MD3-+Technology+Assisted+Assessment+Inquiry-+Part+2

**Alternative Assignment: **
Technology can be an effective way to assess student learning and receive feedback of the results. Many technology tools provide data, reflecting the students’ responses. This data is very valuable to teachers. If I were to teach the intended plant lesson, in which the quiz was designed around using Socrative, I feel that it would have provided me with the data needed to determine the level of my students’ understanding of plants. The questions in the quiz covered the goals and objectives of the lesson. I would have provided my students with a pre-test in the same format as the post-test. Socrative presents student data in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. This would have been an effective way to analyze my students’ learning, and compare their results from the pre-test and post-test. I would have been able to see the individual responses and growth from each of my students. I would also effectively be able to determine which students mastered the objectives and which may need more one-on-one assistance.

These are the questions for the plant quiz, which would be inserted into the Socrative website.



**Reflection of Prior Knowledge Assessments: **
Prior knowledge assessments are an effective way to assess student learning and understanding of a lesson. Students come to the classroom with a variety of background knowledge and skills. These skills are all presented on varying levels. In addition, this knowledge and skills affect how students receive and interpret information. Students integrate information in different ways, which also influences how they remember, think, and apply new knowledge. As a result, it is important for instructors to be aware of what students know and can already do before presenting new information or beginning a new unit (Carnegie Mellon University [CMU], n.d.). Pre-tests can be given in the same format as the post-tests, allowing teachers to directly determine their students’ understanding and ability level in the subject area being taught. Prior knowledge assessments also provide instructors with valuable data. This data can be used to drive an educator’s instruction. Teachers can analyze the results of a pre-test to determine the direction and depth of their lesson or unit. For example, if a teacher administers a pretest to determine their students’ level of understanding in a certain area and the majority of the class has misconceptions, weak understandings, or are unable to perform the task the instructor will likely decide to cover this concept more deeply in their instruction. On the other hand, if the class demonstrates mastery in a skill that was going to be covered the instructor may decide to eliminate that skill and focus on another area the students are weak in. Overall, pre-tests can be effective in providing teachers with information about their students. They allow educators to determine their students’ background knowledge and skills relating to lesson before it is taught. Understanding students prior knowledge will help teachers design their instruction and include activities that build on strengths and recognize weaknesses (CMU, n.d.). It will also allow instructors to plan and design their instruction in a way that is more effective and productive for student learning.

Reference Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Assessing prior knowledge. Retrieved July 26, 2013, from []

Table provided in Excel Spreadsheet:
 * === Results of Spelling Assessment === ||
 * = ====** Student **==== ||= ====** Pretest Data **==== ||= ====** Post-test Data **==== ||
 * = **#1** ||= 6 ||= 9 ||
 * = **#2** ||= 4 ||= 8 ||
 * = **#3** ||= 5 ||= 8 ||
 * = **#4** ||= 6 ||= 7 ||
 * = **#5** ||= 7 ||= 7 ||

**Reflection of Data Results: **
 Since I was unable to teach the intended plant lesson, I have reviewed the pre-test and post-test results from the given data shown above. This data displays the results of pre-test and post-tests given in spelling. According to the data, four out of five students increased their post-test spelling score from the pre-test. One student’s score remained the same for both assessments. Overall, this shows that the instructional unit was effective. Depending on the abilities of the students, this growth may have been very remarkable. None of the students’ scores decreased, meaning their learning was successful in some way. The student whose score remained the same may benefit from additional instruction or one-on-one support.