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ASSESSMENT & TECHNOLOGY FORUM June 19, 2004

2004 Gallery Walk Projects Title: eCOVE: The Observation Toolkit Organization: Willamette University / Flowing Thought Educational Solutions Web site:  http://www.flowing-thought.com

Contacts / Presenters:	John Tenny - jtenny@flowing-thought.com
What purpose does your assessment tool serve?	The twenty-three tools in the eCOVE software will facilitate the collection of data concerning teacher and student behavior in the classroom setting. This data can assist the teacher in peer coaching and in student assessment, school administrator, university supervisor, personal director, special education specialists, and education researcher in determining the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning activities.
Please indicate the category that best describes your project:	Technology as an Assessment Tool: ___ NCLB Statewide Assessments (Preparation, Delivery, Analysis) ___ Classroom Assessments (tests, quizzes) ___ Electronic/Digital Portfolios ___ Computer Scored Essays ___ Information Management Systems ___ Tools for Observation of Student Work/Behavior ___ Special Needs/Alternative Assessments _X__ Other: Tools for Observation of Teacher and/or Student Classroom Behavior   Assessing Technology Skills (NETS * S and NETS * T): ___ Digital Transcript ___ NCLB 8 th Grade IT Literacy ___ High School IT Graduation Requirements ___ IT Certifications (Cisco, Microsoft, etc.) ___ 21 st Century Skills __X_ Other:__Several of the tools are open-ended and can be used in multiple areas above__
How long has this assessment tool been in use within your organization?	Twenty plus years in various paper formats; about 9 months in electronic form
Who is the audience for this assessment tool?	Anyone observing behavior of teachers and students in the school setting – school administrators, university supervisors, classroom mentor teachers, classroom teachers, personal director/human resources, special education specialists, and education researchers.
What technology is used? (Please indicate hardware, software, and networking requirements)	eCOVE software Laptop computers/tablets: Windows, Macintosh OS 9 or OS X Palm (in beta) Pocket PC (in beta)
Approximately how many people are currently using this system?	190+ K-12 K-12 Students (current year) Please indicate grade level(s):______ 35+ K-12 Teachers 300 - 500 Teacher education students 50 + Teacher education faculty 180+ Other: School administrators, personnel directors, special education
What professional development (for students or assessors) is required to use the tool?	Basic and creative use can be implemented through the manual; in depth use of the tool training is provided in a 4-hour workshop; professional development in data-driven decision making in public schools is provided in additional workshops.
To use the tool effectively, what else should the school have in place?	Laptop computers for mobile supervisors; desktop computers for in-class use. Palm and PPC handhelds are a coming option.
If you haven't already addressed it, how does your tool help students or teachers demonstrate that they are meeting standards?	The twenty-three tools facilitate a shift from personal judgment and opinion as a measure of quality to the use of data on observable classroom behaviors as the basis for introspection and decision-making. The wide range of tools available, along with the capability to create tools for specific uses, make this software useful in any situation where behavior is being observed.
What questions would you like participants to address?	Do you know of specific research projects that attend to or include the observation of classroom behaviors (teacher or student) not addressed in the current tools? What additional tools are desired and for what specific users? What level of training is desirable for effective use of these tools?