Demonstration of Content Knowledge

Paper instructions:
Demonstration of Content Knowledge
As an educator, one of your responsibilities is to unpack the standards for your students and understand what they need to know and be able to do before you plan and implement

instruction. If your students can demonstrate the identified content knowledge and skills of the standards through applied practices and assessments, you can say with confidence that they

have mastered the content, and thus mastered the standards.
The same is true for you as a candidate in your Master of Science in Education specialization program. Your specialization is informed by a set of professional standards that inform content

knowledge. These standards are aligned to course outcomes and learner objectives throughout your degree program. As you moved through your program, you applied your content knowledge

and skills and provided evidence by completing and submitting preselected activities. When you uploaded all of your preselected activities to your ePortfolio and tagged the professional

standards linked to the individual activities, you created a placeholder for these activities to use as you now complete the Demonstration of Content Knowledge Major Assessment.
Goal
Your goal is to use examples from your preselected activities, professional standards associated with your degree specialization, course experiences, and the information found on the

“Emphasis on Practical Strategies” section for your specialization from the Walden website to demonstrate that you have gained the necessary knowledge and skills associated with the

standards that inform your Walden specialization degree.
Directions
Follow the steps below to complete your Major Assessment reflective essay. Keep in mind that the content knowledge you are reflecting on for this Major Assessment may be different from

the subject matter you teach in the classroom. For example, if you are a middle school reading teacher and your Walden degree plan is in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

specialization, the standards that inform your learning for this Major Assessment are not the International Reading Association (IRA) Standards, but the National Board for Professional Teaching

Standards (NBPTS)—Generalist (subject area), Middle Childhood (development area). However, you will use your classroom experiences as you reflect on your ability to show evidence that you

have grown in your knowledge and skills related to standards that inform your specialization.
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Steps:
1. Choose two preselected activities from the Demonstration of Content Knowledge area of your ePortfolio.
2. Review your specialization program information on the Walden website. The “Emphasis on Practical Strategies” section summarizes the key concepts presented in your program and the

knowledge and skills you should have gained during your studies at Walden. Use this information to help you complete the reflective essay.
To view this site, follow the directions below (Adolescent Literacy and Technology see last bullet under #2):
• Paste the following link in your web browser. http://www.waldenu.edu/masters/ms-in- education.
• Select your specialization from the left menu.
• Read the Emphasis on Practical Strategies section towards the top of the screen.
• ALT specialization “Emphasis on Practical Strategies”:
• Integrate writing strategies into the design of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to enhance student learning.
• Design lessons using research-based instructional models to develop higher levels of student literacy.
• Learn and use research-based strategies to help improve students’ critical reading skills.
3. Write a reflective essay, in APA format, that includes the following: A. Background Information/Setting the Stage for the Reader:
o Describe the purpose and provide a description of the two preselected activities you chose. This information gives your reader background information about the activities.
o Include course numbers, course titles, and dates for when the preselected activities were completed. (Remember, this was a requirement when you uploaded your preselected activity to

your ePortfolio.)
o List the identified professional standards tagged with the preselected activities. (Remember, this was a requirement in the course when you uploaded your preselected activity to your

ePortfolio.)
B. Self-assessment of content knowledge growth:
o Give evidence of how you have gained the content knowledge and skills of your specialization as listed on Walden’s website under the “Emphasis on Practical Strategies” (see Step 2 above).

You will use examples from your preselected activities, professional standards, and other Walden course experiences to provide this evidence.
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Page 4 of 3 o Discuss how this new knowledge has transformed your teaching and impacted
student learning. Give specific examples that demonstrate growth.
4. Suggested length is 3 to 5 pages, not including title and reference pages. Upload your essay as an attachment to the Demonstration of Content Knowledge Major Assessment.