The artifact I selected for NBPTS Proposition 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning is a unit plan I created in Education 640, Supervision and Assessment of Teachers and Learners in the spring of 2012.  I selected this artifact because it contains elements and examples of the Expertise in Assessment Core Value at Valley City State University.  This core value includes being able to incorporate multiple means of assessing and evaluating diverse student learning including technology, theory and practice.  In addition this unit plan highlights my ability to develop a variety of assessments that motivate learners as well as demonstrates my expertise in implementing a variety of approaches to planning, managing, delivering, and assessing instruction.  This artifact highlights my effort to teach individual students and the whole class.  As an educator, I value my ability to use information and data about my students’ progress and make judgments about the success or failure of my instructional strategies.  This unit plan showcases my strength of creativity in developing my own tools for assessment by using technology. Helping my students engage in self-evaluation and set future goals are principle objectives of which I am constantly mindful. Additionally, I know it is my responsibility to instill in my students a sense of responsibility for monitoring their own learning.

The unit plan I am showcasing for Assessment shows my appreciation of the fundamental role of formative assessments, and not simply assigning grades.  This strategy allows my students and me to assess where we stand.  My students’ responses contribute to my decisions about whether to reteach, review or move on. In designing this unit plan, I drew on social and cultural foundations as well as learning theory to assess and differentiate instruction.

In this eight day unit plan, I established the goals which are aligned to the Georgia Performance Standards for French II.  To gather information about students’ knowledge of vocabulary, I designed an online pre-test to determine their previous knowledge.  This pre-test assess the prior knowledge of vocabulary needed to initiate, sustain and close a simple conversation in French.  With this data, I am able to differentiate the content, process and assessments throughout the unit.  I then provided a clear and understandable vision of the learning target.  I also developed a rubric along with examples that illustrate strong and weak work.  I use self-assessment forms such as “right/wrong/simple mistake/I don’t get it” charts, and the stars and stairs” strategy which teach students how to self-assess and set goals.  After students’ presentations, I counsel them individually on their performance.  Students then engage in sufficient opportunities to rethink, rehearse, revise, and refine their work. 

I have learned that my role as a teacher is to explore approaches to planning, managing, delivering, and assessing instruction. I am responsible for managing and monitoring student learning, and I see myself as a facilitator of this learning.  I have learned that I must use multiple methods to meet goals.  I have also learned to alter the social and physical structure of the learning environment, and create learning opportunities which afford my students an opportunity to self-reflect.  I must give my students’ the opportunity to connect with what they know, and what they are capable of learning. I will be able to use the knowledge gained in this course to successfully write learning goals in student friendly terms.  I will be able to identify learning targets as skills, products, knowledge and reasoning.  Finally, I now understand how to correctly use formative and summative assessments to evaluate student learning.  I feel I am a better teacher as I believe I am more effective in designing learning targets and assessments. 

In order to enhance student learning, I will continue to learn more about assessment for learning, and I will explore new approaches and strategies for assessment.    I will make every effort to critically examine my practice on a regular basis to deepen knowledge and expand my repertoire of skills.  By regularly assessing student learning, I will be able to judge the success of the activities I design.