Rubrics

During this last module I have learned a great deal about rubrics, and I also have grown to appreciate them more than I previously did. Rubrics are a great representation of fair grading, and they give a clarity of what exactly it is that the teacher is looking for. In reading chapter 10 and exploring various websites including Rubistar I have discovered there are more ways than one to grade using a rubric including different aspects to grade on. Rubistar was an excellent website for me to use especially since it was my first time creating one. It helped guide me through exactly what it was I wanted to score in my lesson, and was also easy enough for the children to read. That is important to me because I find teacher and student communication highly important, and I want my students and I to be on the same level.
Rubrics not only clarify content for students, but they also help maintain consistency. Coordinating them is also important because you can specify if they are task based or general. Each rubric has sort of its own identity and validates the students to assure them that this is what will be graded and this is what is asked of you. In other words when the student sees the rubric they know before had what is t be done, an therefore the grading is fair. In chapter 10 it specifies something that I found extremely eye catching. I am a true fan of student-teacher and teacher-student feedback. I would love to leave an option on the bottom of my rubric for my feedback as well as the students feedback. Concluding my blog I want to say "YES" to rubrics and use number grades only when necessary. Rubrics convey more of a meaning to a grade rather than a cold solid number. It also helps the students know where exactly they made errors. I will definitely incorporate rubrics into my classroom and hope future teachers will do the same.

Learning Targets

Learning targets place a special focus on students learning as well as the skills that are intended for learning. They also focus on the teacher's instruction and assessment. Learning objectives are used to show the actual achievement of the student in grabbing the concepts, not just covering material for the students. Learning targets and goals work together in a manner that is quite interesting. Goals give direction and purpose and targets get a little bit more into detail and expect an outcome. So together the two feed off one another to produce different levels of learning, yet both are meant to have a success. Hopefully by the time the student is done learning they have gained more knowledge and can proceed to a higher level of thinking within the subject area. Learning targets may be long and tedious, or they can be very simple. I strongly feel the teacher and students should have a good relationship as to where the learning target can be known amongst them so the students are aware of what they need to do. While making a target specific a teacher should also identify key points and focus points to create an acceptable learning target. Aside from teachers having students know their learning targets the student also has a role in the learning process. Students are the role models for the learning target. They can be observed, asked to make statements, or even given an assignment to see just how well learning targets are coming along. They can help the teacher realize if the learning target may have been a bit much, or even too little. Keeping and alignment of both assessment and instruction is very crucial because without it being aligned the student will most likely be doing the wrong things. Not only that , but their are also state standards and other targets that need to be met in the entire process.

Fairness in Assessment

It is clear that in order to have assessment that is fair teachers must show validity and reliability. As said in Chapter 2 giving number grades does not really tell a student satisfactorily where the are in their academics, and I feel this is a good point. Any teacher can write a number on a test or assignment and call it a grade, but it is this really fair? No, not at all. I feel when grading a student's work there should be careful consideration taken towards what the student has done and what the student is capable of. As we all know from Howard Gardner every student learns differently. There also should be a column in the assessment for positive feedback. This feedback will help students fix where they went wrong, and give them a focal point to continue working on. Here is where validity is crucial because in order to give a positive correction to your student in assessment there must be a good amount of fundamental supporting evidence.
Another factor is the assessments level of reliability. The refers to how consistent an assessment is. There should be no bias in an assessment in any sense no matter the ethnicity or socioeconomic status, or other possible biases. Always make sure when performing an assessment there are more ways than one to do so. Using a rubric or clipboard with comments can be useful. This helps to keep assessment fair and consistent, and gives students a chance to elaborate on their progress once te assessment is given.
The end results of different types of assessment with validity and reliability can be very useful. As teachers we want to avoid using sole number grades, and having a negative impact on our students with these grading measures. We want to use all types of assessment to create a plethora of information and feedback for the student to better achieve their goals.