Current Practice
The Assessment Practice Category of the Professional Practice Domain is one that I have not given a whole lot of attention to since coming to EPS two years ago. Below are brief descriptions of the indicators in this category with specific examples of how they manifest in my current teaching practice.
(1) designs major assessments that reflect course outcomes and posts them at the start of each trimester
When I started teaching at EPS, my strategy was to use the assessments that my predecessors used when they taught the courses before me. I changed some questions in many of the existing assessments and as time has gone on, have replaced assessments with new ones that I designed. I have not actually examined, however, whether or not the assessments I am using reflect course outcomes. A quick glance at the current course outcomes for my trimester course, Environmental Practices-8, reveals that the two major assessments tie in well (Artifact Prof-1), but for Scientific Thinking 1, it’s harder to quickly show a direct relationship between course outcomes and major assessments because the major assessments are lab reports and written quizzes on a variety of topics.
Regardless of whether my major assessments reflect course outcomes, I do post them at the start of each trimester. Artifact Prof-2 shows screenshots of my Canvas courses with major assessments posted prior to the start date of the trimester (December 3, 2019).
(2) designs assignments to be graded and returned in a feedback cycle of seven calendar days
As with the major assessments, when I first came to EPS I used all the assignments that previous teachers used and tried to grade and return them within seven calendar days. This was mostly possible, but not always. I’ve since made some changes that make it easier for me to grade assignments within a seven day period, including: deleting some assignments, reducing the scope of some assignments, not reading every single detail of student submissions, and making rubrics to make grading quicker (Artifact Prof-3 shows some example rubrics I have created this year). For some longer assignments, especially ones where students present over multiple class periods, it just isn’t possible for me to complete grading within a seven day period.
Students don’t seem to perceive that it takes me longer than seven days to return assignments as indicated by the Student Experience survey results in Artifact Prof-4. Of note in this artifact is that student perception of my ability to return work in a timely manner increased from the first year I taught at EPS to the second indicating that I improved over that time period.
It is my understanding that the EPS tech office is developing a program which will enable faculty to pull average length of time it takes to grade assignments after their due dates. This data will give a more accurate portrayal of my actual performance. In the meantime, students do not perceive this as a problem for me and I have not received any complaints.
(3) ensures the number of assignments in each course is neither excessive nor deficient — providing appropriate time for quality student performance and meaningful teacher feedback
The number and type of assignments in each trimester of my courses is shown in Artifact Prof-5. The data show three main pieces of information:
- There are several different types of assignments in each trimester.
- For Scientific Thinking 1 (6th grade class), the bulk of the work transitions from classwork to classwork/homework to homework as the year progresses through the three trimesters.
- There are a total of about 20-30 assignments (approximately one per class period) per trimester with another 10 being engagement or responsible action.
I’m actually not sure if this is an appropriate distribution of number of assignments. I have many students who turn all their work in on time and receive As in their courses, so I assume that I am providing appropriate time for quality student performance, but I’m not certain.
In terms of my ability to provide meaningful feedback, Artifact Prof-6 shows a table of Student Experience survey results that speaks to this. In general, students do seem to think I provide meaningful feedback and my scores have increased from the first year I taught at EPS to the second indicating that I improved over that time period.
Some examples of my feedback to students is exhibited in Artifact Prof-7. I have not yet discussed the number, type (positive vs. negative), or depth of any of my feedback with either my colleagues or the Middle School Head.
Future Practice
In the coming years, I would like to consider more deeply my assessment practice as this is not an area to which I have given a whole lot of attention in the past. Specifically, I plan to:
- Look more deeply at the relationship between course outcomes and major assessments for both of my courses. If they are not in alignment, I will consult with other faculty in my discipline as well as the Middle School Head, and make changes as needed. I’m envisioning that I will create a 1-2 page writeup on this activity that I can include in my next PDP round.
- Review my average grading time data when it becomes available and discuss the data with the Middle School Head. Implement changes as needed.
- Schedule a meeting with the Middle School Head to discuss the appropriateness of the number of assignments and number, type, and depth of feedback I provide on assignments. I will implement changes as needed and write up the results of this meeting to include in my next PDP round.