We come together during teacher planning sessions to discuss the outcomes for each skill check or exam after it has been administered. As we examine all of the scores in the breakdown to see which questions revealed our students’ strengths and which ones exposed their weaknesses, we may either go back and re-teach when appropriate or look for methods to enhance the testing environment and the preparation of our students. For instance, a few weeks ago, our kids completed a skills test. Because of their poor performance, we convened to evaluate our options. We knew that many students had reading issues since the math skills assessment test included word problems. As a result, we experimented with a new approach to helicopter teaching known as scaffolding students through the difficulties and asking them to advise us on what to do. All the students had excellent results. I don’t think our students would have received the outstanding results we observed following the retake if it weren’t for us taking some time to sit down and think about our students.
Candice Jackson Capstone Portfolio ProjectCapstone Project