CEP 812: Part D- Findings and Implications

For my Wicked Project, I will be able to prove and measure success based on formative and summative assessments. One strong possibility is that not all parents will feel comfortable allowing their child’s work to be posted online even if it is anonymous. Since it would not be fair to compare students based on work produced, I will be closely following the attitude and ambition of my students. Are those students who know their work will be viewed by family more excited about their projects? Is more time spent on projects that are posted to the internet? More specifically, I will be requiring students to complete a self-evaluation after each project. This way, I can effectively measure student attitude in regards to the assignment and compare for each project to determine whether or not students are more motivated when their work is published. This will be in the form of a formative assessment, as I will be using this data throughout the school year to measure changes in attitude and self-reflection. Another formative assessment that I will be using is for the parents. I will be posting a poll to our wiki page, as well as sending home a parent evaluation. This will allow me to determine which parents are accessing the site, how often they view their child’s work, and whether or not they feel it helps their child to succeed in the classroom. I will send this home after each posted project and may alter the wiki based on responses. For example, if parents are not accessing the site, is it because it is too difficult? Should I create and add more tutorials on accessing each project? If the child is not receiving feedback from the parents, does the student know how to check for comments on their work? These formative assessments for both parents and students will help be to determine whether or not I am meeting my project goals, and will give me the opportunity to alter the project based on parent and student feedback.

Since the majority of this project is centered on parent-teacher-student communication, the best way to assess student progress is through summative assessments. One summative assessment that I will be using will be accessing the wiki to view student postings. Was the student able to upload their work successfully, read comments from family and friends, and respond through the site? I will be creating a rubric to determine whether or not students completed these tasks for each project. Of course, if a parent does not comment on the work, I too will be posting comments. Therefore, every student will have to post a response to at least one comment per project. I will also be conducting observations on the final work of my students. Do the students who have posted their work online receive a score of 80% or higher? How do the students who do not have parental support score? Were these students as motivated as others to complete their work? The focus of my project is the effect of positive parent-teacher-student communication, so it is necessary to measure the attitudes and success of students to fully understand whether or not my goals were met. As a simple addition, I will be adding a ticker to our classroom website to have a gauge of how many times the site has been visited. Did the count rise over 50% once student projects were posted? I will have to keep a chart to determine whether or not the site is visited more once student work is published and accessible. Finally, I will need to conduct a final survey for the parents and students. Did they feel that student achievement rose once work was posted? Since so much of this project is based on attitude and achievement, it is important to get feedback from parents and students about their own personal reflections. Based on this evaluation, I will alter my wiki site for the following year to make the wiki the best it can possibly be.

Through the listed formative and summative assessments, I am confident that I can determine whether or not I have achieved the goals set for my Wicked Project. It should become clear whether or not student success rises when parent-teacher-student communication is apparent. Through polls, rubrics, and parent/student evaluations, I will be able to not only measure attitudes about communication, but also view student progress and be able to link it to communication among the parents, teacher, and student. I am more excited than ever before to implement my Wicked Project in the fall. I am certain that with these assessments in place, I can effectively promote parent-teacher-student communication to benefit students and their learning. 

Revisions: In addition to the previously mentioned assessments, I will also be giving parent and student surveys to all families at the beginning and end of the school year. This will be used to measure any increase in attitudes regarding communication and its effect on student achievement. For those parents who do not have a home computer or internet access, they have been invited to our classroom before or after school, during lunch, or at special area times. I have also suggested using a computer at the local library. Considering these comments and revisions, I am hopeful that all parents will have the opportunity to communicate with their child, and an increase in student achievement will be evident.