Clinical Field Experience C: Pre-Assessment Data and Targeted Learning Activity

Clinical Field Experience C: Pre-Assessment Data and Targeted Learning Activity

Paper instructions:
re-assessments establish a starting point for the teacher. The data collected from the pre-assessment drives the creation of targeted learning activities. Pre-assessment data is then compared to data collected throughout the activity to determine if students are progressing towards mastery of the learning objectives.

Allocate at least 2 hours in the field to support this field experience.

For this field experience, create a pre-assessment activity to collect data on the identified student’s performance levels related to the objectives you created with your mentor teacher in your previous field experience.

With the cooperation of your mentor teacher, implement the pre-assessment activity to identify learning needs that can be included in your targeted teaching activity. Following the pre-assessment, meet with your mentor teacher to discuss the results and refine the activity you developed in the previous field experience that could be used to support the identified student’s learning of at least one identified objective.

Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the mentor teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.

In a 250-500 word summary, discuss the following:

How the results of the pre-assessment affect the revision of the targeted teaching activity.
How formative assessments of the identified student’s ongoing learning during an activity might be conducted.
How the pre-assessment and the learning objective are aligned.
How the student’s interests were considered when designing the pre-assessment and the targeted teaching activity.
How you plan to implement what you observed in your future teaching practice.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.

Submit the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form in the last topic. Directions for submitting can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.

Clinical Field Experience C: Pre-Assessment Data and Targeted Learning Activity
Pre-assessments are crucial tools for teachers to establish students’ current performance levels and learning needs. The data collected provides insight into how to design targeted learning activities that scaffold instruction towards mastery of learning objectives. Formative assessments throughout the learning process then allow the teacher to monitor progress and adjust instruction accordingly. When implemented effectively, this cycle of pre-assessment, instruction, and ongoing formative evaluation helps ensure all students receive appropriately challenging and supportive learning experiences.
As part of my recent clinical field experience, I worked with a mentor teacher to conduct a pre-assessment of a focal student’s understanding of fractions. Our learning objective was for the student to demonstrate proficiency adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. To collect baseline data, I created a short worksheet with 5 fraction addition and subtraction problems at the student’s grade level. After the student completed the worksheet, my mentor teacher and I analyzed the results.
We found the student struggled most with setting fractions with the same denominator up correctly, though they understood the concept of equivalence when shown examples. To target this specific learning need, I revised the sample lesson plan I had previously developed to include more explicit modeling and guided practice of setting up fraction equations. The updated lesson incorporated visual representations, such as fraction strips and drawings, to demonstrate the relationship between the numerator and denominator when adding or subtracting (Gilbert, 2017). It also included a new formative assessment checkpoint halfway through to gauge the student’s progress in independently setting up problems.
At the end of the lesson, I administered the original pre-assessment worksheet again as a post-assessment. Comparing the pre- and post-assessment scores revealed the student demonstrated marked improvement in setting up fraction equations independently after receiving more focused instruction and practice on that sub-skill (Heritage, 2018). This cycle of pre-assessment, targeted instruction, and formative evaluation allowed my mentor teacher and I to pinpoint and effectively support growth in the student’s specific learning need. The process reinforced for me the value of assessment data in planning differentiated lessons that meet students where they are and move their learning forward.
Going forward, I aim to thoughtfully incorporate pre-assessments, formative checks, and comparisons of pre- and post-assessment data into my own teaching practice. Taking the time to understand students’ current understandings and difficulties allows lessons to be tailored to individuals’ needs and keeps all students engaged in optimally challenging work (Wiliam, 2011). It is a strategy I found highly effective in this field experience and believe will serve me well as an educator.
Gilbert, M. (2017). Visual representations and the learning of fractions. Learning and Individual Differences, 57, 66–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.05.005 research essay writing service.
Heritage, M. (2018). Formative assessment in practice: A process of inquiry and action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.