Assessment: MESA alum learns to interpret assessment results as a high school teacher

Meet Juan Madrigal, a recent graduate from UIC’s online Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA) program.

Currently working as an English Language Arts and Latin Teacher at a high school in Chicago, Madrigal was looking for ways to clarify the correct ways to develop and interpret assessment results for his students while minimizing the ‘noise’ of information that these tests can provide. On his way to earning his mathematics teaching credential, the online MESA program provided him with a solid foundation of data analysis techniques and methods that were comprehensible to the non-statistician.

Learn more about the valuable knowledge he’s gained and why the asynchronous program was key for him.

What led you to choose the online Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA) program at UIC? 

The online MEd in MESA program afforded me an opportunity to grow my content knowledge of statistics and mathematics with practical applications in the field of education and beyond. It sharpened my ability of discernment and my time management skills to speak only of soft skills separate from the many statistical and research methods I learned as part of the curriculum.

As a high school teacher, what skills were you looking to develop to benefit your current role? How did you think the MESA degree would accomplish this? 

Teachers need to be able to craft useful assessments to measure their effectiveness in the classroom. Understanding test results is not only an essential component of this skill, but it also helps prepare educators to understand where their student’s knowledge and skills are at the beginning of the year. We rely on standardized tests to give us information about students, but many teachers read too much into these tests or dismiss them without understanding their real purpose. MESA helped to clarify the correct ways to interpret assessment results and develop assessments that minimize noise.

Can you tell us how you use your MEd in MESA skills/knowledge in your current role as a teacher? Any examples? 

Each test I develop utilizes assessment principles discussed in the program to ensure they provide useful information. Before earning my degree, I may have arranged test answers in a way that distracted or confused students or assessed students without considering factors that may lead to poor performance outside of a dearth of the knowledge or skills I was hoping to measure.

Out of all your MESA courses, is there a specific course that stood out to you? Which one and why? 

Of all my MESA courses, those that emphasized data analysis stood out the most. I am studying to earn my mathematics credential (and have just completed the assessments and coursework!). These classes explained the foundation of these analytical methods in a way that was comprehensible to the non-statistician, but comprehensive enough to demystify the processes and equations that guide much of modern research.

How did you balance working full-time and completing your weekly assignments for the MESA program? 

A properly organized schedule was key. Thankfully, professors posted reliable calendars at the start of the semester and were flexible when given notice of conflicts early in the term. Be sure to be proactive about any issues you know you may encounter in a term and be open with your communication.

With the MESA program being asynchronous, what were the benefits? Were your instructors available to answer questions?

The asynchronous component was key for me since I often found myself studying at irregular hours. Some weeks, I would need to complete all of my work by Tuesday and other weeks saw me working late into the night on a Saturday evening. The course materials were very well organized, and the professors were always very responsive to emails and discussion posts whenever I had questions or struggled with the material.

What was the biggest takeaway from your MESA degree or certificate program? 

My biggest takeaway was that it is never too late to grow. I am excited to apply my knowledge in my current position and believe I can now pursue opportunities I never imagined I would be able to explore before completing my MESA degree.

My advice to students considering the MESA program – do it! There are so many useful applications to the material and the network of alumni offers a range of opportunities to those wishing to advance their career.

Is there anything else you’d like to share? 

Go Flames!

MESA online graduates are in high demand. Receiving this graduate degree or certificate, students are ready to succeed in a variety of research settings and environments. Choose from two online programs, a Master of Education Degree or a Graduate Certificate in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment, and begin your journey today. Talk to an enrollment specialist to learn more about these online programs.