Help Me Tell My Story
A tool for student assessment
The Help Me Tell My Story assessment uses a holistic approach that measures oral language development for Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten children. In order to provide a holistic view of each child’s learning, the assessment collects data from the children, their caregivers, their teachers and Elders in their community. It provides immediate access to results for educators and caregivers through easy-to-use web-based tools. The overall purpose of this assessment is to help create real and measurable change in the oral language development of children across Saskatchewan.
In the app, there are four different categories of assessments:
1) Student
2) Teacher
3) Caregiver
4) Elder
The assessment for students is very engaging. In the beginning it asks various questions about their family relationships, their environment, and their school. After the 'question' portion of the assessment, the student then plays various games involving Askî and his friends. However, the games are still assessing the students. For example, there is one game where Askî goes fishing with Nipi (his beaver friend) and they are asked to sort the hooks in the tackle box. After the student sorts the hooks, they are taken to another screen where they orally record their reasoning.
So when I did the assessment, I sorted the hooks based on their color. I put the red, blue, green, and yellow hooks into different compartments. Then, I was taken to another screen where I was asked if I can think of one other way that the hooks could be sorted,. I said that they could also be sorted by their shape! Then, I had to record on the iPad the way I chose to sort, and why I sorted the way I did. For some students I definitely think using the puppet to communicate with the iPad would help them feel more comfortable, thus giving a more accurate assessment.
Not only can the teachers see the results, the parents of each child can see their own specific child’s results. They also have access to their child’s oral responses to the activities in the app. It directly shows parents where their child is at. The app also provides examples of a ‘perfect’ orally spoken response, and a ‘poor’ orally spoken response so the parents can gage where their child is compared to the examples. The students are given a score from the assessment based on the answers they gave, which the parent can also access. In the app for parents, there is about 300 different challenges/games that they can play with their child to improve their score under the family relationships category. The games are quick, like five minutes long, so that they can be played while grocery shopping or driving in the car!
How does it work?
Help Me Tell My Story is “much more than an assessment.” Before the assessment, children are introduced to Askî (a turtle puppet) and Askî‘s friends through a series of stories that communicate traditional First Nations and Métis content. The assessment is then delivered through an iPad and a turtle puppet, which help create a comfortable environment for the child. Once the assessment is done, the data is collected and used to provide feedback to caregivers and teachers through a series of portals and hands-on kiosks located in all schools. This data is then directly tied to a series of learning activities that help inform ongoing learning interventions at home, in school, in the community and on the land.
Who developed this assessment?
SAMR Model
Help Me Tell My Story has completely redesigned assessment for elementary teachers, students and parents. For teachers the results are immediate, descriptive, and trackable. With Help Me Tell My Story parents not only see their child's progress, but they can also be involved in the process of improving their child's learning as well. Compared to other assessments, from what we have shown above, Help Me Tell My Story completely redefines student assessment. It gets the students excited about the assessment - so much that they do not see it as one. As well, it gives the parents a role in their child's learning.
Benefits and Drawbacks
Benefits:
- Teachers and parents can see the results
- Students are engaged and excited about the assessment
- Holistic approach, thus giving a more accurate assessment of the student
- Relatable and accessible
- School is provided with the materials needed for the assessment
- It gives the parents a role in their child's learning
Drawbacks
- Some teachers are hesitant to use technology, or do not understand how to use it
- Digital Citizenship is not affected because the assessment file is private for the teacher and the parents of that student
- Just for pre-kindergarten- kindergarten
Teacher/Student Response
400 classrooms across the province have used this in the classroom, they have positive responses like there is great parent engagement especially in lower level schools were parent support is lacking. It also gives the parents a place to directly see where their child is at because the website gives them access to the assessment and oral answers given by their child. Students are excited about the assessment because Askî makes it more relatable and comfortable to partake. The communities also love the involvement it brings because many times the school makes the assessment day into a party day for the students. This brings the parents to the school, and it gives the students something to be excited about in regards to the assessment.
“The Help Me Tell My Story assessment is unique in many ways. This assessment represents a collaborative effort between teachers, principals, school divisions, external consultants and the Ministry of Education. Through the collaborative development process, we have created an assessment that represents a new, more effective model of assessment that is driving meaningful change in early childhood learning.”
– Greg Miller, Associate Deputy Minister, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education
“This assessment was fun, it was engaging, the kids felt success, the parents felt success and that’s important because education and the kids moving forward in their abilities is our future.”
– Mona Markwart, Principal, Riverside Community School
“There are so many aspects that make this assessment unique and innovative. In the end, this holistic approach produces more reliable and valid information that can be used by caregivers, teachers and community members. It is exciting to see how this new approach has the potential to change the landscape of assessment across this country.”
– Jarrett Laughlin, Lead Education Consultant
Check out the blog to read about the adventures Askî has in various schools across Saskatchewan!