Introduction of Lei Rhyne EDU665:Performance Assessments

Leitricia Rhyne Nickname is Lei  A.S. in Computer Science  B.A. in Psychology  4 classes from completing my M.Ed. Concentration in Measurements and Assessments.  Married to an amazing man and the mother of two incredible children  I love to cook  I love to travel  I love to read  I am the director of Hayden’s Way. A school for children with learning disabilities  I love my job

I never thought I would go into the Education Field I did it for these two. My daughter who is dyslexic and has severe test anxiety, and my handsome son who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the age of 2. So I did not choose the education field, it chose me. I was an IT Director, making great money and thought my life was set, but God had other plans for us.

When my daughter was in 2 nd grade we were seeing her struggle in reading. We took her for a psychological evaluation and found out she was dyslexic. Unfortunately the public school system does not recognize dyslexia as a learning disability so they could not offer her any accommodations. So I decided to take her out of school and home school her. My plan was to work with her for a year maybe two and then put her back in public school. We started enjoying homeschooling so much I ended up homeschooling her for 7 years.

When my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS I immediately started studying about his diagnose. We started therapy, and play groups, and Behavioral modification. I started taking classes in neuro- science, and child psychology, and physiology. My goal was to figure out how his brain worked and how to get through to him. The first few years in public school was great. He was in a contained classroom, he had a parapro and an individualized plan. Then they put him in a regular classroom and dropped his parapro to part time. He regressed and I couldn’t sit by and watch it happen. So I pulled him out and homeschooled him as well.

So for seven years I homeschooled both of my children. In spending time with them I realized that my son was an audio learner and my daughter was a tactile learner. I started altering their curriculum and teaching them the way they could learn. I didn’t realize it at the time, but what I was doing was creating a multi-sensory curriculum which would lead me to the next chapter in my life.

At the age of 12 and 14 I felt it was time for my children to go back to a classroom environment My daughter attend a wonderful hybrid school called Rivers Academy, but I could not find the right school for my son. I knew that a multi- sensory learning environment was best for him, but I could not find that type of school anywhere. I had begun tutoring other children and at the request of the parents I did something I thought I would have never done. I opened a school for children with learning disabilities was the beginning of Hayden’s Way.

That was a long story to a short answer question, but I felt as though it needed to be told. The reason for pursuing my M.Ed is because it will allow me to monitor and score individualized assessments, and create an environment to succeed for my students has further my knowledge as an educator and an administrator so I can take our little school to the next level. will give the school a higher accreditation

How my course work in the M.Ed field has supported my goal. There have been so many classes that have helped me become a better administrator:  Instructional strategies helped me understand diversity in the classroom and how to assess for those diversities  Research Design & Methodology help me understand how to create a learning environment with my students in mind.  Learning and assessment in the 21 st century gave me a platform to share the assisted technical devices we were using in our school and discover other program for our student.

My own experience with learning and assessments I remember being a lot like my daughter when I was younger. The best way to teach me was to let me do it myself. Show me and then allow me to do it. I was always weak in reading. I would read and highlight and reread and make notes. But if you demonstrated a concept and then let me practice several times I got it. I think that is why it was easy for me to understand her struggles, because I had the same struggles when I was younger. Like my daughter I too have test anxiety. I hate taking test. I’d rather write a 20 page paper than take a test. The reason is because I do not see black and white. I read a question and I think well the answer could be this if, or that. I cannot read a question without adding something on to it. Ask me to write an essay, ask me to give a presentation, as me to teach a topic, but please don’t give me a multiple choice test. I think that is why I have enjoyed Ashford so much, I would rather post a discussion, and write a paper than take a multi- choice test.

What role should assessments have in formal schooling? I think assessments are very important. Teachers, parents, and administration needs to know that a student has mastered material in order to move on. However, I do not believe that there should be so many assessments. Today we have mid-terms, finals, benchmark testing, CRCT, and end of the year assessments, and they are all the same. The same multiple choice, maybe a few short answer tests. Personally I want to see how much the student understand. I think portfolios are the best. I believe in presentations, and essays, and videos. In our school last year for art history our students made movies on various artist. It was wonderful, and it is information they will remember the rest of their life. In math we have our old student teach concepts to younger students. The best way to learn something is to teach it.

My favorite quote “Everyone is a genius But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree It will live its whole life believing it is stupid” Albert Einstein I love this quote because it is true. We are all different we all have our own strengthens and our own weakness. There is no such thing as “normal”.