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Algebra Assessment

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Traditionally, at the beginning of every school year in Algebra, my co-teachers and I assess our incoming freshman with a no calculator, diagnostic assessment consisting of 25 problems that covers the basic mathematical skills. Unfortunately, the averages have been consistently around 29% for the last four years. Although this assessment does not count towards the student’s grade and we utilize this assessment to identify areas of weaknesses in our students, since they are coming from three sending districts, many of them are upset with their scores, which starts their year off in a negative connotation. In fact, the students cannot use a calculator for the first two chapters. If it were in my control, I would allow my students to utilizer …show more content…

Another method to support my students would be ungraded practice sheets on basic arithmetic skills. Reviewing adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers prior to shifting to Algebra. Another basic skill error in understanding that when implementing the Order of Operations that they must multiply and divide from left to right and then add and subtract left to right. So often students are literal with their beliefs in the mnemonic of PEMDAS (parentheses, exponentiation, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction). Once again, I would have my students work together comparing their results and summing up their understanding at the end of the lesson regarding the importance of the correct order of operations. They could even be assigned a project of coming up with a new way to remember order of operations as their homework …show more content…

Previously, my students were provided with fill-in the blank notes for the first six weeks of school, and then they read the sections and took their own notes without prior examples. This process does not actually demonstrate to our students how to outline the chapter sections; therefore my co-teachers and I ought to change our instructional plan. After some discussion, we decided to create outline fill-in the blank notes, but in outline form including titles, subtitles, and bullets. By demonstrating to our students the expectations of outlining a section and the process of outlining, we provide them with the skills to eventually complete them independently proactively supporting our students not just in Biology, but in their other academic classes also. After four to six weeks depending on our students’ progress, we will withdraw this support and require our students to outline on their

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