5.1 NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs.

Both of these artifacts were completed by me while I was working on my Master's Degree. I conducted the needs assessment in the second grade classroom I was working in at the time. The paper discusses an instructional problem I, and other teachers at the school,  were having in our classrooms. The needs assessment allowed me to determine how to best solve the problem. I completed the Capstone Research Project while working in that same classroom

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These artifacts demonstrate mastery of standard 5.1: candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. Conducting this needs assessment taught me how to properly and adequately assess a learning problem, and determine how to best attack it. The needs assessment artifact clearly demonstrates that I know how to conduct a proper needs assessment. I included the capstone artifact because after conducting that research project, which I also had to conduct a needs assessment for, I took the results to my principal. I used my findings to discuss with her training on effectively using technology to improve literacy that I wanted her to set up for the staff. We had professional development once a month at that school, and I used the results of this research project to show her the importance of setting up training in this area. I worked very closely with this principal, and she often asked my opinion on different matters. Therefore, I knew if I took these results to her she would listen. This was at the end of last school year, but she agreed to implement training in this area for the next school year, and said we would look at it again in August. However, I did not return to that school, so I don't know if she followed through with setting up a training on effectively using technology to improve literacy or not. I do know though, that after conducting a needs assessment I did use the results of that to inform what the content should be of technology-based professional learning. 

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Conducting this needs assessment taught me that many teachers were facing the same instructional problem I was facing. It also taught me that when an instructional problem arises there are specific steps I can follow in order to address it. One thing that would make this artifact better would be if I had conducted the needs assessment on the entire school. 

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The capstone research project had an impact on student learning. Having the students use the decoding app everyday had a significant impact on their overall literacy. This impact can be measured by looking at the findings of my research project.