M4: -Triangulation of DataPart A

Resource and guest appearance blog! Sandra Herbst.

http://sandraherbst.blogspot.com/2015/04/triangulation-i-understand-why-now.html

This blog was recommended as an instructional piece to the topic of Data Triangulation. Basically, knowing when and how to assess students. This blog was developed in 2015, most people are now familiar with the many methods of proper data triangulation. I think it would be nice to share some ideas explored though, to reiterate my learning as an educator.

TASK

"Describe why triangulation of evidence is important in the classroom. Explain the process of triangulation and how you can effectively apply it in your classroom."

POST

Reflecting back on my work in literacy coaching, literacy development in homework clubs as well as studies in "Reading" as a specialty. I will discuss the use of running records. Although the end piece of data as the want for the teacher, the experience and progress leading to that end piece of data is also important. I am not saying that assessing non-stop to collect 100 pieces of data/assessment is the goal, but it is important to recognize that every authentic assessment is a piece of data and at the time of completion, it is the triangulated data. At the end of the reporting term, the triangulated data put altogether gives a more relative and important piece of triangulated data, which is where running records come into play as an educator. 

Ultimately, all these ideas of "data triangulation", "running records", and "portfolios" all come down to the importance of teachers participating in the practice of accurate, and authentic assessments. There is no reason to give a test to check for vocabulary if the students will never be assessed in knowing and using the vocabulary in their course work. Teachers may respond in regards to the importance of vocabulary enhancement, BICS/CALPS and Cummins model discussion, but then referring to CLIL (content and language integration) its not necessary content if it won't have practical practice at this level or the next.

What Sandra discusses in regards to the "When" is important because if teachers are assessing cumulatively, are teachers really assessing what the student knows about a topic if that topic was practiced at the beginning of the unit and then never used since. 

As an educator in the language arts, I notice it is a pressure on teachers to ensure their students know the different literary and figurative devices. If a teacher's students don't know the majority of them, and they appear on an exam, is that an accurate assessment of that student's ability? No, because out of all the terms studied that student was unable to memorize one obscure aspect to creative writing (that they may not have even been particularly active in learning during class time).