PROFESSIONAL INQUIRY PROJECT PROPOSAL

PSIII Spring 2017 Internship

Taylor Fox

Focus/Topical Question:
The focus of my Professional Inquiry Project is to develop a guide or resource for planning,
creating, and utilizing summative assessment in an elementary classroom. The purpose of this
project is to provide a resource for teachers, specifically new ones, that will help them implement
summative assessment into their planning and teaching across all subject areas in the beginning
of their careers. My main inquiry question for this project is:

How can summative assessment effectively be integrated into the planning and
teaching of new elementary teachers?

Background:
In elementary school, there does not seem to be a definitive way that teachers are supposed to
summatively assess their students. This gives teachers freedom to choose how and when they
want to utilize and implement summative assessment, but this can be incredibly vague and
overwhelming for teachers entering the field. Every teacher seems to have different preferences,
recommendations, and guidelines, when it comes to summative assessment, making it difficult
for new teachers to determine how they themselves want to implement summative assessment
into their teaching and planning. Through this Professional Inquiry Project, I aim to complete
what can be considered a resource or guide to summative assessment in elementary for new
teachers. The focus of this project will be placed on summative assessment in Grade 3, as that is
the grade that I am currently teaching, but will also include information about summative
assessment in other elementary grades. The purpose of the topic that I have chosen for this
project is to make my own assessment planning easier as I complete my PSIII Internship and
begin my career, but also help other new teachers who are struggling with knowing how and
when to summatively assess their elementary students. I am hoping that upon completion of this
project, I will have a much better understanding of the role that summative assessment plays in
elementary and be able to pass on my findings and research to other fellow teachers.

Activities/Process:
Research
o Interview various elementary teachers, with varying years of experience and
expertise, about the most effective summative assessment practices, guidelines,
and strategies that they either currently use or have used in the past.
o Conduct online/textbook research that focuses on the following questions:
What types of summative assessment are commonly used in elementary?
What types of summative assessments used in elementary are considered
effective?
What types of summative assessment should not be used in elementary?
What types of summative assessment do elementary teachers most highly
recommend?
 Collaborate
o Interview and work with various teachers to learn about how they effectively
summatively assess in elementary.
o Frequently check-in and share newfound information and research with mentor
teacher.
o Begin to utilize findings from my research in my own planning, teaching, and
learning.
Create
o All of the research and information that is completed throughout the development
of this project will be featured on an online webpage (linked to my Professional
Portfolio) that will be accessible to all.
o My findings will also be shared with the staff of my internship school and placed
on their shared drive, where it will be accessible for anyone to use.

Timeline:
February 1st Begin to develop rationale/interview outline and questions
February 8-10th Begin to interview various teachers (including school admin) and
conduct online/textbook research
February 15-17th Conference with mentor teacher about progress of project
February 27th Begin to utilize research in own planning and teaching
March 1st-3rd Begin to develop online resource/guide
March 8-10th Conference with mentor teacher about progress of project
March 20-30th Finalize project, gather any additional research
March 22nd -24th Conference with mentor teacher about progress of project
March 31st Hand in final completed project

End Product:
The end product of this project will be a resource or guide for beginner or future teachers on how
to effectively implement summative assessment into their planning and teaching in elementary.
This resource will be presented as a webpage on my online professional portfolio. It will also be
shared with the staff of my internship school and saved on their drive for all teachers to access,
especially beginner teachers and future student teachers. My mentor teacher and University
Consultant will also have access to my project throughout the process of its creation. This
resource will most likely contain the following sections:
Rationale/Overview
Research Conducted and Resources Used (online, textbook, and interviews)
Implementation (into my own planning, teaching, and learning) and Reflections
Findings/Conclusions
Recommendations/How to (how new teachers should assess their elementary students)
Hi everyone!

As a part of this final practicum that I am currently completing, I am required to complete a Professional Inquiry Project. This project is meant to both
enrich my learning and knowledge as a pre-service teacher, but also positively contribute to the school climate that I have been placed in. For my
project, I have decided to explore the role that summative assessment plays in Elementary teaching and learning, specifically for new teachers.

My project will be based on the essential question: How can summative assessment effectively be integrated into the planning and teaching of new
elementary teachers?

As I develop this project throughout my time here, I plan to create a resource for new teachers on how to tackle summative assessment when they first
begin teaching. This resource will become a part of my online portfolio, but I also plan to leave it with the school for future new teachers or practicum
students to utilize and add to over time.

In order to gain some insight into how summative assessment works in Elementary, I am hoping to acquire some information from all of you. I would
really appreciate it if you all were able to answer the following questions that will help me develop my understanding about summative assessment and
this project.

What types of summative assessments do you frequently use? (both throughout a unit and at its conclusion)

What types of summative assessment do you find to be the most effective? Why?

What types of summative assessment do you find the least effective? Why?

How often do you collect summative assessment for each subject?

Where/how do you record your summative assessments?

How does your formative assessment inform your summative assessment?

Do you have any tips or tricks for making assessment less intimidating for new teachers?

I would love to be able to interview all of you in person, but I know that you are all busy people, so I thought that email might be an easier way to collect
this information. If you would prefer to meet in person and discuss this topic, just let me know! I have prep time all morning, so it would be best for me
to meet you during that time that works for any of you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. I look forward to hearing from all of you!

Taylor Fox
PSIII Practicum Student
Mentor Teacher: Kim Johnson