As this year draws to a close, taking time to reflect is natural. As teachers, reflecting is just as important for our students, as it is for us. However, I have struggled with finding a “student reflection” that gives both the student and I real, honest feedback that we can turn into action. Data and data tracking seem to be the buzz words this year, but it’s been a hard concept for me to grasp when it comes to taking it into the classroom(And, I have yet to see an effective student data tracker being used in a high school English class!).
While still working on understanding this whole concept, but knowing that I didn’t see anything out there that looked like what I wanted, I created my own. After spending a lot of time thinking about my students and their needs, I realized that if I am going to have them track their growth, then they need to reflect first. This reflection needs to be tied to their past performance only on the skills they need to master to pass their state-mandated test (STAAR).
What I am about to share with you has taken me a couple of years of tweaking…and I am still not totally satisfied with it. But it’s on the right track. The conversations that came from this reflection were eye-opening for the students and helped me continue to have skills-based conversations with them throughout the semester. I started to see the glimpses of accountability in my students. Our conversations were more focused and actionary, and with less “feelings” and excuses involved.
Here’s what it looks like in my classroom:
Depending on how this reflection is used, students will need access to the original test or assessment. I prefer giving my students print copies (even though they take all tests and assessments online). This way, students can sit with it without online distractions. It also allows me to keep the tests secure: No pictures or screenshots are being taken.
Because I am now only responsible for teaching students who haven’t passed their English STAAR test, I use this reflection within the first week or two. This only takes a class period to complete, and students staple this reflection to their folder as a reminder of their goals for the time they are with me.
Here are the materials students are using in class:
Students always get a printed copy of the reflection from me. Magic seems to happen when students are writing with a pen or pencil in hand (weird, right?).
I have given you access to two forms. Both could be very easily manipulated for any assessment and any subject. Add things, take things away – whatever works best for you and your students.
Student Test Reflection – you could manipulate this for any type of assessment for any subject.
Student STAAR Reflection – this is the one that I use in class that is specific to our English STAAR test.
Here are some reflections by a few of my students:
Overall, my students’ feedback on this activity was overwhelmingly positive. Many of the students that I am teaching have taken their English STAAR test four, five, even six times and failed. As you can see from their reflections, many of them had never been given information like this!
Last week, all of my students sat and took their English STAAR test again (hopefully, for the last time), but they went in with a plan and a better understanding of themselves and the test this time. Everything they did with me came back to the skills they needed to work on based on their reflection. For example, daily lessons and activities were changed to meet their individual needs. I utilized Nearpods and our district’s online platform to allow for more student choice and individualized activities. My students’ reflections also allowed us to have conversations about their writing, which led the whole class to agree on one focus: writing. Ultimately, it gave each of my students a much clearer path to reaching success.
In these remaining weeks before break, I hope you and your students find time to reflect on all that you have accomplished so far, and if that happens to include test reflection, then I hope this tool can help.
Reflect-fully yours, Ashley Anderson
I am currently working on how to take students from this reflection to tracking their growth on certain skils. If you have anything that you have used in class that was effective, please share it!! You can connect with me on Facebook at facebook.com/movingwriters.
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Ashley Anderson is an English teacher at the Dickinson Continuation Center (DCC) in Dickinson, TX. She is in her ninth year of teaching. Before entering education, Ashley was a Captain in the United States Air Force and managed marketing and communications for several private aviation companies. She loves cold coffee, doing sudoku, and cheering on her Gators (students) at all of their extracurricular activities. She lives with her husband, Chad (who is also a high school teacher in Dickinson ISD), and her two daughters Avery (#AveryMonster) and Audrey (#BabyBop). Ashley is humbled every day to be part of a profession with so much passion and commitment. She is so excited about being a part of the MovingWriters team for another year.
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