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Exploration 1 Analyzing Needs, Tasks, and Learners Reflection

Ivy Carnes
EDIT 6275: INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Dr. Gregg
June 14, 2021
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Exploration 1 really gave me the opportunity to dig deeper into the changes that I
want to see happen within education. This gave me to courage and confidence that
change can happen. Right now, I am sure many teachers see the need for something to
change in education, in their classroom, or in their school system but are too scared to
step up or do not know how to even go about making this change happen. Going
through Exploration 1 helped me to get the ball rolling on making a change towards
assessments in my school system. Of course, assessment is a broad topic. Even
though I wish I could change all testing, it will not happen overnight. I decided to just
focus on a struggling issue I see with giving reading common core standard
assessments in first grade.
In my school system, all first-grade students are required to read the passages
by themselves without any support from their teacher. After reading the passages,
students are asked questions and given the answer choices to choose. Most first
graders are not able to read coming into first grade, and even sometimes mid-year. This
sets these students up for failure and creates a frustration among students. The last
thing I want students to do is to dislike reading and school. Therefore, I want to make
this change.
Through this plan, I will research information on why it is important to provide
students with valid and appropriate assessments. Many students give up because they
are not able to read the passages. The students just guess when answering the
questions. Also, most of the assessments are in one format. The students read a
passage (or try) and then answer multiple-choice questions. Do students really know
this reading standard to mastery or are they just getting lucky by guessing? Finding
research that backs why it is important to provide a variety of formats when testing is
another part of this plan. This also links to students having different learning styles. If a
child is not an auditory learner, then they may struggle with listening to answer the
questions on just a multiple-choice assessment. Sometimes the assessments have
passages that are not on topics that students are familiar with. This again sets a student
up for failure and to turn to guessing. Finding research-based information about why
assessments should be culturally relevant is another document I would like to provide.
Another change that I want to happen with the reading assessments of the common
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core standards is allowing the passages to be read to the students. Many times, there
are page-length passages that even second graders could or would not want to read.
This is setting children up for failure and frustration. Providing students with passages
that are on their reading level when they begin reading would be more developmentally
appropriate. Again, finding research about the importance of developmentally
appropriate assessments will be done through this process. By having documentation
and research to back my reasons for the need of change on first grade reading standard
assessments will help me when I face the stakeholders about this change.
Right now, I am still gathering research-based information about the areas in
which I feel need to change in our reading assessments on common core standards in
first grade. I want to collect data from my students. By having the students express how
they feel after taking assessments that are not on their level may open the developer’s
eyes on the need for change. Comparing how the students feel when taking the
assessments, they develop versus ones that I create will give surficial data. I want my
students to love school and reading instead of hating it because all we do is assess. If
other teachers are willing, I would like to gather data on how they feel about the
assessments. We hold data meetings where we review the results of the standards and
discuss issues with the assessments, however changes do not occur.
Even though this process was very challenging and took a lot of time, I feel that it
is a great way to layout to those that are “in charge” about what changes need to occur.
When I present this information and have my data, research-based documents, and
plan on how this change of assessments with benefit scores and students then I feel
that I have a better chance of making a change. This plan will be beneficial for all
changes needing to occur. If I can convince them about the need for change of the
reading standard assessments, then I can create a plan to change the math standard
assessments. There are many improvements I want to happen within education and the
only way changes will occur is by challenging what is already happening that is not
working.