Key Assessment/Field Assignment and Rubric
Adolescent Development SEDF 704
Observation Report
As one requirement for this course, you will be required to complete an assignment based on your field experience in a New York City public school. This assignment is designed to address standard 1c) Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills for Teacher Candidates
(including the ways adolescents develop and the relationship to learning and the use of research in teaching) and standard 4a. Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Curriculum and
Experiences (including dealing with diversity issues related to developmental levels, learning styles, culture, gender, English language learners, and special needs students.) of The National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Furthermore, this assignment is designed to address the following objectives:

To prepare teacher candidates to objectively conduct a low-inference observation of a student in a classroom setting.

To enhance teacher candidate knowledge and comprehension of how adolescents from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds develop within the context of schools and classrooms.

To enhance teacher candidate knowledge and comprehension of current research within the field of adolescent development as it pertains to the cognitive, socioemotional, linguistic, and physical development of adolescents in urban settings.
Toward these ends, please complete the following tasks using the format and sequence of the items as they appear below.
Step 1: Identify one issue that you have found notable in your observation of a specific student.
The issue can be from any of the domains of adolescent development or may involve a combination of domains. The issue may be positive, for example a student who performs well above average or seems to be well liked by most peers, or negative, for example a student who acts out during class or one who seems to be socially isolated. The issue identified may concern a single student, a small group of student in the class or a large group of students. The issue may involve relationships among students or between students and adults. (NCATE 1c)
Step 2: Describe what you observed in general, non-interpretive, non-judgmental, jargon-free terms. Provide as much detail as necessary for the reader to grasp with clarity what you observed. Include information about what you observe in regard to diversity in the classroom, including ways instruction was adapted for different developmental levels, learning styles, cultural differences, gender differences, language differences, and special needs. (NCATE 4a)
Step 3: Select 3 empirical journal articles published within the last 5 years (please obtain my permission for earlier studies). The article must be directly or indirectly relevant to the issue you are analyzing. In either case you will have to explain the relevance between the results of the study and the issue you are analyzing. The most relevant article will address the variables of interest to you and will include subjects in the general age group (and other demographic and diversity characteristics) of concern to you. Articles from this course's curriculum are welcome.
For independent research you can start by identifying the key terms used to refer to the issue in a thesaurus within a database such as Google Scholar (scholar.gooogle.com). (NCATE 1c)

Step 4: Provide theoretical explanations for what you observed. Your observation should be framed within the context of a theory. For this purpose, important theoretical concepts should be presented, defined, and specifically related to what you observed. Do not assume that the professor knows. Instead, write for an audience that knows very little about the subject. If the issue you identified was a problem, then provide a possible solution to the problem, derived from that theory . If the issue was a positive outcome, then provide one possible strategy for extending that positive outcome to other students, derived from that theory . (NCATE 1c)
Step 5: Support your theoretical explanations with empirical evidence from your selected research articles. Integrate a summary of the articles into your theoretical analysis of the issue and/or your proposed solution to the problem or your proposed strategy for extending a positive outcome to other students. (NCATE 1c)

Performance
Outcome
Description of
Classroom
Observation
(NCATE 1c)
Diversity in the
Classroom
(NCATE 4a)
Identification of
Relevant Theories
(NCATE 1c)
Application of
Relevant Theories to Developmental
Issue (NCATE 1c)
Proposed
Solutions/strategies
(NCATE 1c)
Use of Research
Articles to Justify
Conclusions
(NCATE 1c)
Identification of
Empirical Journal
Articles
Rubric for SEDF 704 Observation Report
Above Standard
---4 points---
Description is very clear, free of interpretation or jargon, is rich in relevant details and is consistent with later label
Clear, comprehensive, and compelling description student diversity with strong attention to developmental levels, learning styles, cultural differences, gender differences, and language differences.
Three or more appropriate theories are presented clearly, accurately, and comprehensively.
Relevant aspects and key terms of theories are presented and used to explain the developmental-related issue in an accurate, clear, comprehensive, and compelling manner.
Meets Standard
---3 points---
Description is clear, free of interpretation or jargon, includes sufficient relevant details and is consistent with later label
Clear description student diversity with attention to developmental levels, learning styles, cultural differences, gender differences, and language differences.
Three appropriate theories are presented clearly and accurately.
Approaches
Standard
---2 points---
Description is somewhat clear, includes some jargon/ interpretation, and some relevant details and/or is somewhat consistent with later label
Vague description about student diversity.
Two appropriate theories are presented
Some relevant aspects or key terms of theory are not presented and/or link of theory to developmental-related issue is not explicit
Solutions/strategies are derived from theories and comparison and contrast are presented in an accurate, clear, and comprehensive manner.
Relevant aspects of articles are discussed and used to defend conclusions in an accurate, clear, comprehensive and compelling manner.
More than the required number is included.
Articles are highly relevant, empirical, published in the last 5 years (or justification is presented)
Relevant aspects and key terms of theories are presented and used to explain the developmentalrelated issue in an accurate and clear manner.
Solutions/strategies are derived from theories and comparison and contrast are presented in an accurate and clear manner.
Relevant aspects of articles are discussed and used to defend conclusions in an accurate and clear manner.
Required number is included.
Articles are relevant, empirical, most published in the last 5 years (or justification is presented)
Solutions/strategies are derived from theory but neither comparison nor contrast are provided
Discussion of articles is limited and/or explicit link to conclusion is absent
Articles are somewhat relevant, empirical, and many published prior to last 5 years
Below Standard
---0 to 1 point---
Description is not clear or objective, includes few relevant details and is not consistent with later label
Description about student diversity is not clear or includes few relevant details
No more than one theory is presented and/or theory presented is not appropriate
Important aspects of theory and key terms are not presented and/or are not linked to the developmentalrelated issue
Solutions/strategies are not derived from theory
Article is not used to justify conclusion
Articles are not relevant, are not empirical, not recent and/or not published in journals

Performance
Outcome
Above Standard
---4 points---
Organization of
Report
Logical, sequential organization is clearly discernable
Stays on topic
Topic sentences, transitions, headings and subheadings are effectively used
Citations and reference list are APA style
0
Writing Quality Meets acceptable standards with respect to spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy, and fluency.
Meets Standard
---3 points---
Organization is discernable
Stays on topic
Topic sentences and transitions effectively used
Citations and reference list are generally but not exclusively in APA style
-1
1-2 errors with respect to spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy, and fluency.
Approaches
Standard
---2 points---
Organization is somewhat discernable
Tangential issues are discussed
Topic sentences and transitions used sometimes
Not consistently APA style
-2
3-5 errors with respect to spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy, and fluency.
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
Total: ______ out of 32 Points.
Assignment Scoring Scale
A+ 32
30-31
28-29
26-27
23-25
21-22
19-20
18-16
Below Standard 0-15
Below Standard
---0 to 1 point---
Organization is not discernable
Tangential issues are discussed extensively
Topic sentences and transitions are rarely used
APA style is not used
-3
6-8 errors with respect to spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy, and fluency.