Well, today I was introduced to the realm of data driven instruction and if I haven't felt overwhelmed by this point, I sure do now! Anyone else out there having to deal with DDI? I feel like I had it easy last year with my elementary SLO's compared to this year! Luckily, it looks like I may only have to do 2 SLO's and 1 LLO this year (compared to 4 SLO's and 1 LLO last year), but it's going to be SOOOO much more work to do them with this data driven instruction component!
For anyone who doesn't know what DDI is, from what I learned today, teachers must give students an exam-like assessment at various points throughout the year (our school is making us do one at each 10 week quarter to assess what has been taught up to that point). We have to review what a majority of students are getting wrong/struggling with and readdress/reteach, and then test again at the next 10 week period!
Now, I get the idea behind this, but it's going to be A LOT of work for me! We are now moving to using eDoctrina (which I found out is a relatively locally ran company in Buffalo, NY...near my hometown and 5 hours away from where I teach). In eDoctrina, we will enter in our SLOs, pre-assessment scores, target scores for each student, and then the post-assessment scores. The nice thing is that eDoctrina will automatically weigh and compute our 40% assessment score for APPR. (On a side rant, I'm being encouraged to use my student's STAR scores for my SLO's...something I DON'T want to do! I'd rather do a two-part assessment...an observational drawing portion and a test portion that tests students on art vocabulary as well as a writing portion, that will probably be analysis of an artwork...but that's another post for the future!)
The other nice thing is that eDoctrina has test banks to build test (for the quarterly DDI exams) as well as for post-assessment tests IN EVERYTHING BUT ART! (Because there is no state assessment for art, and no state assessment for art from other states that I've been able to find elsewhere so far...) Which therefore means that I will have to start entering in test bank questions! Argh! It will be worth it in the long run, but it's so daunting to look at right now! This program will generate tests and bubble sheets to match the test. After the bubble sheets are filled out, you scan the bubble sheet (which is printed off with a special bar code) into a fax machine to the eDoctrina number and the results are automatically calculated and entered under each specific student's account....thus allowing the program to generate graphs and data for me as a teacher to evaluate and adjust my teaching.
There is so much more I could say about this program, but for now, I'll just ask if anyone else out there is venturing into the realm of DDI and what your thoughts are on it...how is your district approaching the data collection...and are you using a program like eDoctrina?
ok that is just nuts! is your maternity sub supposed to be doing this also? god all of my "tests" could consist of name the primary colors....good you pass. Is anyone going to be looking at the content of the test you make?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea...but I was definitely on overload when I left yesterdays training! Monday I have to take the dreaded glucose test and then I plan on going right to school to have a meeting with the principal to figure out what is going to be expected of me and my sub. The sub will be there in my place at the 2nd marking period...ugh. I'm not sure if the principal will be checking the content of the tests, and she said using eDoctrina is optional for the DDI at this point (which means next year it probably won't be optional), but it seems like using eDoctrina will make test generation quicker in the long run. I think what I am going to do is input test questions from each unit into my own test bank, and then have the program randomly pick an assortment of questions from each unit that has been covered up to the point of the test. We shall see how this goes. Since I have my first unit planned out (elements and principles), I'm going to input those questions today to get a head start!
DeleteOh my God! What are the powers that be thinking?!?! Its ART!!! ( head in hands and sighing...) All my assessments for my SGO's are project based(I put that into my objective so there was no question) and I get to create all the assessments (thank God! ) I have a headache for you! Please, please don't let my state start thinking this is a good idea for assessments! There has to be a way around this that works for the arts.... I will be thinking about you...good luck...
ReplyDeleteReading and Math scores are NOT predictive of how successful a student will perform in Art. No kidding. This idea comes from linear thinkers with no imagination. Stick to your guns and use your own assessments. My state is dipping its' feet into the waters of elementary school Art assessment. So far, it is informal, but it will soon be set in stone. We are being pushed into Common Core and are now being told to incorporate reading as a priority. I already incorporate literacy into my lessons as I do math, history, science and social studies. We already teach to integrated lessons! It's the classroom teacher who needs to learn to integrate the Arts.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! It's actually the high school principal that is encouraging STAR for the high school students! Her thinking is that it isn't fair for us special area teachers (art, shop, etc.) who don't have any sort of standardized test like the other areas do. Her thinking is that even though we are creating a test bank for her to create a final assessment from, we still know what could possibly be on the test, and to her, that isn't fair. I could argue my point about why it's not fair to make me use STAR... Her also point in having us use the STAR assessment is that everyone is supposed to be doing reading and writing in the classroom to foster that college readiness. I can see her points, but it doesn't mean I like them! lol After all the work I did to create assessments that were majorly art related for elementary, I won't get to use them this year because of my switch to K-12...the amount of time I see the high school classes outweighs the elementary ones, making them my SLO and LLO classes!
DeleteI teach in Perry, NY (between Buffalo and Rochester)...
ReplyDeleteLast year I had to give 3 grade levels assessments for my SLO scores (I was able to choose which would make up my 51%). I chose Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th.
K completed a worksheet with 4 boxes they needed to draw in; the drawings included a self-portrait, a flower, a tree and coloring in shapes of colors I named. This was my favorite assessment for a few reasons. (1) it was completed in 1 class period. (2) K students don't get a report card grade for Art, so none of the kids felt pressured. (3) Since our post-assessments need to be graded by another teacher, I found the rubric I used for this to be most reliable. I outlined key components students would earn points for, and a point for elaboration in each box. Students showed much improvement.
In a few ways, I was not happy with my other 2 assessments. 2nd grade completed self portraits in colored pencil, and 4th grade a still life drawing. First of all, a few students CRIED over taking another assessment! Not just a roll of the tears- a full-out uncontrolled sobbing! They were so overwhelmed! (I was feeding them the "just do your best" because at this point I was overwhelmed too, and felt as though I truly didn't care how they scored.) I thought I was being more fair by allowing the kids multiple class periods to complete it- but it just dragged out the stress! For my 4th graders, it was just the opposite. (4th grade in our school is the highest ES level, then onto 5th in MS). By the time I found a week of dates that the 4th graders weren't already taking a million other tests, it was the 2nd last week of school. Not only was it a pain to work around other tests, but also field trips, field days, etc. The students actually had their "graduation" ceremony by the time they took my assessment, so they knew it meant nothing for them. THEY HAD CHECKED OUT! The same class that completed their still life drawings in the beginning of the year and used the whole 40 minute period, only used 15 for their post assessment. You tell me how you think they scored! UGH!
So toward the end of the year, I attended a training through our local BOCES program, and they informed me that we would all eventually have to move to EDoctrina. Although I haven't gotten very far, I hope to use this for this year's assessments (or at least develop and use the same questions I will use at a later time). As much as I feel it is not authentic - I feel like my project-based assessments (that I rallied for in the beginning) are not what the state wants, and it puts more pressure on the students that they don't need.
The positives? I think students are more used to this testing format, giving the assessments will only disrupt one class period, scoring will be MUCH faster, etc. It is what the state wants- so I am doing it to do it. Once it is over, I will move along with more therapeutic Art class; alive with creativity and experimentation, as I feel Art class should have!
Wow, you had students crying? Luckily that didn't happen with me. How did you approach these pre- and post-assessments with students? At the beginning of the year, some of the kids were freaking out a bit because I didn't give them any instruction on what they were doing, but I assured them that the grade they received wouldn't be included in their report card grade, and that they shouldn't think of it as a test. I wanted them to think of it as a way for them to show me what they do and don't know about the given subject. This seemed to calm even the perfectionists. At the end of the year, students were pretty confident for the most part and were excited to see their improvement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
DeleteI also had a hard time getting one of my SLO's done...the 4th graders. There were a lot of field trips and assemblies that got in the way of their class time. I actually ended up having students come in to my room during the last week of school whenever they were free to finish their still life.
I say you should still push for project-based assessments! You can most definitely combine them...Give the students the rubric with some questions attached to the rubric to answer that go along with whatever the project is. I strongly believe we should be using both formal and project-based assessments. Yes, art is all about being creative, blah blah blah, but there are still concepts that students should be able to know and explain. They show it best depending on what kind of learner they are...some students will do better on the test part and some will do better on the project part.
@Mrs. Imply-I did the same thing last year...for subject based pre-post/testing. I told the kiddos they were just showing me what they knew about any given subject (even if they guessed) it was not for a grade; and at the end to show what they learned. I used colored construction paper and they their papers and had the choice of construction paper crayons or markers to answer their questions.
DeleteThis whole thing is ridiculous. As art teachers we are trained to implement discovery, creativity, and divergent thinking. Is that measurable? Should it be?! Who is the judge?!
ReplyDelete