.
- Link transition to jobs that are service related.
- Students should debrief (how they feel, what they learned) about their community service.
- Tie community service to discussion/understanding of issues such as poverty, class, etc.
"What is your feedback about the standards and benchmarks process?"
- Seems like a slow process.
- We need to deal with the "meaty" issues such as evaluation.
- We don't want to reinvent the wheel with materials and activities. Instead need to focus on how to adapt them to meet the needs of
our students.
- Need summer time for planning.
- Need to build content and concepts sequentially. Apply skills in benchmarks in lower grades.
- May need to rethink themes at the elementary level...themes should not drive curriculum.
- Notes from Brownies & Benchmarks should be disseminated. (They appear in
- Patchwords the EPAR newsletter).
Want to add your two-cents? S&B Email Address: standards.benchmarks@gallaudet.edu
|
