Learning Standards as Tools for Assessment and Literacy

Development in Kindergarten

Present by:Gayle Mindes

DePaul UniversityGeorge Morrison

University of North Texas

Best Practice• Learning is multi-dimensional• Developmental areas are inter-

related• Kindergarteners are competent• Development is individualized• Expect range of skills across

children• Active exploration

facilitates learning

Starting with State Standards

• Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections.

• Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.

• Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.

• Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning.

• Read and interpret a variety of literary works.

• Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and structure.

• Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences

• Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes

Texas Kindergarten Learning Standards

• READING• recognize that print represents spoken

language and conveys meaning, – such as their own name, and

signs such as Exit and Danger• recognize upper and lower case letters in

print and understand that print represents language

• manipulate sounds in spoken words (phonemic awareness)

• decode simple words using letter-sound knowledge

• identify words that name persons, places or things, and actions

• learn new vocabulary words through selections read aloud

• retell or act out important events in a story• gather important information and ask

relevant questions.

Texas Kindergarten Learning Standards

• WRITING• write their own name and each letter of the

alphabet• write messages using their knowledge of

letters and sounds• record or dictate questions, ideas, stories• write labels, notes, and

captions for illustrations, possessions, charts, and centers.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Learning Standards for Texas Children

Talents of Young Children

• Judy• Harold• Luis• Arturo• Phillip• Adriana• Jonathan

Parts are cast

• Boy who is never chosen for anything

• I’ll be the pig• There is no pig in Cinderella• I’ll be the pig• What does the pig do• The pig demonstrates Cinderella’s

words

• Fulgham,R. Cinderella Updated

Do we have room for the pig in our classrooms?

• What accommodations are necessary

• Can the pig feel secure• What is the teacher’s role• Where do content issues fit

Enhance Talents

• Scaffold the task• Set up learning centers• Create supportive learning

climate• Differentiate outcome

expectations

Scaffolding

• Adjusting support during a teaching session – Direct instruction– Breaking down the task into manageable units– Suggesting strategies– Offering rationale for using strategies– Gradually withdraw support– Turn over responsibility to the child

Examples: Working a puzzleTying shoes

Scaffolding Uses

• Cues: symbols, words, or phrases to help student recall

• Cues: over-reminders, such as “Starts w…

• Probes: – Look for reasoning behind an incorrect

response – or ask for clarity when the response is

incomplete

• Redirects:– Pose the same question to a different

student• Holds accountable later: – check back with the student who

responded incorrectly – to make sure that child has correct

answer (privately)

• Walsh, J. A. & Sattes, B. D. (2005) Quality Questioning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Scaffolding Strategies

• Sit and listen closely• Ask questions– What have you tried so far– What do you think will happen if– Can you find a way to…

– What are you thinking about?– I’m wondering what you meant

when you said– Can you tell me why you decided

to…– Can you tell more about…– Why do you think it happened that

way?– How would you explain?– What questions do you have now?

• When do you feel good about a piece of work you have done?

• When do you like to work hard on something?

• Do mistakes help you learn? How?

• Do other people help you learn? How?

Non-verbal support

• Eye contact• Facial expressions• Body posture• Hand signals• Physical distance• Silence (wait time)

Benchmarks

• Make predictions based on cover, title, and pictures.

• Connect text to prior experiences and knowledge.

• Engage in shared/independent reading of familiar predictable text.

• Understand that pictures and symbols have meaning and that print carries a message.

• Demonstrate understanding of concepts about books (i.e., front and back, turning pages, knowing where a story starts, and viewing page on left before page on right).

• Demonstrate understanding of concepts about print (i.e., words, letters, spacing between words, and left to right).

• Demonstrate phonological awareness (i.e., rhymes and alliterations).

• Demonstrate phonemic awareness (i.e., segmenting and blending syllables and phonemes, and substituting sounds).

• Demonstrate alphabet knowledge (i.e., recognizes letters and their most common sounds).

• Read one syllable and high frequency words.

• Retell information from a story. • Respond to simple questions

about reading. • Compare/contrast a variety of

literary works. • Demonstrate understanding that

different text forms are used for different purposes.

• Demonstrate understanding of literal meaning of stories by making comments.

• Understand the structure of a story.

• Recognize narrative, informational texts and rhymes.

• Show independent interest in and knowledge about books and reading.

• Comprehend and respond to fiction and non-fiction.

Projects

• My family• My school• My neighborhood• My community

Assessment Artifacts• Autobiography• Booklet• Book Jacket• Book Report• Commercial• Brochure• CD Cover• Collage

• Diagram• Graph• Dialogue• Graphic Organizer• CD Cover• Diary• Tall Tale• Radio

Announcement

• Monument• Oral Report• Role-Play• Outline• Photo Essay• Sculpture• Play or skit• Poem• Television

Newscast • Display• Animation

• Artifact Collection

• Drawing• Fairy Tale• Illustration• Journal• Map• Toy

• Presentations or dramatizations– Include photos, video clips, sound,

writing• Require a “tell the story” product• Write: what a good ___________

looks like• Demonstration of concept• Create demonstration for younger

student• Create a product based on the

concept• Create a “how-to manual”

7 Guidelines for Authentic Assessment

Assess children based on their actual work. Assess children based on what they are

actually doing in and through the curriculum

Assess what each individual child can do. Make assessment part of the learning

process. Learn about the whole child Involve children and parents in a

cooperative, collaborative assessment process

Provide ongoing assessment over the entire year.

Authentic AssessmentRecommended Practices for Young Exceptional Children

• Teachers and families collaborate in planning and implementing assessment.

• Assessment is individualized and appropriate for the child and family

• Assessment provides useful information for intervention

• Teachers share information in respectful and useful ways

• Teachers meet legal and procedural requirements and Recommended Practices guidelines.

Current Practices in Kindergarten Assessment

Report cards align with curriculum standards– Progressing satisfactorily– In progress– Not yet observed or introduced

Narrative describing– Social emotional development– Work habits– Literacy and math development

LEVEL 1 SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGYLEVEL 1 SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGY

RECALL

label

define

who

what

when identify

list

name

repeat List the names of the main characters in the story.

LEVEL 1 SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGYLEVEL II SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGY

ANALYSIS

subdivide

breakdown

sort

categorize

Break the story down into different parts.

separate

LEVEL 1 SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGYLEVEL III SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGY

COMPARISON

compare

differentiate

relate

distinguish

Compare the themes of these two stories.

contrast

LEVEL 1 SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGYLEVEL IV SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGY

INFERENCE

apply

what if

anticipate

speculate

infer

predict

deduce

conclude If I wanted to make this character more believable, how might I do it?

LEVEL 1 SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGYLEVEL V SAMPLE TASK/STRATEGY

EVALUATION

critique

debate

argue

recommend

defend appraise

assess

judge

evaluate Evaluate this story. Is it well written? Why or why not?

RUBRICS

• Scoring guides that differentiate among levels of performance

• Purposes– To access performance based

on pre-established criteria– To make teachers’

expectations clear– To enable children to

participate in the evaluation of their own work

 A good scoring rubric will

• define excellence, • as well as plan how to help students achieve

it.• Communicate to students what constitutes

excellence,• and how to evaluate their own work.• Help teachers and other raters be accurate,

unbiased, and consistent in scoring.

Elements of a Scoring Rubric • Traits or dimensions that form the

basis for judging the student’s response

• Precise definitions and examples, to clarify each trait’s or dimension’s meaning and purpose

• A scale of values on which to rate each trait or dimension

• Standards of excellence for specified performance levels, including examples/models illustrating each level

Designing Rubrics

• What is the best response?• Brainstorm all the qualities of this

response.• Make a checklist of all the criteria.• Select format—analytic or holistic.• Describe the levels—exemplary to

poor or novice to expert.• Define the four point-scale.

Analytic rubric• Assesses product through

consideration of essential features

• Acts as framework for teacher and student

Holistic rubric

• Assesses on basis of overall impression.

• Does the performance/product work?

• Am I convinced?

Activity

• Brainstorm the best chocolate chip cookies– Texture– Appearance– Contents– Smell

Hall, E.W. & Salmon, S. J. Chocolate chip cookies and rubrics: Helping students understand rubrics in inclusive settings. Teaching exceptional children, Mar/Apr, 2003, 8-11.

Selecting or creating a rubric…

• Does it relate to the outcome(s) being measured? Is there anything extraneous being measured?

• Does the rubric include all the important dimensions of the student’s performance?

• Do the criteria reflect current conceptions of “excellence”?

• Are the categories/scales well defined?

• Is there a clear basis for ascribing scores at each scale point?

• Can the rubric be applied consistently by different raters? Is it manageable?

• Will students, parents, and other stakeholders understand it?

• Is it developmentally appropriate? Apropos the student’s special learning needs?

When selecting or creating a rubric

• Can the rubric be applied to a variety of tasks?

• Is the rubric fair and free from bias?

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Sharing

• What works in your school?• What challenges you?