Week Thirteen Assignment One

            The Anecdotal Records Assessment, ARA, allows teachers to monitor student progress over a long period of time. This type of assessment is authentic and meaningful as it explores various content standards and demonstration of understanding to these standards. In the bigger picture, standard-based assessments use quantitative measurements. On the smaller scale, using rubrics, student profiles and anecdotal records use qualitative measurements. While using anecdotal records we might record an unintended outcome of a learning activity. Anecdotal records also prove to be a useful tool when approaching parents or administrators about a student with specific needs. The idea of ARA is to observe the children in their natural instructional settings. This requires planning and preparation on the teachers’ part. The only issue teachers’ run into is the idea of a limited time frame. As long as the teachers write observable data, use abbreviations, write records in the past tense and avoid redundancy this type of measured assessment will help gain perspective on how much the student has progressed or regressed. I will be able to see insight as to how much a student has grown in a short period of time and also be able to look out for intervention that might be necessary.