Practicum Assessment & Evaluation
Overview
The principles underlying current approaches to assessment and evaluation in Ontario classrooms are equally important in the appraisal of practice teaching.
In order to maximize the learning of Teacher Candidates during a Practicum, we have identified three distinct yet interconnected aspects of the assessment and evaluation process:
1. Ongoing Feedback
2. Formative Assessment
3. Summative Evaluation
The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning.
Ongoing Feedback
Purpose
To provide Teacher Candidates with regular ongoing input regarding strengths and areas where improvement is necessary. There are a variety of ways to provide feedback, including: informal debriefings, lesson feedback forms, journals or notebooks, rubrics, and written feedback on lesson plans.
Tools
There are a variety of tools and strategies to support ongoing feedback. ATs and TCs are encouraged to discuss the most suitable methods for ongoing feedback during a Practicum Preparation Day, or at the very beginning of the practicum.
There are a variety of feedback forms available on this website (see Forms & Resources), including a form for an AT to use in providing feedback on a lesson plan, and a variety of reflection and feedback forms to be used by the TC and or AT.
Formative Assessment
Purpose
The Mid-Point Formative Assessment (also available as a MS Word file) is a checklist that is used to.
- demonstrate growth over a Practicum block
- be a tool to facilitate communication between a TC and an AT about a TC’s performance
- help identify goals for improvement
- help identify at-risk TCs so that appropriate support can be put into place
- create a common set of assessment criteria
- provide ideas to support the writing of the summative evaluation
In light of the fact that the percentage of teaching is expected to increase in the second half of the placement, the designation of “meeting expectations” on the Formative Assessment should not be interpreted as the final outcome of the practice teaching.
Tool
The Formative Assessment is a checklist to be completed by the Associate Teacher at the mid-point of the practice teaching block. The Formative can also be used at any other point in the practicum as a tool to inform growth of the Teacher Candidate as well as areas requiring further development. Teacher Candidates are also encouraged to complete the Formative Assessment checklist, as a means of self-assessment and share this with their AT.
The Formative Assessment checklist can be found in Appendix B of the Practicum Handbook. If a TC is identified as “at-risk” for failing the practicum on the Formative Assessment, ATs are asked to provide this information and a copy of the Formative Assessment to the Faculty Advisor as soon as the “at-risk” determination has been made.
Some FAQs related to the Formative Assessment:
A formative assessment tool provides information about a TC’s growth and performance from the first days spent in the classroom (prior to the block). However, the Summative Evaluation of a TC should be based solely on their Practice Teaching days from the beginning of each block and the judgment made at the end of this period of time.
The standard for the different levels on the Formative Assessment represents judgment about the growth and performance of a teacher candidate just entering the teaching profession. The standard should not be applied with reference to the performance of an experienced teacher.
Summative Evaluation
Purpose
To communicate a final appraisal (i.e., Pass or Fail), to provide Teacher Candidates with specific descriptive evidence of their practice teaching performance, and to provide Teacher Candidates with a document that is requested in the employment process. A sample of the Summative Evaluation can be found in Appendix C of the MT Practicum Handbook. A few weeks into the practicum, Associate Teachers will be sent a blank Summative via email.
Each section of the Summative should contain 5-10 sentences to describe the performance of the Teacher Candidate during the practicum. Descriptions that include specific examples are very helpful for potential readers. Criteria for evaluation can be found on the Formative Assessment under each sub-section.
