Every day, students in both Technology class and PE are asked to complete a Daily Personal Assessment; the teacher also gives every student an assessment every day.  Although these assessments do not count much toward grades, they are a great indicator of how each student did that day in class!

 

Daily Personal Assessments have four levels: Wow (4 pts), Great Job (3 pts), Keep On Trying (2 pts), and Needs More Effort (1 pt).  Students are asked to grade themselves at the highest level (Wow) if they tried their hardest, followed directions perfectly, and mastered every skill presented in class that day.  If the student did not master every skill but still listened well and tried hard, they should grade themselves at a Great Job.  Keep on Trying is for students who received a formal warning or a 2-minute timeout, and Needs More Effort is for students who received a 5-minute timeout or were sent to the Principal's Office.  Most students should have a Daily Personal Assessment at Great Job (3 pts)most of the time.

 

Daily Teacher Assessments also have four levels:  All students start at the highest level (4 pts) at the beginning of every class.  If a student is repeatedly reminded to stay on task, the grade is reduced to the second highest level (3 pts).  The last two levels are similar to the Personal Assessment (2 pts for a formal warning or 2 minute timeout; 1 pt for a 5 minute timeout or the Principal's Office).  Occasionally a student may receive extra credit ( 5 pts) on the Teacher Assessment if s/he exceeded expectations.

 

So why do assessments at all?  Daily assessments provide a good litmus test to how a student is feeling about class every day.  If the student is engaged, confident, and positive in class, it shows with a Personal Assessment of 3 or 4 points.  If a student is feeling negative about class that day (maybe the material was difficult or there was a personal issue) it shows, as well.

 

Teacher Assessments can help fill in the blanks on what happened in class that day.  If the teacher and student had similarly low scores, the student was probably distracted, unengaged, or felt very uncomfortable with the class material.  If the student rated him/herself low, but the teacher rated him/her high, the student may have had a personal issue in class with another student, or may just be having a bad day.  I do monitor daily assessments and follow up with students who consistently rate themselves very low or who consistently have 2 or 3 points difference between the two assessments.

 

If you have additional questions about how assessments work or if you would like to discuss your child individually, please email me at [email protected].

Have you checked your student's PE or Technology grades lately?  Are you worried that your student has B, C, or lower in one of classes?  Don't panic!

 

Grading in both classes is based off the following percentages:

10% Daily Personal Assessment

10% Daily Teacher Assessment

80% KSA ( Knowledge, Skill, Ability) Assessments completed at the end of each PE unit or Technology project

 

Students have been receiving Daily Personal and Teacher Assessments since the second week of school, but they haven't received any KSA Assessments yet.  You can expect a significant change in your student's once the first KSA Assessments are posted, since the KSA Assessments are the bulk of their grades.

 

In the meantime, here's some helpful tips:

DO NOT tell your student to rate themselves higher!  It's important that students take time every day to honestly reflect on their engagement and skill levels.

DO ask your student about their day if they have 1 or 2 in their Daily Personal Assessment.  Sometimes the students are their own worst critics, and they need your encouragement and support if they had challenging class.

DO contact me directly if you have questions or concerns about your student's Daily Assessments scores.  I can be reached via email at [email protected].