Assessment Portfolio

In this portfolio, you will develop an assessment plan and create assessments for a 2-4 week instructional unit
within a grade level of your choosing. Over the duration of the course, you will draft and refine your plan,
assessments, and learning activities through an iterative process. This portfolio represents 65% of your graded
work for the course, and will be submitted by 11:59pm Tuesday, May 3rd. The components of the assignment
include:

1. Assessment Plan (25 points) – Before developing any specific tasks, you will provide a foundation for
the assessment activities in your unit.

2. Assessment Opportunities (25 points) – You will describe/develop four forms of assessment within
your unit:
a. Informal assessment strategies
b. Selected-response assessment
c. Constructed-response assessment
d. Performance assessment

3. Synthesis Statement (5 points) – You will write a 2-4-page single-spaced statement that addresses a
variety of reflective and summative questions regarding your assessment portfolio.

4. Peer Feedback (10 points) – You will give and receive feedback on each component of the Assessment
Portfolio featuring a different feedback strategy for each component in the assignment. Feedback will
follow the principles of feedback discussed in class lessons, activities, readings, and resources provided
in the course. You are expected to include in your portfolio both the feedback you gave to and the
feedback you received from a peer in the class. Only the feedback you give will be considered in your
score for the assignment.

Through the development of your portfolio, make sure you are:

 Articulating clear outcome statements that are aligned to student learning, behavioral, and/or affective
goals
 Planning assessment opportunities that elicit specific evidence of student
thinking/learning/behavior/affect
 Thinking about how your assessment practices value and acknowledge the assets each student brings to
the classroom
 Framing assessment as a positive force in your classroom, showing you and the students what they are
capable of, and equipping them to grow toward their full potential
 Considering how you would interpret assessment results for decisions about students and your teaching
as well as how students might use the assessment results to self-regulate their learning
 Recognizing ethical and legal responsibilities in your assessments
 Using research (e.g. course materials, curriculum materials, and scholarly resources on the web) to
inform your instructional practices
 Expectations for this Assignment
For credit on the assignment, you must:
 Include all four components above. Use this document for all assignment parts and rename it
“Yourlastname.Portfolio.docx”.
 Bring a draft to class and submit on Canvas for each deadline.
 Upload the final draft to Canvas by 11:59pm Tuesday, May 3rd.

The overall assignment will be graded on the following rubrics:

Domain Emerging Developing Proficient Exemplary
Assessment ¨Identifieslearning ¨Identifieslearning ¨Identifies relevant ¨Identifies relevant
Plan standards but the core standards within the learning standards from learning standards from
content area is unclear. core content area. within the core content both within and outside
area. the core content area.
¨Identifies a DOK ¨Identifies a DOK ¨Identifies a DOK ¨Identifies a defensible
level for each learning level for each learning level for each learning DOK level for each
standard, multiple standard, a standard standard. learning standard.
standards may be may be misidentified.
misidentified.
¨Illustratesthe ¨Illustrates DOK ¨Illustrates every DOK ¨Illustrates every DOK
identified DOK level levels up to the one level for each learning level for each learning
by providing identified for the standard by providing standard by providing
statements of what the learning standard by statements of what the specific, attainable, and
student can do to providing statements student can do to measurable statements
demonstrate the level of what the student demonstrate the level (learning objectives)
of cognitive can do to demonstrate of cognitive that would demonstrate
complexity. the level of cognitive complexity. the level of cognitive
complexity. complexity.
¨Identifies assessment ¨Correctly identifies ¨Identifies informal ¨Identifies informal and
activities but does not informal and formal and formal assessment formal assessment
correctly classify them assessment activities activities for each activities for each
as informal/formal. and describes standard that scaffolds standard that scaffolds
anticipated learning to the DOK learning to the DOK
information. level identified and level identified and
describes anticipated beyond and describes
formative/ summative anticipated formative/
information. summative information
with detail.
¨Shows some ¨Demonstrates some ¨Identifies learning ¨As a whole, serves as a
movement from movement from standards, instruction, bridge between learning
standards to standards to and assessment standards, instruction,
assessment. Instruction instruction to activities that will take and assessment activities
is unclear. assessment. Learning place in the unit. that will take place in
and assessment goals Learning and the unit. Learning and
are related, but not yet assessment show some assessment are
integrated. integration. integrated.

(13 points) (16 points) (19 points) (22 points)

Assessment ¨Assessment ¨Assessment ¨All assessment ¨All assessment
Opportunities tasks/activities lack tasks/activities are tasks/activities are tasks/activities are
relevance to the relevant to the relevant to the learning relevant to the learning
learning standards. learning standards. standards. standards.

¨Provides a form of ¨Provides a form of ¨Provides a variety of ¨Provides a variety of

assessment for most assessment for each forms of assessment for well-developed forms of
standards. standard. each standard. assessment for each
standard.

¨Tasks/activities ¨Tasks/activities ¨Tasks/activities ¨Tasks/activities

lack representation represent the represent the cognitive represent the cognitive
of the cognitive cognitive complexity complexity described at complexity described at
complexity described described at the target the target DOK for the target DOK for
at the target DOKs. DOK for some every standard. every standard AND
standards. address higher and lower
DOKs for some or all
standards.

¨Informal ¨Informal assessment ¨Informal assessment ¨Informal assessment

assessment strategies strategies describe strategies describe strategies describe
list checks for checks for specific forms of specific forms of
understanding and understanding and understanding or understanding or
plans for pacing plans for pacing thinking that will be thinking that will be
instruction. instruction. revealed and plans for revealed and plans for
informing instruction. differentiating
instruction.

¨Use of the different ¨Assessment ¨Assessment ¨Assessment

forms of assessment opportunities reflect opportunities reflect opportunities reflect a
reflects substantial consideration of each accurate consideration strategic rationale that
misconceptions form’s strengths with of each form’s strengths. takes advantage of each
about the strengths some errors in form’s strengths to
of each form. understanding. provide a cohesive and
effective whole.

¨Tasks/activities ¨Tasks/activities ¨Tasks/activities meet ¨Tasks/activities meet

meet few of the meet some of the most of the relevant all of the relevant design
relevant design relevant design design guidelines guidelines specified in
guidelines specified guidelines specified specified in the the textbook.
in the textbook. in the textbook. textbook.

(12 points) (15 points) (18 points) (21 points)

Synthesis ¨Describes ¨Describes assessment ¨Connects assessment ¨Connects fundamental
Statement assessment tasks that tasks that acknowledge activities to a future principles of assessment
involve and/or student diversity and classroom, with to a strong vision of a
benefit students. involve and/or benefit examples that value a future classroom, with
students. diversity of student specific examples that
capabilities and empower students and
contributions. recognize them as
valuable contributors to
the classroom.
¨Describes project ¨Describes project ¨Demonstrates ¨Demonstrates thorough
revisions and student revisions and strengths thorough self- self-reflection on the
strengths in relation of the student in reflection on the student’s development
to professional relation to professional student’s development through the course in
competencies. competencies with a through and beyond relation to professional
vague long-term vision the course in relation competencies. Takes
for the student’s to professional ownership of learning
development. competencies. and next steps in
learning about
assessment.
(2.5 points) (3 points) (3.5 points) (4 points)

Peer ¨Focuses mostly on ¨Identifieswhat the ¨Describes the ¨Describes the peer’s
Feedback the mechanics of the peer’s work does well qualities and work in language
peer’s writing (e.g., and what qualities shortcomings of the consistent with
grammar, would be needed to peer’s work with performance descriptors.
punctuation, improve the work. alignment to the rubric.
spelling) or general ¨Identifies aspects of the
praise (e.g., Good peer’s work that reflect
job!”). success criteria.
¨Ischaracterized ¨Is characterized more ¨Supports the ¨Supports the student’s
more by evaluation by evaluation and student’s thinking thinking about next steps
and judgment than judgment than about next steps to take to take without directing
description of the description of the and provides some the student on what to
peer’s work. peer’s work. guidance. do.
¨Consists almost ¨Provides more ¨Focuses on the work, ¨Focuses on the work,
entirely of correction correction of the work not the peer. not the peer.
of the work rather than guidance for the
than guidance for the peer to take and act
peer to take and act upon.
upon.
¨Lacks respect for ¨Respects the student ¨Respects the student ¨Respects the student as
the peer and their as a capable, active as a capable, active a capable, active learner.
motivation to learn. learner. learner.

(7 points) (8 points) (9 points) (10 points)

 Assessment Plan
Applying the principles of backward design, complete an assessment plan for a unit in your future class. A unit
typically comprises 2-4 weeks of instruction, and serves as a vehicle for moving students toward the learning
standards for your grade level and subject area. The assessment plan helps to organize your thinking for this
unit, maintaining a focus on the purposes of instruction and the goals you have for your students and yourself. It
will serve as a foundation for developing assessment tasks. The due dates for complete drafts of the following
sections are as follows:

Grade level, topic, & standards: Wednesday, January 19

Cognitive Complexity Matrix: Wednesday, February 2
Informal and Formal assessment: Wednesday, February 16

You will earn 1 point for each deadline that is met with a full draft reflecting an honest attempt at the relevant
section(s).

Grade: Kindergarten

Topic: Geometry (with ELL Support)

What learning standards will you emphasize in your unit? (add rows as needed)
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1
Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these
objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2
Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4
Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using
informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and
vertices/"corners") and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal length).

ELP.K.10 - make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade appropriate speech and
Writing
Cognitive Complexity Matrix
To organize your system of assessment and plan your assessment tasks, complete the following matrix. First, list the learning standards you identified
on the previous page. (Add additional rows as needed.) Next, identify the DOK level that best describes each standard. Then, using the products of
the standard deconstruction process, articulate what student performance would look like, in the form of learning objectives, not only at the target
DOK level, but also at the levels that build up to and extend the level identified for the standard. This will help you think about assessment and
instructional activities that scaffold student learning and provide enriching opportunities for students who exceed the learning standard.

Learning Standards (add rows as DOK DOK 1: DOK 2: DOK 3: DOK 4:

needed) Level Recall & Reproduction Skills & Concepts Strategic Thinking Extended Thinking
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 2 I can identify objects I can describe an I can create an image I can create an image
Describe objects in the in the classroom by object’s relative by placing shapes using shapes and
environment using names of using names of shapes. positions using terms based on descriptions describe it in words by
shapes, and describe the relative such as above, below, of their relative using relative
positions of these objects using beside, in front of, positions. positions.
terms such behind, and next to
as above, below, beside, in front using words.
of, behind, and next to
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 1 I can correctly name I can compare same I can explain how I I can create a picture
Correctly name shapes shapes regardless of shapes of different know when two shapes using shapes of
regardless of their orientations or their orientations or orientations or sizes are the same regardless different sizes and
overall size. overall size using using words. of their overall size and orientations and
words. orientation using identify like shapes.
I can construct a shape words.
when given its name.

I can correctly name

shapes and justify my
answer using words.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4 2 I can correctly identify I can analyze and I can explain the I can compare and
Analyze and compare two- and two- and three- compare two- and relationship between contrast two objects
three-dimensional shapes, in dimensional shapes and three-dimensional two- and three- using descriptions of
different sizes and orientations, describe their parts shapes using words to dimensional shapes the shapes that each
using informal language to using informal describe their (identifying that the object is made of.
describe their similarities, language. similarities, sides of a cube are
differences, parts (e.g., number differences, parts, and squares, etc.)
of sides and vertices/"corners") other attributes.
and other attributes (e.g., having
sides of equal length).

ELP.K.10 - make accurate use of I can answer simple I can speak about I can speak about I can speak about
standard English to communicate questions about shapes shapes using simple shapes using a variety shapes using a variety
in grade appropriate speech and with support. sentences with my of verbs in the present of verbs and verb
Writing peers with support. tense. tenses.
Informal Assessment
On this page identify (name or briefly describe) four informal assessment actions you plan to take during your
unit. Informal assessment activities can be deeply embedded in instructional activities and should provide
immediate information that allows you to monitor student learning (or the student to monitor their own
learning). Strong lesson plans typically include two or more informal assessment activities. For this portfolio
assignment, one of your forms of informal assessment must be a self-assessment activity, and one form must be
a peer assessment activity. The remaining two forms you may determine at your discretion. Describe the
information you anticipate collecting from each action and the formative and/or summative value it will
provide. You will further develop and elaborate on these forms of informal assessment in the Assessment
Opportunities section.

What forms of informal assessment will you use in
your unit?
Self-assessment: Cloze paragraph worksheet –
Students will be given a worksheet with various
blanks on it. These blanks will be filled in with
vocabulary words such as names of shapes and
relative positions. Students will fill in the cloze
paragraph and use an accompanying image to give
them the information they need to be able to fill in
the blanks. Afterwards, students can see the
vocabulary that they need to know better and set a
goal for themselves.
What formative and/or summative information will
they provide you and the student with regard to the
student’s progress toward (or achievement of) the
learning standards?
That will assess standards ELP.K.10,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2, and
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1. This will
provide me with immediately actionable data on
possible misconceptions the students have, let me see
their way of thinking, and understand where the
students may need more support. I would not use this
as a summative assessment, but rather use different
varieties of this activity to get continuous formative
data.

This will help students know what information they

Peer assessment: Keep the Question Going –
Students will be given a prompt to compare and
contrast two shapes. One student will share their
answer and another student will say whether they
agree or disagree with the first student. Then, they
will give a justification for why they agree or
disagree. Then, ask a third student if they believe the
second student’s justification is reasonable as well as
why/why not.
need to know in order to address the standards,
including the concepts and vocabulary they should
use. Students will be able to reflect on their results
and can, with guidance, create goals to improve their
understanding.
This will assess standard
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4 and ELP.K.10.
This feedback will allow me to get a good idea on the
pacing that I need for the rest of the unit. As a
teacher, I will be able to see where students struggle
with comparing and contrasting as well as
communicating their thoughts. I can also see how
well they can provide feedback to others and how
well they can use feedback. I could use this as a
summative assessment for both standards if it was
given toward the end of the unit.

From this assessment, students will get a lot of

Additional informal strategy #1: One Minute
feedback from their peers and will be able to see
areas of improvement as well as getting feedback on
how to improve. Students can also learn from the
successes or mistakes of their peers and model their
next steps after those.
As a teacher, I will get a lot of information about how
Discussion – This assessment is similar to the one-
minute essay, except with a discussion prompt rather
than a writing prompt. Students will be asked to pick
a reflection prompt and briefly discuss it with their
partner. While they do this, I will walk around and
ask students to share with me. Some example of
prompts students can chose from:
- What do I think is the most important topic I
learned today and why?
- What was the most confusing topic from today
and why?
- What is a topic I think will be on the test and
why?
Additional informal strategy #2: Choral Response:
Students will be given questions in which they will
identify shapes and respond in unison.
Example:
Teacher: “What shape is this?”
Whole Class: “Triangle!”
students are generally feeling about the content
covered that day. Based on the responses that the
teacher gets, they can see whether students
understand key topics and why they are important as
well as what topics are confusing and why students
are struggling. This assessment doesn't directly match
a standard, so this would be purely formative to give
me information on confusing areas, what the students
value in my teaching, and to help students think
about what they can do to improve their
understanding.
Students learn a lot from this assessment, as well.
They gain reflection skills which help them play a
lager role in their own learning process. Students can
identify what their struggles are, what is important,
and what might be important later.
This assessment will assess standard
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2. Teachers can
learn how many of their students grasp the concept,
as you can get an idea of how many students are
correct and how many students aren't participating or
get the answer wrong. This assessment will be useful
for whole-group formative data, however I would not
use this as a summative assessment because you can't
tell who is participating or who actually understands
the concepts.
Students will know which areas they are
knowledgeable in and which areas they aren't. It can
also serve as an indication of what it is important for
students to learn.
Formal Assessment
Formal assessment typically asks the student to engage in a discrete activity like an assignment, quiz, or test that
produces some kind of tangible output. This output should be useful for analyzing student learning at a broad
level with maybe some diagnostic or formative information for instructional decisions or decisions about a
student. Formal assessment takes places less frequently than informal assessment. In the table below, identify
(name or briefly describe) the formal assessment actions you plan to take during your unit. Then describe the
information you anticipate collecting from each action and the formative and/or summative value it will
provide. You will further develop and elaborate on these forms of formal assessment in the Assessment
Opportunities section.

What forms of formal assessment will you use in
your unit? (add rows as needed)
Oral presentation – Students will give an oral
presentation up to 5 minutes long where they
describe an image by identifying shapes and
describing their relative positions to other objects.
What formative and/or summative information will
they provide you and the student with regard to the
student’s progress toward (or achievement of) the
learning standards?
This assessment includes standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2, and ELP.K.10.
The presentation will provide the teacher with the
student's abilities to meet the standards that require
identifying and describing shapes. It will also give
the teacher the ability to assess performance
standards like presenting, which will be helpful for
all students but particularly ELL students. This
assessment would be summative.

Students will be given feedback on their presentation

Shape Comparison Quiz – students will be given a
quiz that has multiple sets of shapes. First, students
must identify the shapes given by labelling them.
Then, students must circle the attributes of the shapes
that are similar (ex. Number of vertices, number of
sides, etc.) and things that are different.
based on the standards. This feedback will include a
plan to improve.
This assessment includes standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4. This assessment
would be another summative assessment where
students can show their mastery of these standards.
The teacher will be able to see how well students can
compare and contrast different shapes. This
assessment is selected response, so the variety of
answers the students can give is somewhat limited.

The students will be given feedback that will show

Student interviews/portfolios - Students will create a
portfolio of their assignments and, in an interview
with the teacher, show their growth and where they
think they belong in relation to the standards.
them where they made errors and, if needed, in-depth
feedback about comparing and contrasting.
This assessment will assess all of the standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2,
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4, and ELP.K.10.
The end goal of this assessment is to gain summative
information. However, since it is a long-term process,
various check-points can be used for formative
information to guide the course of instruction to help
give students what they need to succeed by the end of
 the assessment.. This will give teachers a lot of
information. They can see where the students have
learned, how the student feels they did, whether or
not the student feels they have learned, and what the
student actually did learn.

In this assessment, students are given the opportunity

to reflect on their achievements, assess themselves,
and justify their self-assessment. They can also get
actionable feedback from the interview as well as
more feedback along the way from peers.

Standardized tests
In the school district you plan to work in, standardized tests will be used to understand student performance in
comparison to standards (criterion-referenced), other students in their grade level (normative), and past
performance. There are also tests that may be used by counselors in the district as well as tests administered
outside the district (e.g., for college admission or placement). As a teacher, understanding what knowledge and
skills your students will need to perform on these examinations will provide context for the results and ways to
use them to improve your practice. Below, please identify 2-4 standardized tests that may be relevant to your
unit, and briefly describe how these tests may connect to your planned assessment and instruction.

Standardized Test
English Language Arts/Literacy
Smarter Balanced Assessment (3-8,
11)
Mathematics Smarter Balanced
Assessment (3-8, 11)
ACCESS for ELLs Online 2.0
How will your planned assessment and instruction help students to
reach the standards assessed by this test?
My planned assessment and instruction will help students with this
standardized test by giving them the ability to form arguments
through justifying their answers and giving them opportunities to
build literacy through oral presentations and discussions.
My planned assessment and instruction heavily teaches
mathematical concepts that are the foundation of geometry,
however students will also build mathematical practices like
reasoning and constructing arguments.
My planned assessment focuses on discussion, oral presentations,
and various forms of oral communication that can build
proficiency in oral literacy and with a bit of writing skills.

Give written feedback to one classmate on their assessment plan using the Ladder of Success strategy. Your
feedback should follow principles of feedback discussed in class and from reading resources assigned in
class. Consistent with these principles, make sure to reference the expectations for this portion of the portfolio
assignment.
Strategy:
Ladder of Success
Identifies relevant
learning standards from
both within and outside
the core content area.
Identifies a defensible
DOK level for each
learning standard.
Illustrates every DOK
level for each learning
standard by providing
specific, attainable, and
measurable statements
(learning objectives) that
would demonstrate the
level of cognitive
complexity.
Identifies informal and
formal assessment
activities for each
standard that scaffolds
learning to the DOK level
identified and beyond and
describes anticipated
formative/ summative
information with detail.
As a whole, serves as a
bridge between learning
standards, instruction, and
assessment activities that
will take place in the unit.
Learning and assessment
are integrated.
Peer Feedback – Assessment Plan
Directions: Refer to the descriptions of exemplary performance in the
assessment plan. For each description, give your partner’s work a ü if there
is strong evidence of the description, a – if there is some evidence of the
description, or a Ο if there is no evidence of the description. Then, in the
large space on the right, provide your peer a summary of where their work is
strong and support them to identify next steps to take in their work.
Feedback Given to your Peer (Jackson Yale)
ü
Hi Jackson!
It was really fun to read through your assessment portfolio, especially
ü with the standards and content areas you picked.
I think that you have a really good understanding of your standards,
ü how they fit together, and how to translate them into DOK Levels that
are easy to use as a teacher and as a student.
I also like your assessment strategies, but many of them focus on the
same few standards and there were some areas that I noticed were
missing from your assessments. You do have a lot of standards to
cover, so having them all represented in assessments is really difficult.
However, I noticed that a lot of your activities have a focus on setting
and don’t allow for students to show understanding of characters or
- p.o.v. (yet!). I think your portfolio would be excellent if you added
one or two more assessment activities that addressed different
standards/DOK levels!
Overall, I really do think you’ve done quite well considering how
dense and hefty your theater standard is. You did a really great job
translating it into DOK levels that have a sensible progression in
complexity, and the assessments that you have are great for getting
information about student understanding. I think you’ll have a great
- portfolio if you expand your assessment activities a little more!
Let me know if you have any questions about my feedback! :)

Identifies relevant
learning standards from
both within and outside
the core content area.
Identifies a defensible
DOK level for each
learning standard.
Illustrates every DOK
level for each learning
standard by providing
specific, attainable, and
measurable statements
(learning objectives) that
would demonstrate the
level of cognitive
complexity.
Identifies informal and
formal assessment
activities for each
standard that scaffolds
learn to the DOK level
identified and beyond and
describes anticipated
formative/ summative
information with detail.
As a whole, serves as a
bridge between learning
standards, instruction, and
assessment activities that
will take place in the unit.
Learning and assessment
are integrated.
Feedback Received from your Peer (Ashlyn S.)
ü Correctly identifies relevant learning standards with three within core
content area and two outside of core content area.
ü Each DOK level is defensible and builds/reduces regarding to the
DOK level.
ü You did a great job with writing your DOK levels so that each has a
specific, attainable, and measurable objective! Very clear and
descriptive.
ü I really loved your informal and formal assessment activities!
They were quite creative and would provoke a lot of thought in
your students, as well as provide you with information. One thing
I would say is for your informal one-minute discussion, I would
maybe extend it to two minutes just so that your students would
each have enough time to talk and reflect? I liked how you had a
mix for your formal assessment, and they were unique and
allowed creative thinking.
ü Your portfolio looks great! Everything looks up to standard. Your
DOKs are all arguable for where you placed them, and the
informal and formal assessments were fantastic. They were
unique, and I like how you had various types of assessment so it
wasn’t the same thing with different variations to it.
 Assessment Opportunities
In this section of the portfolio, you will develop/describe different forms of assessment you will use in your
unit. Across all your planned assessment activities, you will want to make sure you have addressed each
learning standard thoroughly, and provided assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate achievement
of different depths of knowledge. Your assessment preparation should include thoughtful consideration of how
your assessments tasks/activities will reach students of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities in ways that
recognize their strengths (not just weaknesses) and recognize them as valuable contributors to the classroom
community. The due dates for drafts of the following sections are as follows:

Informal Assessment Strategies: Wednesday, March 2

Selected-response Assessment: Wednesday, March 23
Constructed-response Assessment: Wednesday, March 30
Performance Assessment: Wednesday, April 6

You will earn 1 point for each deadline that is met with a full draft reflecting an honest attempt at the relevant
section(s).

Informal Assessment Strategies

Here, you will describe a sample of four informal assessment strategies you will use to gather evidence of
student thinking and progress toward the learning objectives. This evidence should be immediately actionable,
allowing you to make an instructional decision in the moment or plan for the next day’s instruction. Among
your formative assessment strategies, you must include some form of self-assessment and some form of peer
assessment. It is possible that one or more of your informal assessment strategies might overlap with other
forms of assessment you have planned (i.e., selected-response, constructed-response, performance assessment).
In such cases, describe the assessment strategy briefly here and then in more detail in the relevant following
section. For strategies that may be routine and frequently occurring, just describe one instance of the strategy.

Strategy 1: Reflection and goal setting (Portfolio checkpoints)

Describe the activity:
These activities will occur multiple times in the unit. Students will look at their work so far. Then, they will
look at our learning objectives and identify which learning objectives they meet and which ones they don't.
They will identify things they did well, things they need to improve, and what is confusing to them. Then,
they will set a goal for themselves to have done by the next portfolio checkpoint that will help push them
forward.

Prompts: “What have you been working on? What goals have you set for yourself before? Did you meet your
last goal? What goals can you set for yourself this time?”

What evidence do you anticipate the activity will provide?

This activity will provide students with evidence of their own learning. It will also provide them with
opportunities to see what is expected of their final portfolio and what is expected of them in terms of taking
ownership of their own learning and goalsetting. I will get evidence of how the students are feeling about
what they have learned so far and what changes I can make to help them learn better.

How do you plan to use the anticipated evidence?

I plan to use this evidence to make decisions as far as modifying my instruction plan – similar to the one-
minute discussion, I can see what areas students feel confident in and where I need to reteach. I'll also use this
activity as a way to help students see what they need to work on, help them set their own goals, and regulate
 their learning.

Strategy 2: Continuum activity

Describe the activity:
Students are given a continuum with different DOK levels of a learning objective. Students will share
their work with a small group of peers and place their work where they think it goes on the continuum.
Then, their peers will agree or disagree and explain why. Afterwards, students set goals for themselves
to meet the learning target.

What evidence do you anticipate the activity will provide?

The peer assessment aspect can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses outside of their own
perspective. Students are able to set specific goals for themselves that help them reach the learning objective.
This activity tells me approximately where students are in terms of understanding the learning objectives,
meeting the objectives, and monitoring their own progress.

How do you plan to use the anticipated evidence?

I plan to use this evidence to communicate to students where they need to end up and what they need to do to
reach the learning objectives. It can also be useful to see if we need to change the language of the learning
objectives if the students are confused on where to place themselves.

Strategy 3: Observation
Describe the activity:

Throughout the lesson, I will be observing the students and their behavior. I'll be looking to see if they are
engaged and participating in meaningful ways, what mistakes they might be making, what questions they are
asking me or their peers, and their general attitude towards the activities and content. I will be using charts
with table groups and writing notes as I go.
What evidence do you anticipate the activity will provide?
This will provide me with useful information about whether or not the students will care about or engage with
the content. Students can give real-time feedback on their understanding as well as on how they feel about the
content.

How do you plan to use the anticipated evidence?

If students are confused, I know that I need to clarify something. If students are bored, it might be because the
activities are too easy for them, too difficult for them, or the student has checked out. I'll need to adjust the
complexity or difficulty of the activity or find a way to get students to check back in. This data gives me
immediately actionable feedback to keep my students engaged.

Strategy 4: Pre-teaching discussion

Describe the activity:
Before the lesson begins, we will have a discussion about the content that I will be teaching. If the
lesson is about shapes, I will ask students what they know about shapes and they can have a short
discussion before the lesson starts. After that, the learning objectives will be introduced.

Prompts: "What shapes do you know? What do you notice about these shapes? Do you have a favorite
shape? Why or why not?”

What evidence do you anticipate the activity will provide?

This activity will show what the students already know – some will know nothing, some will know
everything, but it gives a good gauge of where everyone is at. This can also provide students with a preview
of what they will learn and the kinds of things they will need to learn.

How do you plan to use the anticipated evidence?

I will use this evidence to control the pace of my lesson – if it seems that most students know most of the
lesson, I can focus on making sure the students who don't know grasp it instead of spending time working
with students who already know the content. This can also inform small group placement, whether I want to
place students in groups of similar knowledge levels or pair up more knowledgeable students will less
knowledgeable students.
 Peer Feedback – Informal Assessment
Give written feedback to one classmate on their informal assessment using the Two Stars and a Wish strategy.
Your feedback should follow principles of feedback discussed in class and from reading resources assigned in
class. Consistent with these principles, make sure to reference the expectations for this portion of the portfolio
assignment.
Strategy: Directions: Identify two positive aspects of your peer’s work and then
Two Stars and a Wish suggest something your peer might do to improve another aspect of their
work.
Feedback Given to your Peer (Madison)

Madison,
Overall, I think your work is great! I really like your strategies, specifically 2 and 4. I like that you are giving
them skills to check their own work and letting them be creative. I also really like how specific you were for
anticipated evidence that these strategies will provide. My biggest critique would be that I wish the uses of
the evidence were just as thorough. Like Kristi said in class, it would be useful to list out how you can use the
evidence to differentiate instruction for struggling or highly capable students! Good job!

Feedback Received from your Peer (Madison)

Emilee, I think you did a great job in emphasizing what students will be required to do and explaining the
assessment at hand! The assessment tasks are easy to understand and the goal and outcome of them is
clear. One thing I noticed (specifically in Strategy 3) is that it would benefit if you added a little more detail
into how you will specifically observe and record information. Great work!!
 Selected-Response Assessment
Based off your assessment plan, develop selected-response items that assesses some or all of your stated desired
learning results. The specific number and form (i.e., multiple-choice, matching, true/false, select all that apply)
of selected-response items you need will be dependent upon how you have planned to use assessment
throughout the unit.

What standards will you address with selected-response At which DOK level(s) Which items address
assessment? Please provide the code (e.g., ELA- will this standard be this standard?
Literacy.RL.2.1) and text for each standard. addressed in the
Add rows as needed. following activities?
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 2 Fill-in-the-blank
Describe objects in the environment using names of questions 1-5.
shapes, and describe the relative positions of these
objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in
front of, behind, and next to
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 1 True/False questions
Correctly name shapes regardless of their
orientations or overall size.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1
Describe objects in the environment using names of
shapes, and describe the relative positions of these
objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in
front of, behind, and next to

When in your unit will you use this form of assessment?

My unit will use this form of assessment at the beginning and a little bit towards the middle to measure
progress. At the end, these will be used much less because of the need for students to justify their answers or
explain their thinking to reach those higher DOK levels.

Why is selected-response the best form of assessment to address the learning standards at the target DOK
level(s)? (Think about the strengths and weaknesses of each form of assessment.)

Doesn’t evaluate thinking or reasoning, only correctness. Is limited to accurately assessing lower DOK
levels, really hard to write and not mislead.

Good for DOK 1 and 2. This is because it doesn't require students to construct their own responses or show
reasoning, they just need to identify concepts, recall information, or other tasks that assess at lower DOK
levels. Focuses on bigger ideas. Less time for assessment (quick proctoring) and grading (students can grade
themselves) – hard to write well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Insert your selected-response items below. Be sure to include answer keys as needed for the questions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Right or Wrong Questions:

Pick whether the sentence is true or false.

(picture of a circle) (picture of square)

This shape is a square. This shape is a square.
True/False* true*/false

(picture of an obtuse triangle) (picture of a right triangle)

This shape is a triangle. This is a square.
true*/false true/false*

(picture of a rectangle)
This shape is a rectangle.
true*/false

Fill-in-the-blank

Above, below, next to, in front of, behind

The small cloud is _____ the big cloud. The red triangle is _______ the black square. The red rectangle is
______ the purple rectangle. The blue sky is _______ the sun. The blue rectangle is _____ the green circle.

Answer key:
1. Next to
2. Above
3. In front of
4. Behind
5. below
 Peer Feedback – Selected-Response Assessment
Give written feedback to one classmate on their selected-response assessment using the Traffic Lights
strategy. Your feedback should follow principles of feedback discussed in class and from reading resources
assigned in class. Consistent with these principles, make sure to reference the expectations for this portion of
the portfolio assignment.
Strategy: Directions: Identify aspects of your peer’s work that meet the success
Traffic Lights criteria (green), aspects where some improvement is needed (yellow), and
any aspects where substantial improvement is needed (red).

Feedback Given to your Peer

Green: Your selected-response items are very well written and will provide accurate data (the questions aren't
easy to guess or misleading). That's difficult to do, so I'm glad that they are fairly written!

Yellow: It may be useful to come up with more than one item for each form of assessment to see how you can
make each form of assessment work for various learning objectives. Sometimes it might be hard to come up
with enough true/false questions that assess what you need, and if there is only one true/false item, it might
make more sense to switch to a different method that suits your needs better. (if that is confusing, please let
me know so I can explain it better!)

Red: When looking back at the DOK levels, they ask for more than what the items are assessing. One of them
asks students to identify and support, but the students aren't required to use their answers to support a claim.
They clearly address the standards, but they don't necessarily address the full requirements of the higher DOK
levels.

I really think your work is a great starting point – please let me know if any of my feedback is confusing so I
can clarify! :)

Feedback Received from your Peer

Green: Hey there Emilee! I loved your selected-response assessments. I think that the right or wrong sentence
was so creative, and would a great assessment tool! The fill in the blank question was also super fun and
engaging, even as an adult, so I am sure that would work great in the classroom!

Yellow: Now I do not entirely remember being in kindergarten, but the one thing I noticed while reading your
selected-response questions was that the require students to be able to read and write in words that may be
more for a first grade level? Not entirely sure though, so I would check up on that and if they are words and
sentences too far advanced for kindergarteners, maybe assess them vocally while reading the questions to
them?

Red: The one thing I would have you change is for your second selected-response question you have the fillin
words on there twice. That may be confusing to see it twice on there as a young student, so I would suggest
deleting the words below the picture.
 Constructed-Response Assessment
Based off your assessment plan, develop constructed-response prompts that assesses some or all of your stated
desired learning results. The specific number and form (i.e., fill-in-the-blank, short answer, essay) of
constructed-response prompts you need will be dependent upon how you have planned to use assessment
throughout the unit.

What standards will you address with constructed-response At which DOK Which items/prompts
assessment? Please provide the code (e.g., ELA- level(s) will this address this standard?
Literacy.RL.2.1) and text for each standard. standard be addressed
Add rows as needed. in the following
activities?
2 1 and 2
ELP.K.10 - make accurate use of standard English to
communicate in grade appropriate speech and
Writing

2-3 1 and 2
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2
Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or
overall size.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 4 2
Describe objects in the environment using names of
shapes, and describe the relative positions of these
objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in
front of, behind, and next to

When in your unit will you use this form of assessment?

I would use this form of assessment at the middle and end of a unit. It could work well as a pre-lesson
discussion to gauge prior knowledge, however I feel they are most useful in the middle and end. While I feel
that constructed-response questions are great opportunities for meaningful feedback, I personally would not
grade either of the assessments I have created if I can avoid it.

Why is constructed-response the best form of assessment to address the learning standards at the target DOK
level(s)? (Think about the strengths and weaknesses of each form of assessment.)
Constructed-response is good for the third and fourth DOK levels. They are good at this because
students must take what they have learned and apply the concepts and use strategic thinking to
construct a response rather than just spitting out facts or memorized content.

These assessments are good for seeing students’ thought processes, solution pathways, and
justifications for their answers. They can also be given more valuable feedback than with SR tasks.

These assessments usually take longer to grade and are more subject to subjectivity in grading or
giving feedback – it is harder to be impartial with these tasks because there is an infinite number of
ways students can answer the prompts or show their understanding.
 Both of my constructed response tasks rely heavily on guiding questions to scaffold the content for
students. These questions progress from the entry-level DOK levels up to the higher ones that are
being assessed. If students can answer the basic guiding questions, it can lead them to think more
about the complex ones and give them a better foundation for success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Insert your constructed-response items/prompts below. Be sure to include rubrics or answer keys as needed for
each question. (If multiple prompts will be scored on the same rubric, you may present that rubric only once,
but make sure it is clear what prompts are aligned with each rubric.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prompt one:

Student prompt: Create the shape you hear using play-doh. (As they are working, teacher will walk
around and observe, asking students to describe their Play-doh shapes – ex. “what shape did you make?
How do you know it's a *shape name*? Can you describe your shape to me? Is it still a *shape name* if I
make it smaller or bigger? What if I turn it upside-down?”) Students will also draw their shape for record-
keeping purposes and I will use the checklist for recording student's progress.

Checklist for prompt one:

- Student creates the correct shape out of play-doh
- Student can explain that the shape is the same if the size or orientation is changed.
- Student can describe their shape using simple sentences when prompted and with support (if needed).

Prompt two:
*this is just one example, ideally I would have a couple more on the board

Given verbally: Use your tangrams to create a picture like the examples on the board. In your groups, talk about your
objects. What shapes did you use? Where are the shapes in relation to other shapes?

emerging approaching meeting

content Student describes the Student describes their Student describes their
object using very few or no object using most of the object using all of the shape
shape names, describes the shape names used, describes names used and describes
relative position of shapes the relative position of one the relative position of two
incorrectly shape correctly or more shapes correctly.
 language Uses single words or
phrases, does not attempt
to use full sentences even
with support. Is difficult to
understand most of the
time.
Uses short phrases and Uses simple sentences with
simple sentences with some little to no support. Is easy to
support. Is understood with a understand.
little effort.

Math language: shape, side, point, vertices, corners.

 Peer Feedback – Constructed-Response Assessment
Give written feedback to one classmate on their constructed-response assessment using the +, -, What’s
Next? strategy. Your feedback should follow principles of feedback discussed in class and from reading
resources assigned in class. Consistent with these principles, make sure to reference the expectations for this
portion of the portfolio assignment.
Strategy: Directions: Comment on what was done well in your peer’s work in relation
+, -, what’s next? to the success criteria (+) what could be done better (-). Then work with your
peer to establish a personal target to improve their work (what’s next).

Feedback Given to your Peer (Haley)

Hi Haley!

+: I really enjoyed how thorough your CR assessments were! There weren't any areas that weren't clear
because you laid it all out really well. I also liked the questions you came up with for the 2nd CR assessment!
They should get students to come up with thoughtful responses.

-: If I'm being honest, I struggled with identifying areas for improvement. My biggest thought is that I
wonder if a full-blown analytic rubric is necessary for an exit-ticket type assignment. It looks like it took a lot
of time, and I wonder if it would be easier for you and for students to use a less specific rubric.

What’s next?: Your work is very polished, so the next step I would take is seeing if you want to consider other
types of rubrics, checklists, etc. for those lower-stake formative assessments like the exit-ticket item.

Overall, good job! :) Please let me know if any of my feedback was confusing!

Feedback Received from your Peer

+: I really liked how your prompts reached all the way to DOK level 4. You also provided lots of scaffolding
and clear questions so that a child at any level can take part in this task. I think this will be easily adaptable
for students of all levels and needs.

-: One thing I would consider is the reliability of the feedback you are receiving from your prompts. Students
may just say what their neighbor next to them is saying and not share their original thoughts with you. Maybe
consider adapting how you are gathering the information (have students bring their play doh figure to the
back table as they finish and ask them the questions) so that it is more reliable. Just a thought, I know since
you’re working with kindergarteners you are limited in how you can collect your data.

What’s next?: Again, great work! My only suggestion would be to adapt the prompts so you are receiving
reliable information on what your individual student knows, not theres no chance of them taking responses
from their peers as I outlined above.
 Performance Assessment
Based off your assessment plan, develop performance assessment prompts that assesses some or all of your
stated desired learning results. The specific number and form (i.e., structured on-demand, naturally occurring,
longer-term projects, simulations) of performance assessment prompts you need will be dependent upon how
you have planned to use assessment throughout the unit.

What standards will you address with performance At which DOK level(s) Which prompts (or parts of
assessment? Please provide the code (e.g., ELA- will this standard be the prompt) address this
Literacy.RL.2.1) and text for each standard. addressed in the standard?
Add rows as needed. following activities?
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4 3 I am a shape, art
Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional presentation, portfolio
shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using interview
informal language to describe their similarities,
differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and
vertices/"corners") and other attributes (e.g.,
having sides of equal length).

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 3 Art presentation,

Describe objects in the environment using names portfolio
of shapes, and describe the relative positions of
these objects using terms such
as above, below, beside, in front of, behind,
and next to
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 4 Art presentation,
Correctly name shapes regardless of their portfolio
orientations or overall size.

ELP.K.10 - make accurate use of standard English 3 I am a shape, art

to communicate in grade appropriate speech and presentation, portfolio
writing

When in your unit will you use this form of assessment?

I will use these forms of assessments at the end of the unit. Students will be working on them throughout the
unit, however they will not be assessed until the very end as a summative assessment for all of the standards
in the unit.

Why is performance assessment the best form of assessment to address the learning standards at the target
DOK level(s)? (Think about the strengths and weaknesses of each form of assessment.)

Performance assessments are great to address learning standards at higher DOK levels because they require
students to apply their skills, build connections, and create something new using the skills and concepts
using a deep understanding of the content.

These assessments are great for summative assessments that have a large scope and cover multiple standards.
They are also great for allowing students to be creative and show their understanding in their own unique
 ways, as it is much easier to be flexible with performance assessments when compared to other assessments.
Because of this flexibility, it can be easier to modify or give accommodation that students need.

However, that flexibility can be a double-edged sword, as the wide variety of possibilities that make
performance assessments so great can also make it much tougher to grade objectively. They can also be
difficult to create and manage because they require a lot of time and energy from the teacher and the
students.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Insert your performance assessment prompt(s) below. Be sure to include rubrics or answer keys as needed for
each prompt. (If multiple prompts will be scored on the same rubric, you may present that rubric only once, but
make sure it is clear what prompts are aligned with each rubric.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Portfolio Interview:
- Students will create a portfolio including all of the work they have done with shapes throughout the unit.
Alongside the work, they will include the goals they have set throughout the units using the feedback they have
gotten. I will talk to each student and allow them to show me the progress they made and explain how they met
each standard – this includes the ELP standards for ELL students. ELL students will be able to have interviews
that focus more on their ELP standards as they relate to this unit.

Kid-speak version: I want everyone to show me what they've learned and how they have improved over the unit. Y’all are
going to pick some examples of your work that show me how you've grown and show me some goals you set for yourself
that you worked toward meeting. Then, we're just going to talk it out one-on-one and you're going to explain to me how
you grew and how you met our learning objectives.
Checklist: (this is my record-keeping tool, plus a few lines where I can write notes at the bottom)
 I have at least 2 work examples that show progress towards each learning goal I set for myself
 I can explain my growth using my examples
 I can tell if I met the learning objectives
 I can explain why I did or did not meet the learning objectives
 I can reflect on my portfolio and explain what I did well and areas that need improvement

Students will be given a tool to guide the interview. They will have a folder where they can put their work on one side
and include their goals on the other to keep with them throughout the unit. They'll have checklists for what to bring to
the interview and will have a checklist for how I will be assessing their portfolio interview.
Oral Art Presentation:
- Students will create an art piece that includes the shapes they have learned about throughout the lesson and
present it orally.
Single-point Rubric:
Student compares two or more shapes and uses vocabulary such as sides, vertices/corners and relative
positions like above, next to, etc. to describe the shapes in their artwork. When prompted, students can
answer a question about their artwork.
Student compares two shapes but doesn't use vocabulary. Describes the relative positions of their
shapes correctly. Attempts to answer questions when prompted.
Student compares two shapes but does not use vocabulary or relative positions. Does not attempt to
answer questions when prompted.
I Am a Tree Shape:
- In small groups, students will take turns picking a three-dimensional shape and pretending to be the shape
(students will be given pictures that represent the 3-dimensional shapes). Students will have a discussion where
they compare and contrast the shapes that they are pretending to be with the shapes the other students in their
group are pretending to be.
Checklist:
 I described my shape accurately.
 I listed one similarity and one difference between my shape and the other shape.
 I used shape vocabulary like sides, vertices, faces.

Peer Feedback – Performance Assessment

Give written feedback to one classmate on their performance assessment using the Warm and Cool strategy.
Your feedback should follow principles of feedback discussed in class and from reading resources assigned in
class. Consistent with these principles, make sure to reference the expectations for this portion of the portfolio
assignment.
Strategy: Directions: Comment on positive aspects of your peer’s work (warm) and
Warm and Cool identify areas that need improvement (cool). Provide hints on how to “raise
the temperature”.

Feedback Given to your Peer

Hi Ashlyn!

Warm: I love that you used the single-point rubrics that we discussed in class. It's awesome to see them put
into use. I also think that your assessment strategies are super creative. I would've loved to do them as a kid
(and maybe even as an adult, haha!).

Cool: Because performance assessments are usually very resource heavy, I would suggest trying to fit as
many standards into each assessment opportunity as possible. After reviewing your standards, it seems very
possible to me that you can assess all your standards in these activities, especially since they are all listed as
DOK 3 in your matrix.

Raise the temperature: My biggest suggestion would to be to add the map analysis standard and further
develop the ELA aspects of the assessments (if you feel it is necessary). Doing that would make these
assessments much more worth the time because they will give you a lot more information!

Overall, awesome job. I really loved reading through your PA activities! Let me know if I need to clarify
anything :)

Feedback Received from your Peer (Jackson)

Warm: I think both of your activities are very well thought out and well done.

Cool: I do think you're ELP.K.3 standard does not fit in with the assessments.

Raise the temperature: Overall your PA is really great I would say maybe challenge them a little bit more.
 Synthesis Statement
In this final section, you will tie together your assessment planning and development, and connect it to your
future classroom and students. This is also a chance for you to communicate thinking you may be doing that
was not prompted elsewhere in the portfolio. Finally, you will reflect on your learning over the semester and
where you would like to go from here.

Write a 2-4 page, single-spaced statement that addresses the following questions:

1. In what ways do you plan to engage students in opportunities to articulate the learning targets, monitor
their own progress, and identify the support they need to achieve the learning targets?
2. How will your assessment practices value and acknowledge the assets students of all backgrounds,
abilities, and identities bring to the classroom?
3. How could you make assessment a positive force in your classroom, showing you and the students what
they are capable of and equipping them to grow toward their full potential?
4. How does the portfolio provide evidence that you have met or are beginning to meet the following
competency statement?
“Candidates individually and/or collaboratively design and implement a wide range of
assessment strategies to inform instruction and support student learning within and across
academic content areas.”
5. How have you refined and improved your work throughout the semester? In what ways do you think
you could further develop your ideas and planned assessment? From what you have learned about
assessment, what would guide this development?
6. What would you like to know more about regarding classroom assessment?

You will earn 1 point for submitting an honest attempt at a draft statement by Wednesday, April 20.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Insert your Synthesis Statement below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I plan to allow students to monitor their own progress by allowing them to self-assess and set goals for
themselves throughout the unit. In kindergarten, I don’t expect students to do this on their own and instead will
guide them by giving them feedback, prompts, and support to help them set goals. Giving students gentle
guidance and support to monitor their own learning will transition into self-regulated learning and developing a
growth mindset no matter where they are at. I think that keeping some sort of journal or record of their goals
would be helpful, especially when they reflect for their portfolio presentation. Outside of one-on-one
opportunities, having the class look at a continuum, help construct or explain learning targets, or even examine
example work (from anonymous past students or an example constructed by the teacher), determine where it
lies in relation to the learning target(s), and creating goals are all whole-group experiences that provide practice
in self-monitoring techniques. Even simpler techniques could be temperature checks during lessons.
As much as possible, I am trying to be conscious of the different backgrounds and experiences of my
students. When doing these activities, I tried to give students a variety of opportunities to show their
understanding in a way that every student can feel like they have succeeded. I also wanted to include many
opportunities for students to share their opinions and perspectives while expressing themselves through creative
means. I feel that picking kindergarten standards helped a lot in this aspect, because it prevents me from
overusing written test materials for my assessments. Having students share their thoughts requires a lot of trust
and a safe learning community, but I feel like a diverse classroom would benefit from this open self-expression.
With my lesson focusing on ELLs, I am anticipating having a diverse classroom with many cultural
backgrounds and experiences, so allowing students to show their understanding through pictures or their home
language can take the pressure off of students who aren’t yet proficient in English.
 Giving positive, forward moving feedback, celebrating the process of making and fixing mistakes, and
limiting destructive grading practices are some of the ways that I plan to make assessment a positive
educational tool for students. Some of these things are easier than others, but I feel that they are all doable in a
kindergarten classroom. I really want to collaborate with students in these processes to give them agency and
help them take ownership of their own learning. Helping students develop a growth mindset is my first priority
and hopefully I can achieve that by building a deep appreciation for learning through mistakes. Having students
reflect on their past goals and their current work gives them the chance to see just how far they’ve come.
Without this intentional reflection time, it’s easy for students to forget where they started and only focus on how
far they still have to go. This can put a lot of stress and grief on students, so I really want to emphasize these
opportunities for students to give themselves a high-five (and, of course, get a high-five from me, too!).
Throughout my portfolio, I have done my best to pick a variety of assessment opportunities that will
give me a wide range of actionable information. While some of these assessments may not provide exactly what
I need, I’ve made sure that they all serve a purpose. After revising some of my work, I feel like I have been
thoughtful in the ways that I can use the data I get from each assessment to ensure that there are no gaps or
unhelpful aspects of my assessment plan. Whether it be simple, in-the-moment feedback or more complex
feedback that changes the course of my instruction plan, each assessment serves a purpose that helps push me
and my students forward. Throughout the process of making this portfolio, I have collaborated with my peers
and made sure to use their feedback to make good use of our collaboration. I think that I struggled to implement
the different content areas, as I have never used ELP standards before, but I feel like I have a good starting point
to seamlessly introduce ELP standards alongside math standards.
 Peer Feedback – Synthesis Statement
Give written feedback to one classmate on their synthesis statement using the strategy of your choice. Your
feedback should follow principles of feedback discussed in class and from reading resources assigned in
class. Consistent with these principles, make sure to reference the expectations for this portion of the portfolio
assignment.
Feedback Given to your Peer

Hi Jackson!!!

I really appreciated all of the thoughts that you put into your synthesis statement! I especially appreciate the
bit about changing the culture around assessment. I feel like in all of our classes, we all focus on changing the
system, the culture, and the attitudes around education. It's a daunting task, but it's so worth it to change these
things to help our students have better experiences than the ones we've had. Also, let me know if you need
someone to review your assignment next time – speech to text is doing you dirty again, haha. Can't wait to
see you create more fun assessments for your students!!!

Feedback Received from your Peer

HOLY COW EMILEE!

Your synthesis was a joy to read! Your students will be very lucky to have you as a teacher. I love how you
have a section for everyone especially your ELL students. Some note I may have is that the format of your
portfolio is very tight and condensed. Maybe have some space so that it is a bit easier on the eye. Otherwise
homerun as always I know you’re going to be a great teecha!

Jackson