# data[].attributes.body
1.  Dear Reader
2. Exhibits (Referenced in Literacy Portfolio)
3. Literacy Portfolio

What have I Learned About Assessment?

Myself as a Reader

Myself as an Educator

Myself as an Assessor

Personal/Professional Goals

4. My Journey Continues...

# data[].attributes.body
“Ms.Carter, why do I read slower than everyone else?” said one of my fourth grade students. After giving this student positive reinforcement, I realized that I needed to dig deeper into their reading history. I was determined to figure out areas of strength and weaknesses and implement the best instructional plan. Most importantly, I wanted to increase this student's confidence as well as their self-esteem. I knew I couldn’t do this alone. Hence, my journey began with this graduate program. With the knowledge I've gained through this course and the support of the literacy specialist and grade level teachers, we have been able to discuss this students’ performance as well as other struggling students. In addition, we monitored their progress and have made effective instructional decisions to best support their overall reading development.

I am currently in my second year teaching fourth grade. As a new educator, I have learned a multitude of skills that I am continuing to reflect on and integrate these new skills every day. Teaching upper elementary children has given me the opportunity to implement new teaching strategies, adapt to a variety of learning models due to the pandemic, and continue to meet the needs of diverse learners through effective instruction and assessment as well as implementing an engaging and challenging curriculum.

To further my knowledge and skills in literacy, I enrolled in the Reading & Language program at UMass Lowell. Specifically, this course opened new pathways for understanding and critiquing different assessment tools, interpreting assessment data, and designing instruction to best meet the needs of struggling readers & writers that I applied in my classroom. My desire is to continue to grow my knowledge and skills in this area of literacy, particularly developing a deeper understanding of effective assessment and instruction.

My literacy portfolio includes beliefs about reading and writing instruction & assessment as well as my plans for assessing reading and writing. The last section of my portfolio includes my personal and professional goals. The exhibits (color-coded below) include: examples of artifacts and strategies that I have incorporated into my practice and will be explained in greater detail.

I am truly grateful for sharing this professional journey with so many talented educators, both new and experienced teachers. Together, we were able to voice our perspectives, collaborate with one another and reflect on our thinking and practices.  This experience has taught me to always be open to learning and growing my skills, to continuously question and adapt to students’ needs, and to help students on their journey to become lifelong readers and writers!

# data[].attributes.body
As I reflect on my experience in this class, I have learned that it is imperative to get to know the whole student, socially and academically to better understand their strengths and weaknesses and to avoid over assessing. My struggling student wanted to know “why do I read slower than others…”.  I can confidently say that I have learned very valuable insights and better understand the tools that I can incorporate into my reading and writing literacy tool kit to better help struggling students.