Media-X Systems Inc.

Assessing Dispositions

mVal:Professional Assessing Dispositions

Parents, teachers, educators, and researchers agree that effective teaching happens when teachers:• thoroughly know their subjects• have significant teaching skills• possess dispositions that foster growth and

learning in students

Leave out any one of these and learning which is essential to a productive and meaningful life will not occur.

One of the most pressing current problems in the preparation of future educators is defining and measuring the dispositions associated with educator effectiveness

That’s why we’re all here !!

• mVal:Professional is an appraisal system used by 1,000’s of school administrators to assess staff using rubrics and ‘look-fors’ (Performance

Indicators), which standardize evaluations.

• Knowing what to look for empowers evaluators to make more accurate assessments.

• Based on the research of Arthur W. Combs and the perceptual instrument described by M. Mark Wasicsko, PhD* in 2002, mVal:Professional can be used to simplify the assessment of teacher (or teacher candidate) dispositions.

* College of Education, Eastern Kentucky University

• The ‘Handbook on Teacher Evaluation’ provides:• Domains• Standards• Rubrics• Performance Indicators (Look-fors)• Portfolio guidelines• Improvement Plans

- the book would be an ideal resource for mVal:Professional

- mVal:Professional would be an ideal companion for the book

All of which are managed in mVal:Professional

• Define sets of Standards, Rubrics and Look-fors (Performance indicators)

• Create appraisals based on a set of standards

• Record observations

• Assess based on the observations

• Report

• Allow students to reflect, provide evidence, make self-assessments and maintain portfolios

mVal:Professional is used to:

• From the outset, mVal:Professional was designed to record data using a Palm PDA, although you can record the observations on paper or while having access to the Internet.

Example based on the research of M. Mark Wasicsko, PhD

Select a DomainSelect a Disposition

Evaluating Dispositions and rating lookfors is organized and simpleMany prefer to rate the lookfors first, and later decide the evaluation of the Disposition

• Portability

• Anywhere-anytime access to data

• Inconspicuous recording of observations

• SIMPLICITY

• Single button transfer of data between Palm and web

The advantages of using a handheld are:

• A single ‘Desktop’ application that is always current (updates are instantaneous for all users)

• Automated Palm updates via the web• Access to evaluations and reports from any web-

connected computing device (multi-platform)• The ability for evaluators to share and collaborate• A vehicle for students to maintain portfolios, growth

plans, reflections and peer-assessments• Dialogues between students and professors/mentors• Faculty, department, campus, state or even nation-

wide access to data

The combination of web and Palm handheld provides:

Setting yourself up on the web:

First, you create your set of assessment tools

You can customize all evaluation criteria

What follows is an example of using Dr. Comb’s research

The perceptual factor for perceptions of subject matter ( I have not added any performance indicators)

The performance indicators and perceptual factor for perceptions of people

The performance indicators and perceptual factor for perceptions of self

An assessment set for evaluating weekly reflections

What the student/teacher sees – they then create their anecdote

What the evaluator sees

The ‘Reflection’ assignmentThe respose that is evaluated

One of several reports

Student teachers can log-on and do a self-assessment, Build Improvement and Learning Plans, and maintain Portfolios:

Items in a portfolio can be linked to any standard (competency):

Learning Plans can be customized for the school/district/campus:

Here the evaluator has set the system so the student teacher cannot view the appraisal:

Customized Reporting forms can be created

Simplechecklistscan becreated

Doing an appraisal on-line:

Working with Look-fors:

The appraiser can view the self-assessment

Notes made by the student

Evaluation made by the student

Numerous reports are available

Building yourown Rubrics isextremely easy -you simply typethem in, or youcan even ‘copy-paste’ from aWord or otherdocument.

You can create as many checklists as you wish

You can customize all screen labels and scoring values

Faculty standardized forms can be automaticallyfilled in with pre-defined comments with just a click.Notice that the teacher’s name is automatically insertedto make the note personal.

Notice that the teacher’s name is automatically insertedto make the note personal. Thus all the data collected is organized to fill in the Faculty’s reporting form.

Using a Palm, you can collectthe data for the evaluationconveniently and efficiently.

Staff information with you always

You can make notes that you won’tmisplace

Evaluations are quick and simple

You can create spontaneous, informalevaluations about anything

Evaluations are quick and simple

Data from the Palm is movedto the database witha ‘hotsync’ or wirelessly.

Select the evaluation

Select the area to evaluate

Select the competency to evaluate

Evaluate …. with just a ‘tap’ on the screen

Evaluate …. with just a ‘tap’ on the screen

You can indicate evidence

And see what to ‘Look For’in making your decision.

You can make notes on any partof the appraisal

You can even enter comments automatically

Mval:Professional:

As soon as appraisals are made with a Palmthey can be transferred to the web-based databaseeither with a ‘Hotsync’ or wirelessly :

• Over a wireless network with a Tungsten ‘C’• From anywhere in the field with a Tungsten ‘W’

Informal, Spontaneous Walkthroughs

You build as many ‘Assessment Tools’ as you like, and use them whenever appropriate

Informal, Spontaneous Walkthroughs

When you add a new Walk-through, you can selected from the ‘Templates’ you have created

Informal, Spontaneous Walkthroughs

The items you built for the Walk-through can have data-entry, check boxes, drop downsand individual check lists.

Incident Reporting

• record incidents on your PDA or web• track pre-service teacher achievements• monitor pre-service teachers at risk

Rapid recording of any incidentor any excellence with regards to pre-service teachers or staff

Incident Reporting

• Staff and Mentors enter data using their PDA or Web• Drop down menus, customizable categories and descriptors facilitate quick and efficient data entry

An example of a elementary school report, but a University/College report would simply have different incident types

What an administratormonitoring the systemwould see.

Setting upa template fortracking achievementand behavior

Making a report on-line

For further information contact:Media-X Systems Inc.1-888-722-9990 pshuster@media-x.comwww.media-x.com