Old Dominion University Darden College of Education

Assessment of the Instructional Environment

The Assessment of the Instructional Environment is completed during the first week of the student’s practicum.
The purpose of this assessment is to provide the practicum student with contextual information for planning
and implementing effective instruction. The objective is to gather information about students in the classroom,
their diverse learning needs, the classroom organization, possible interruptions/disruptions to the learning
environment, and available educational resources. Practicum students are to complete the assessment form
and narrative statement specifically discussing the data’s implications for instruction and classroom
management.
ODU Student Name __Sarah Oliver_________________________________________

University Supervisor _Joyce Metger_________________________________

Cooperating Teacher _Tara Turner___________________________________

School /District __Hunter B. Andrews/Hampton City Schools_____________

School Information
Accredited School accreditation status
Yes Title I status
1,131 Total school enrollment
4 Total administrators
71 Total teachers
7 Total paraprofessionals
Classroom Information
3rd Grade level
General Education Subject
8-11 Ages of students in classroom observed
1 Total classroom teachers
1 Total paraprofessionals
20 Total students
17 Average daily attendance for 1 week
10 Number of male students
10 Number of female students
/ Number of Hispanic students
/ Number of Asian students
16 Number of African American students
/ Number of Native American students
/ Number of Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander students
3 Number of White students
1 Number of students of two or more races
5 Number of students performing above grade level
5 Number of students performing on grade level
8 Number of students performing below grade level
0 Number of ESL/ELL students
/ Total ESL/ELL receiving services
/ Total ESL/ELL not receiving services
2 Number of students identified as gifted
0 Number of students repeating the current grade or course
0 Number of students with 504 Plans
2 Number of students involved in child study/special education eligibility process
2 Number of students identified as eligible for special education services
2 Number of students with learning disabilities
 2 Number of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities
0 Number of students with autism spectrum disorder
0 Number of students with other health impairments
0 Number of students with physical disabilities
0 Number of students with speech and language disabilities
0 Number of students with other disabilities (please identify disabilities)

2 Number of students in pull-out, supplementary, or resource programs (specify the

programs in the narrative statement)
8 Number of students who are unusually demanding of time or energy not identified
in other categories (e.g., disruptive, withdrawn, dependent, etc.)
4 Students with excessive absenteeism/tardiness
Rating (circle one) Levels of Diversity by Category (Rating L=Low, M=Medium, H=High)
L M H Ages
L M H Languages
L M H Developmental levels
L M H Cultures
Check One Teaching Interruptions
X Few interruptions
Some interruptions
Many interruptions
Check One Room Organization
Well organized
X Adequately organized
Poorly organized
Check One Resources: Equipment and Supplies
X Well-equipped and supplied
Adequately equipped and supplied
Poorly equipped and supplied
Minutes Time on Task
A few hours Time spent each day on instruction
Maybe 30 minutes Time spent each day on transitions
Maybe 30 minutes Time spent each day on nonacademic activities (free time, waiting, trying to start
class, or redirecting inappropriate behavior)

Narrative
The classroom I have been placed in for student teaching is a third-grade classroom at Hunter B.

Andrews School. There are twenty students in my class but two of them are there for only part of the day as

they have higher special needs than the other students. Of the students in my class, sixteen of them are African

American, three of them are white, and one is of a mixed race. Of the twenty students, two are involved in the

eligibility process and two are identified as eligible for special education services. Of the students identified as

being eligible for special education services, two are identified as having learning disabilities and two are

identified as having emotional and behavioral disabilities. Two students are involved in pull-out programs for

reading, math, and for testing. Even though there are only two students identified, there are a few more students
they are working to identify, but the parents are against it, so there is not much that can be done. There are eight

students who are unusually demanding of time or energy that are not identified in other categories and four

students who have excessive absences or tardies. The ages of the students in this class range from eight years

old to eleven years old. There aren’t many disruptions per day within this class and most of the disruptions are

from students having a conversion or argument with another classmate. These disruptions may affect my

instruction as I need to work on getting students to listen to me when I try to diffuse a situation. The classroom

is very well equipped and for anything I may need, there is a resources room in the school with manipulatives

for math and books for language arts, so if there is anything I may need for a lesson, I can just visit that room

and borrow supplies. There is a lot of teacher-centered teaching, but there is also student-centered time when

students do assignments on their Chromebooks or do science projects. At the end of the day we do small group

rotations, students are sometimes allowed to work with a partner while working, and language arts is integrated

into every lesson.