MY TOP TEN LIST

From an assessor’s point of view

 

Five for the portfolio:

  1. Big things are big and little things are little. Do not dwell on paper clips and margins because these are minor things that have very little to do with your score. The strict format just makes the assessor’s life easier. Likewise, do not dwell on tape vs glue or blue handouts vs red handouts. Discuss important issues related to the students’ learning.
  2. Lessons that are tried and true are much better than the “one time wonders”. Do what you do everyday that gets your kids thinking rather than the fantastic new idea that you just learned at a workshop. If you are a good teacher, then you have many lessons that will make good national board lessons.
  3. The standards are important, but you can add good stuff not related to the standards of that entry if you have space. The best teachers can reach all the standards in a lesson. The basic foundation for national boards is the 5 core principles.
  4. Focus on important goals for your course, for these students, at this time. The lesson must match your course. The lesson must match your students. The lesson must be given at the right time.
  5. It is all about the students. Highlight two or three, with quotes or responses. Provide evidence of how you meet their needs.

 

Five for the Assessment Center:

  1. Answer the question and be as specific as possible. Do not stray and provide concrete evidence that you know the answer.
  2. Get your answer down as quickly as possible, with bullets or phrases. After you have answers for all the prompts for that 30 minute session, then go back and clean it up if you have time. (I never had time.)
  3. When possible (based on the question) tell why as much as what. Analysis is more valuable than description, but description is sometimes needed to help explain the analysis. Use “because” or “for example” whenever it fits.
  4. Be professional. This is stressful, but do not whine or go off. However, if you do then get over it before the next exercise. They are separate questions given to different assessors in different parts of the country.
  5. If you go blank or do not know the book or whatever in the stimulus, DO NOT MAKE STUFF UP. Wrong information is a killer. Instead, be honest. Say, I do not know however it sounds much like the ___ . Then proceed to answer the parts with something that you do know.