Running Head: PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

Planning, Preparation, Instruction, and Assessment

Amanda Clay

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2019

PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

Introduction

Planning, preparation, instruction, and assessment are the four foundations of teaching.

However, these basic foundations also serve as the most important fundamentals that every

teacher must be able to do and do well. Without proper planning, thoughtful preparation,

intentional instruction, and analyzing assessment, we as teachers do not do our best to ensure that

students are given the best opportunity to succeed. In this competency, I will show evidence of

using a pre-assessment to inform my planning, preparation, and instruction, as well as the use of

a post-assessment in order to quantify the students’ growth and learning throughout the unit.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact included in the competency is a picture of pre- and post-assessment

results for a place value, comparing numbers, and rounding two-digit numbers unit. This

pre-assessment was given in a second grade class at B.M. Williams Primary in Chesapeake City.

In Chesapeake City schools, teachers are provided with post-assessments that they may not

change. However, they are not provided with pre-assessments. This means that teachers are free

to either use the post-assessment as a pre-assessment or create their own pre-assessment. In this

case, I chose to use the post-assessment as the pre-assessment. I thought that this would be the

best indicator of real growth and understanding of the subject. Upon completion of the

ten-question assessment, I learned that, while six students scored a 70 or above on the

pre-assessment, the other 13 students did not. Based on this qualitative data, I knew that 68% of

my class did not have an adequate understanding of place value, comparing numbers, and

rounding two-digit numbers before the start of the unit. As a result of this data, I planned for

instruction to be taught as a whole group. However, I did identify some students who needed
PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

extra help. These students were put into groups of 4 or 5 and given personalized instruction

during math time or during Power Up at the beginning of the day.

The second artifact included in this competency is a pair of visual instructional tools that

students used and were able to look back to throughout the unit. Based on their pre-assessment, I

determined that these sort of tools would serve them well as supplemental material to grasp the

skill of rounding, comparing numbers, and determining place values. The first tool is a place

value anchor chart that was gone over as a class when it was first created. It was then posted in

the classroom and constantly referred back to as a reminder of place value components. The

second tool is a rounding chart that was printed out and laminated for each student. This tool can

be used during their work to remind them of the rules of rounding as they complete their

assignments. This helps them students who need to visually see the pattern and concept of

rounding rather than just hear the pattern explained.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Pre- and post-assessments are key components to the teaching process. This gives

teachers a quantitative understanding of how a student is doing even before starting a lesson.

This sort of knowledge provides for effective and efficient use of classroom time to maximize

the students’ achievement. The question that some educators still ask, however, is if it works. In

his article titled “Does Pre-Assessment Work?” (2018), Thomas R. Guskey defines

pre-assessment as “any means used by teachers to gather information about students prior to

instruction” (p. 53). He explains that this assessment may be a “formal, pencil-and-paper

instrument that asks students questions about certain academic content, much like a typical

pre-test,” or it may simply be “an informal discussion in which teachers ask students about their
PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

past experiences” (p. 53-54). Guskey explains that, while pre-assessments may have their

drawbacks, they do work to provide teachers by helping them “anticipate students’

misconceptions and potential misunderstandings about specific concepts,” “offer teachers

valuable information on students’ interests, current involvements, and preferred ways of learning

that could be useful in planning instructional activities,” “provide teachers the basis for

monitoring students’ progress,” and “ help focus students’ attention on specific learning goals”

(p. 57).

Guskey also wrote an article titled “Pre-Assessment: Promises and Caution” (2016) in

which he plainly lists the cautions that are not as well covered in the other article. One of these

cautions is that if a student begins “on a bad note,” or does poorly on the pre-assessment, it may

“negatively affect their disposition toward the upcoming content” (p. 41-42). Another caution is

that pre-assessments may “waste instructional time” because they cover a topic that has not been

taught yet (p. 42). These are legitimate cautions that teachers may want to keep in mind while

planning for their next unit.

In their article “Turning on the Light: What Pre-Assessment Can Do” (2013), authors

Jessica A. Hocket and Kristina J. Doubet admit that pre-assessment has “a bad reputation” for a

multiplicity of reasons (p. 50). However, they believe that “effective pre-assessments can

illuminate where students are now so that teachers can lead them to mastery” (p. 50). The give a

numerous attributes of effective pre-assessments including “Seek to discover what students do

know instead of seeking to confirm what they don’t know,” “are aligned with key lesson or unit

goals,” and “serve as an invitation to the coming learning experience, not a barrier” (p. 51). In

summation, Hocket and Doubet believe that when pre-assessment is used for more than just
PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

gauging improvement from beginning to end of the unit, these tools can affect the way the lesson

is planned and the way teachers engage the content with the students. Pre-assessments are more

than simply proof of a job well done for the teacher, they should be used throughout the

planning, preparation, and instruction of the unit in order to ensure effective and engaging

instruction.
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References

Hockett, J. A., & Doubet, K. J. (2013). Turning on the Lights What Pre-Assessments Can Do

What Pre-Assessments Can Do. Educational Leadership, 71(4), 50–54. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&A

N=92606749&site=ehost-live

Guskey, T. R., & McTighe, J. (2016). PRE-ASSESSMENT Promises and Cautions. Educational

Leadership, 73(7), 38–43. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&A

N=114581299&site=ehost-live

Guskey, T. R. (2018). Does Pre-Assessment Work? Educators must understand the purpose,

form, and content of pre-assessments to reap their potential benefits. Educational

Leadership, 75(5), 52–57. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&A

N=128251779&site=ehost-live