May+2+Module+Qs

Classroom Assessment Module:

1. List three advantages of progress monitoring over annual achievement tests.

Through progress monitoring, information on student learning is gathered throughout the year, rather than in one testing session, and the results are available immediately. This allows teachers to evaluate student learning and the effectiveness of instruction in an ongoing fashion and to make necessary changes to improve students' academic progress. Progress monitoring, which evaluates student learning on a regular basis, providing useful feedback about performance to both learners and instructors, is an example of a formative assessment.

Progress monitoring is designed to:

need additional or alternative instruction create better instructional programs
 * Estimate rates of improvement for each student
 * Identify students who are not making adequate progress and who
 * Evaluate the effectiveness of instruction so that teachers can

2. List two key differences between mastery measurement and CBM.

With mastery measurement (MM):

mastery of the prior skill.
 * The skills are broken into sequenced sub-skills.
 * Each skill is assessed, one by one, in a unit of study.
 * Assessment is based on a pre-planned instructional sequence for the year.
 * Students must meet a specified criterion to demonstrate mastery.
 * Teachers present a new skill after students have achieved

With curriculum-based measurement (CBM):

skill taught across the academic year. pre-set group criterion. previously taught skills. reliable and valid scores.
 * Skills can be taught in any logical order.
 * Growth in all skills is tracked over the entire year.
 * Each test (also called a probe) includes sample items from every
 * Students' success is based on individual goals, rather than a
 * Each probe tests prior material, checking for the retention of
 * Probes, administration, and scoring are standardized to produce

3. Name three ways CBM can be used to help at-risk students.

• Identify those skills with which students are having the greatest difficulty • Compare the effectiveness of different instructional strategies • Identify students who are not making adequate progress in a general education setting and who might need special education services.

4. What are the six steps in the CBM process? 1. Create or select appropriate tests (called probes) for the student's grade and skill level. 2. Administer and score probes at regular intervals (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). 3. Graph the scores. 4. Set goals. 5. Make instructional decisions based on CBM data. 6. Communicate Progress.

5.
 * 1) Create a multiplication test (probe).
 * 2) Administer and score probes weekly.
 * 3) Graph the scores in order for students to understand the progress being made and to easily monitor increased proficiency for the multiplication unit.
 * 4) Set a goal. A longer goal would be: Students will know the times tables for 2 – 9 by the end of the year. Shorter goal: Students will learn the times tables for “2” in one week’s time.
 * 5) Make instructional decisions based on CBM data. Determine whether the goals set above are achievable. Are there students having trouble? Is some review necessary? Can they learn the times tables faster than initially thought?
 * 6) Communicate progress to both students and parents by using CBM data and graphs. Perhaps a graph accessible to all can be created in order for everyone to see the achievements being made.

6 . Create a CBM implementation plan for your classroom. Make sure you include the academic subject, frequency of administration, how you will score and graph the data, and how you will use the information for your instructional planning.

Academic Subject: Literature Type of Probe: A diagnostic style test that will cover basic parts of story, literary elements, and character. Frequency of Administration: Once a Month Graphing the Scores: I will create a line graph of overall probe scores, but will also graph each portion of the probe separately. Instructional Planning: I will use the overall results to determine what areas need a higher concentration or review as the year progresses. I will use individual results to determine how to group students into RtI groups.

2nd module:

1. List five benefits of PALS. Describe a classroom situation that might prompt a high school teacher to implement the strategy.

• Accelerates student achievement in reading • Encourages on-task behavior and student participation • Allows students more opportunities to read • Allows students to receive corrective feedback • Promotes collaboration and positive social interactions

A teacher may implement the strategy if the class demonstrates a wide diversity of reading challenges, including student reading at many different levels. Reading out loud may prove difficult for some students, while other in the class may excel; thus causing difficulties in the classroom. Some students may understand the main ideas and important characters, while others struggle. Using PALS assists all students in the classroom.

2. Name the three reading activities for PALS for high-school students and describe the reading skills targeted by each.

• Partner Reading with Retell – targets reading fluency and summarizing • Paragraph Shrinking – identifies the main character, main ideas and summarizing • Prediction Relay – targets making predictions, identifying main ideas and summarizing

3. Describe a typical PALS session. Be sure to discuss the roles of both the students and the teacher.

A typical PALS session includes the student pairs working through the following three activities: Partner Reading with Retell, Paragraph Shrinking, and Prediction Relay.

At the beginning of each of these activities, the lower-performing reader serves as the tutor (i.e., the Coach) and the higher-performing one takes on the role of tutee (i.e., the Reader), modeling good reading skills, and starts each activity reading. After five minutes, the students switch roles. The pairs proceed through each of the three activities in the same manner. The teacher selects appropriate text for each student pair based on the reading level of the weaker reader. It is essential to the success of PALS that, as the students engage in peer tutoring activities, the teacher move about the room to monitor their work. Doing so also creates an opportunity for the teacher to offer feedback to students about how well they are:

Reading Implementing the PALS activities Working with their partner

4. Imagine that you are Ms. McAvoy, a tenth-grade teacher implementing PALS with a class of 29 students. You wish to limit the classroom disruption that occurs when students move to their partners. Select one of the two methods discussed in this module for moving students into pairs for PALS. Explain why you chose this option.

Because the class consists of 29 students, I would choose the option of creating a new PALS seating chart every time new pairs are picked. This way, the students will know exactly where they belong (next to their partner) and disruption about who goes where and how to move there is ultimately minimized.

5. The three students that are left can create a triad, rather than working in pairs. Each student can serve as the coach for one of the three activities and the reader for the remaining two.