Literacy Assessment

Standard One: Knowledge of Literacy

I used formative assessments on a daily basis to determine my planning of literacy instruction each week. My school used “Word Wall Words” which are words that students should know at each grade level. I tested my class on five “word wall words” each week. I gave specific spelling instruction to students to help them learn these sight words. I also developed reading comprehension and content area literacy by having students read a book about weather and answer different leveled questions. I promoted student independent reading each day by having students read silently for 30 minutes. The students are also required to read 120 minutes on their own each week and track it in a log and get it signed by their
First, I greeted students at the door every morning. This made them feel cared for and subsequently they behaved better. Second, I had a few classroom rules that were clearly communicated to the students along with the consequences of breaking each rule. I regularly rewarded positive behavior and affirmed students when they were behaving well. This also contributed to improved student behavior. As my university supervisor noted after observing a lesson, I had a sense of humor with the students, which also contributes to a positive environment. An easy intervention I used to create a successful learning environment was placing students who tended to misbehave near me as well as using “quiet boards” to prevent talkative students from distracting others. Based on lesson observations, my university supervisor noted that students were engaged and my classroom management was outstanding. On a weekly basis, I reported student achievement to parents by sending home math and writing assessments with students in their “Friday folders.” Parents were very aware of how their child was doing and many parents worked with their students on areas of academic weakness. At Parent/Teacher conferences, I-Ready scores were communicated to parents with a discussion on each component and what it meant for their
On a daily basis, I modified instruction to meet the needs of my English language learner by incorporating writing, reading, listening and speaking into each of my lessons. I provided him sensory support through the use of visuals, a strength that my university supervisor noted on her lesson observation form. I applied the modifications and accommodations outlined in both of my students’ IEPs including: using one-step directions, doing frequent check-ins, providing scheduled breaks, decreasing the quantity of problems to solve and allowing extra processing time. One way I met differing student needs was by having students use graphic organizers when learning new information. This helped students take isolated ideas and connect them. I adapted my instruction by providing sentence starters to my struggling writers to help them learn correct sentence structure. I also had my struggling readers do pre-reading which helped them comprehend the text. I had three students identified as gifted and I provided opportunities for them to go deeper into grade level content areas as well as work on higher grade level material. I was aware of two students who were on ADHD medication and both tended to be more focused in the mornings, which worked well since this is when we did Reading and