Smith College Department of Education and Child Study PRE-SERVICE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Candidate: ___________________Sarah DAngelo______________________________ Documentations Produced by: ____________Jan Szymaszek______________________ Date: ________October 28, 2013_______________ Mid 1st. sem __X_ End 1st sem ___Mid 2nd sem ___End 2nd sem ___ Qualities that come to mind: Dedicated and hardworking Efficient and responsible Independent Thinks well on her feet; goes with the flow Self-motivated and focused in all work Purposeful and goal-oriented Experiences thus far: Used guided observations (of the classroom routines, of classroom teachers lessons, of specialists lessons, and of the whole class of children, three learners and one focus child in particular) at the beginning of the semester to anchor her work Provided written documentation of those observations Conducted individual reading interviews Participated in weekly team meetings to discuss students and curriculum Taught small group math lessons using the Investigations curriculum Taught whole group and small group reading lessons on the strategies used by active, thoughtful readers Planned, managed and conducted Morning Meeting routines Managed all Lunch/Recess routines as part of Lunch Aide duties Beginning to co-plan and teach a series of small group math lessons, adapted from the Investigations Curriculum Beginning to co-plan and teach a whole group handwriting lessons, adapted from the Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum Please provide comments on the student teacher's strengths/growth/attainment of standards and on the areas for growth/standards that should be addressed in each of the following areas: (a.) Planning: Sarah is always prepared for teaching. She thinks through the lessons she will teach and carefully considers the important ideas and intended outcomes. When we meet to discuss the lessons she will be teaching, Sarah is always familiar with the material and ready to make use of suggestions and conversation about them.

Next steps: Continue working with students in small group and whole group learning settings to gain experience addressing individual differences and multiple ideas while also managing the flow of the lesson. Continue to use plans to help think through all aspects of what students will learn, especially identifying and considering whats difficult, challenging and/or intriguing about the ideas that will be the lessons focus Continue to identify the decision points in the lesson, to weigh the options and then reflect on the results (as we did last week with the grid)

(b.) Instruction: Sarah appears to be very comfortable as a teacher in front of the class. She is able to think well on her feet and move through lessons with confidence, which instills a sense of purposefulness and intentionality in her work with students. Her goals are clear to them, and she is conscientious and explicit about helping students build on previous experiences and background knowledge. Sarah has set as a goal for herself to be aware of how she can respond to students comments in ways that will keep all students accountable for the listening and engaged in the lesson. She is working on not restating what students say, but rather helping others restate; and she is using some prompts that encourage cross-talk between and among learners, rather than going from teacher-to-student-to-teacher, on so on Next steps: Expand subject area experience (spelling, handwriting, reading) Continue to develop ability to listen to student ideas as a source of information about what they understand and as a way of shaping the learning experience for them Im wondering how Sarah is thinking about assessment and what kind of support I can give her to help her take a closer look at student work to analyze and understand what students have learned. (Next week: Likely moving into spelling work with small group. This will continue for the rest of the semester.) (c.) Management: Sarah is aware of the elements of positive classroom management, and she supports a classroom climate that maintains purposeful learning. She understands her role in helping students to be ready to learn. Sarah has taken initiative to manage the daily transitions, and she has an easy and comfortable manner with these. Through her daily interactions with the whole group, she has established herself as a reliable, confident adult in the classroom. Questions/Next steps: What is puzzling or intriguing for Sarah about managing a whole class? We havent explicitly discussed how the management techniques and style she has observed and followed through on in Group C match her own understandings and inclinations.

Sarah is ready for more independence, but the classroom is set up on both of us sharing/alternating lead teacher-support teacher roles. How can we best address having her go solo to really be able to experience the full range of decisions and interventions that go into managing the whole class for a longer period of time? What kinds of reflections afterwards can support a close look at management and facilitate growth in her own understandings and inclinations?

(d.) Equity: Sarah has an easy manner with students. She is approachable and is able to engage in easy casual conversation with them. She thinks about individual differences and considers how to differentiate instruction so that all students can be successful. Next steps: Continue to include in lesson plan a consideration of a few different students and how she envisions they will respond/learn. This will increase consciousness about different kinds of interventions that might be needed for that particular lesson, but it will also develop a habit of thinking about the range of learners and how to address their needs. (e.) Professionalism: Sarah demonstrates a serious commitment to teaching. She carries through on all responsibilities and takes initiative on the spot in the classroom. Sarah is always ready to lend a hand whenever needed, and she is flexible and adjusts easily to changes in the schedule and/or the expected plan. She is very comfortable in her role as a teacher and exudes confidence in her work with students. Questions Whats the next kind of challenge in terms of content, teaching goals, and independence that will move her forward? Which aspects of teaching seem most in control for her and which ones should we be focusing on next? What kind of feedback will be most useful for her? Can/should she specify this in lesson plan, in particular addressing any aspect of her instruction that shes wondering about? In which situations does she feel most secure and comfortable, and which ones are more fragile? Are there any generalizations to be drawn from these? How can I help? Sarah presents such strength in the classroom that it is hard to read where she is vulnerable and could use more support, other than gaining more experience. She is capable and independent and rarely asks for help. (Recently, Sarah and I have begun to look at the area of mathematics, and certainly, we will continue to talk about issues related to her own experience of learning mathematics and how that affects her teaching mathematics.) Other than in the area of mathematics, I wonder what questions or issues about teaching and learning and subject matter have surfaced for her during this beginning of student teaching, and how we can tailor the rest of the semester to address those.