Five Tips for Taking the SubAssessment
Many school districts require the online SubSkills Training Course for their substitute teachers. The course is an 8-10 hour course that reviews classroom management, teaching strategies, being prepared and professional, special education, and fill-in activities as well. At the end of the course there is an assessment that is quite difficult. For those who are working towards taking the SubAssessment, here are a few tips and suggestions:
- No matter what your educational level is or what teaching experience you've had, this test will assess your understanding and application of the principles taught in the Substitute Teacher Handbook, 7th Edition or the online SubSkills Training. The information presented is new material, so you will need to study the information.
- Your composite score is composed of your maximum score from each of the five (5) portions. The Classroom Management section is weighted more heavily than the other sections and has the most questions (18). A score of 15/18 in the Classroom Management section is recommended.
- You may take each of the five (5) portions of the test four (4) times. They may be taken at different times. At the end of each section you will see hints and suggestions as to what skills and strategies you might want to review. Take some time to study the handbook or online training before taking the assessment again.
- Contact your school district if you are unsure of the required score – most districts require an 85% composite score.
- To make sure you clearly understand the question that is being asked, read the question out loud to yourself. This will help you slow down and not be as worried about the timer.
If you have any other helpful hints for people, please add them as a comment to this post. Good luck taking the assessment!
One substitute teacher wrote those following on the SubForum, it's worth repeating here:
Learn the material, take this seriously, you'll have no problems.
Ladies and gentleman, After discussing the STEDI course training with a lady out in Utah and reading some of the threads in this forum, I felt compelled to post how my journey has gone so far. First off, I'm 32 years old with B.S. in communications from a directional state university in Tennessee. At this stage of my life, I've became a statistic when it hit me that I would love to teach, coach, and help young people succeed.
Onto the coursework. I'm not bragging, I'm just telling you that on the first attempt of the classroom management section I made a 100. How? You have to take this seriously. It's more than just reading the book or going through the slides. Now I understand everyone learns and retains material differently, but this has seemingly worked for me.
- Don't move on to the next section until you get the necessary scoring for each section, ie focus on each chapter.
- Next, once you read the section, either go back and take notes on it, don't just highlight or take notes while you read.
- Once you're through the chapter, go back and re-copy your notes, either handwriting or in my case I typed them out, organizing them by section/subsection.
- Once you've finished that, print them off.
- Take an additional 10-15 minutes and review the material before you take an assessment.
I promise you this works. I used this method to graduate college after learning it from a professor. She always said quizzes come lectures/notes, tests come from quizzes, exams from tests and it all ties back to the lecture/notes. By doing this you're going over the material four times, it's like a good golf swing, throwing motion or forehand. It takes practice and studying. My brother taught school for 15 years, he said it best when I first started this journey. "Schools aren't going to let just anyone from the street come in and manage a classroom."
Good luck everyone and remember the people at STEDI.org will help you out with any question you might have.
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classroom management section has truly been a challenge me.
I have had excellent consultation and advise from Barbara as I call er she never makes me feel that Iam bothering her. She has given me advice numerous times and makes me feel that I can do this.
Remember I was amilitary instructor and an Home Economist for University of Tennessee extension service very very different audience and classroom management skills for these unique audiences.
This information is cruicial to my challenges I am faced with daily as I now am a substitute teacher in the Wilson County District.
Thank you Barbara and Stedi course managers this is good stuff. I must say at the beginning of your study copy down the questions missed and start a notebook, you will be amazed how it will help you.
Respectfully,
Emma
This material is very useful and can help make a challenging day more fun. I suggest that you go back and review this book when you have had a challenging day.
E.Stafford