Early Childhood

Task 3: Assessment Commentary

TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 10 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within
the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding the maximum will not be
scored. Attach the assessment you used to evaluate student performance (no more than 5 additional pages) to the end of this
file. If you submit feedback as a video or audio clip and your comments to focus students cannot be clearly heard, attach
transcriptions of your comments (no more than 2 additional pages) to the end of this file. These pages do not count toward
your page total.

1. Analyzing Childrens Learning

a. Identify the specific language and literacy learning objectives for the common
assessment you chose for analysis.
[ The language and literacy learning objectives for the common assessment that took place are
recall information from prior penguin discussions in order to make a list of sentences that use
adjectives or comparing words when talking about penguins, to write complete sentences with
correct punctuation, properly use describing and comparing words in their sentences, and to
participate in a class discussion.]
b. Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes the class/groups learning
for the common assessment.
[For the common assessment the students learning is continuous. Everything that the class
learns in this unit builds on their prior knowledge and the skills that they are learning. The
students get introduced to a new skill that is also modeled for them, they then practice the skill
as a class with the help of the teacher before practicing this skill on their own. For example,
when introducing the suffixes -est and -ing to the class I first explained to the class what a suffix
was. Next, I asked for volunteers to give examples similar to the examples I gave as well. Next,
we complete a worksheet or transparency where we practice completing sentences using words
with these suffixes together. The students then work on completing a worksheet practicing the
same skill on their own. When a skill is a more complicated sometimes we make more time so
that we are able to do more than one practice page together and the next day we review as a
class before giving the students time to work a practice page on their own. Although students
are asked to work independently they are allowed to ask questions when they need help. When
they are asking how to spell or pronounce a word they are encouraged to first try on their own.
When asking how to spell a word students are first encouraged to write the sounds or letters
that they hear and then circle the word if they are unsure if it is spelled correctly. When looking
over the students paper, if the word is spelled incorrectly we right the word correctly for the
student. When students ask how to spell a word the response the student receives depends on
who the student.is and how complex the word is. Students are first encouraged to use their prior
knowledge of sounds and letters to sound out the words, if they are still unsuccessful I will give
them the word or help them to break down the more complicated sounds. When a student who
is more of a struggling reader or a student who has an IEP they receive a little more help when
trying to read. When students ask what a word is during the test, for the sake of time I am more
likely to give them the word. The day before the theme test as a class we go over all of the
questions on test together, students are assigned to reread the story for extra practice, and are
encouraged to study their vocabulary words as extra practice. As a class we also review the
phonics skills that students have learned during this unit. Before for the students were given the
instructions for the common assessments we made examples of what the sentences they will be
writing should look like. I first asked students to tell me what the components of a complete
sentence were. Next, I called on volunteers to give me sentences in which they used either a

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Early Childhood
Task 3: Assessment Commentary

describing word to describe penguins, a comparing words to compare penguins to another

penguin or animal, or both. ]
c. Use the class/group summary you provided in prompt 1b to analyze the patterns of
language and literacy learning for the class/group.
[ The patterns of language and literacy learning for the class is nearly identical. When language
and literacy learning occurs, the same steps of modeling, reviewing, and practicing still occur in
the same way. The main difference in learning for language and literacy and learning for the
common assessment is that for a duration of the time devoted to learning and literacy the
special ed teacher takes the students with IEP for additional help. When learning language and
literacy there is a lot more review that is concentrated on one topic at a time opposed to
reviewing multiple skills at once. For example, when learning language and literacy we focus on
one or two skills for the entire week, whereas when learning for the common assessment the
review that we do is more broad because we are covering combined skills.]
d. Analyze the patterns of learning for the 2 focus children. Reference the 3 sources of
evidence you collected for each of the 2 focus children.
Consider childrens strengths (what children understand and do well), and areas of
learning that need attention (e.g., common errors, confusions, need for greater
challenge).
[When learning focus student 1 usually requires help. Focus student 1 often needs help reading,
sounding words out, and spelling. When reading and trying to sound out words on their own she
often looks up at the helping teacher for reassurance. When focus student 1 takes her time, she
can usually sound the word out or get extremely close to the right answer. When focus student 1
reads sentences without many complicated words she does a good job at reading fluently.
Focus student 1 also does a good job when answering questions where she either has choices
to choose from, a prompt, or is asked the question again after it is asked if she seems to be
struggling. When playing Who wants to be a Millionaire comprehension version, I read the
questions to the students followed by answer options. Focus student 1 was able to answer a
majority of the questions correctly. When looking at some of the work for focus student 1 such
as the penguin exercise and comprehension worksheet, there are many spelling errors and she
does not utilize the method of circling the words that she had trouble spelling. Focus student 1
also does not start all sentences with a capital letter although she sometimes does use a period
at the end and does provide accurate answers and information. Focus student 1 also was able
to properly use describing and comparing although she spelled some of the words incorrectly
when working on a penguin exercise. Focus student 2 does well when recognizing the sounds
that the letters make when combined such as |ou| and |ew| and how to use that knowledge to
sound out words. With focus student 2 having a less difficult time sounding out words, when
completing the penguin exercise and comprehension worksheet, spelling words was not a
problem for her. She was able to properly use describing and comparing words properly as well
as spell the additional words used to complete the sentences; focus student 2 also was able to
use capital letters and periods correctly. When analyzing the worksheet, the focus student 2
completed, she had minor errors in spelling but was able to properly utilize the circling the words
that she misspelled. When participating in the Who wants to be a Millionaire comprehension
game focus student 2 only missed the answer to one question which addressed something that
we had not previously gone over.]
e. If video or audio evidence of learning or a video or audio work sample occurs in a group
context (e.g., discussion), provide the name of the clip and clearly describe how the
scorer can identify the focus children (e.g., position, physical description) whose work is
portrayed.
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Early Childhood
Task 3: Assessment Commentary

[ N/A ]
2. Feedback to Guide Further Learning
Refer to specific evidence of submitted feedback to support your explanations.
a. Identify the format in which you submitted your evidence of feedback for the 2 focus
children. (Delete choices that do not apply.)

Written directly on work samples or in separate documents that

were provided to the focus children
If a video or audio clip of feedback occurs in a group context (e.g., discussion), clearly
describe how the scorer can identify the focus child (e.g., position, physical description)
who is being given feedback.
[ Feedback to guide further learning was provided orally as well as written. When the
participating in the comprehension game, students received feedback orally.]
b. Explain how the feedback provided to the 2 focus children addresses their individual and
developmental strengths and needs relative to language and literacy development.
[ When providing feedback to the focus children, the feedback was given based on their
abilities. Both students were praised when they chose the correct answer, when students chose
an incorrect answer we discussed why the answer they chose was incorrect as well as what
made the correct answer correct. Students also received written feedback on their work When
students turned in their sentences for the penguin activity where they had to make complete
sentences correctly using describing and comparing words the feedback both students received
feedback geared toward their specific strengths and weaknesses. Focus student 1 received
feedback written on her paper as well as verbally as we looked over her paper together
reminding her to use capital letters when beginning sentences. She also was given the correct
spelling of the words spelled incorrectly. However, she was complimented on being able
properly use the descriptive and comparing words. Focus student 1 was then given back the
original paper to make corrections. Focus student 1 struggles with spelling, therefore the
feedback she received was specific to that whether it was telling her how well she did spelling
and using a word correctly or if it was telling her she did a good job at attempting to sound out a
words by writing the sounds they hear and then showing them how to correctly spell the word.
Although focus student 1 doesnt always write her sentences correctly in a complete form, if the
information is correct and accurate she will also receive feedback in that area letting her know
what it was she did well. Because focus student 2 works at a higher level, her feedback is
geared more toward making more complex sentences and taking more time to work on
sounding out how to spell words to work on spelling them correctly and completing her thoughts
correctly. With assessing student 2, I also look more at the answers that ask about the why and
how opposed to the who and what, however focus student 2 doesnt have as hard of a time
meeting these goal. Focus student 2 is encouraged to take her time when working so that she
can avoid making small and avoidable errors.]
c. Describe how you will support each focus child to understand and use this feedback to
further their learning related to learning objectives, either within the learning segment or
at a later time.
[ By providing feedback that is specific, each student will be encouraged and expected to pay
special attention to these details when competing future assignments. I will also use this
feedback to help me adjust what learning objectives will be used with the students to make sure
that they are getting the most out of their assignment. I will help support the students
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Early Childhood
Task 3: Assessment Commentary

understanding of these feedback by working with them to model how it is they should use the
feedback before having them apply the feedback independently, this way they are aware of if
they are applying the feedback appropriately and I know that they understand what they are
supposed to be doing.]
3. Evidence of Vocabulary Understanding and Use
When responding to the prompt below, use concrete examples from the video clips and/or
childrens work samples as evidence. Evidence from the video clips may focus on one or
more children.
a. Explain how children were able to use the key vocabulary1 to support their learning of the
content.

For prompt 3a, refer to the evidence of childrens vocabulary use from ONE,
TWO, OR ALL THREE of the following sources:
1. Video clips from Instruction Task 2 and time-stamp references for evidence of
vocabulary use
2. Additional video file named Vocabulary Use of no more than 5 minutes in
length and cited vocabulary use (this can be footage of one or more children).
See Assessment Task 3 specifications in the Early Childhood Evidence Chart
for acceptable file types. Submit the video clip in Assessment Task 3, Part C.
3. Childrens work samples analyzed in Assessment Task 3 and cited vocabulary
use
[ In this video children show how they are able to use key vocabulary by explaining what the
water felt like when the stuck their hand directly into the ice water opposed to what it felt like
when they stuck their hand inside of the blubber and then into the ice water. In this video they
also use key vocabulary from their story when discussing the different parts a penguin has such
as how penguins have flippers and we do not. They also display use of comparing words such
as saying the water was colder or warmer. ]
4. Using Assessment to Inform Instruction
a. Based on your analysis of childrens learning presented in prompts 1bc, describe next
steps for instruction:

For the class/group

For the 2 focus children and other individuals/groups with specific needs
Consider the active and multimodal nature of childrens learning and the variety of
learners in your class/group who may require different strategies/supports (e.g., children
with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, children at different points in the
developmental continuum, struggling readers, and/or gifted children needing greater
support or challenge).
[ After analyzing the childrens some of the next steps for instruction would be to reevaluate my
method of instruction. It students seem like need more collaborative practice before given time
to practice independently, then I would adjust my instruction so that there is more time to review
1

This vocabulary was identified in Planning Task 1 and refers to developmentally appropriate sounds, words, phrases,

sentences, and paragraphs that children use or create to engage in the learning experience.

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Early Childhood
Task 3: Assessment Commentary

as a class as well as more time to complete practice pages together. Another adjustment that I
would make is to the objectives, depending on how the students are working I would either
increase the complexity of the objectives to provide more of a challenge or I would decrease the
objectives until the students are able successfully master the skill at hand. If an adjustment like
this doesnt need to be made for the entire class I would make these changes only where they
are needed, that way no student is being overly or under challenged making the adjustment
counterproductive. For example, if only the student that would be considered as struggling
readers or the students with IEPs are the ones struggling I would make accommodations only
for them so that everyone else can continue to work at their appropriate level.]
b. Explain how these next steps follow from your analysis of childrens learning. Support
your explanation with principles from research and/or developmental theory.
[ Lev Vygotskys theory discusses the Zone of Proximal Development. The zone of proximal
development explains how some skills an individual can complete on their own whereas other
skills can be performed with the assistance. The zone of proximal development is the theoretical
the basis of scaffolding, if the next steps I take support the class learning include this method I
feel as though the students will approve in areas of need. Although I already use scaffolding to a
certain extent, I feel as though it would be more effective if when it is time to begin independent
practice I still use the scaffolding or ZPD to more with the students who need more assistance
than others. ]

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