Assessment drives
instruction. It tells us what our students already know, what they are doing
well, what they could improve upon, and what they learned over a period of
time. Assessment, when done correctly, shows teachers a progression of
learning. It doesn’t take a single snapshot of what a student does or does not
know at the end of a unit; it captures the ongoing learning and hurdles the
students make as they learn new skills.
There are different types
of assessment, and each occurs at various times. Furthermore, each type of
assessment can be carried out using different methods. You can’t pinpoint from
here what tools will work best. Each assessment is different, and the teacher
needs to be aware of the various tools available in order to determine which
form will best document a student’s strengths and needs.
Assessment FOR Learning
Once upon a time, teachers
knew this form of assessment as “diagnostic assessment”. Teachers use this kind
of assessment to get an idea about what the students already know. There’s no
point in teaching a skill that the students have already mastered. We need to
know what the students’ interests are, what their strengths are, and what they
still need to learn. At this point, the teacher knows what the students need to
know by the end of the unit. The assessment for learning piece helps the
teacher plan the rest of the unit. Now the teacher can co-develop some learning
goals and success criteria with the class, and specify future lessons that will
cover the curriculum expectations.
Example: When I began
teaching Grade One, I received exit reading levels from the kindergarten
teachers. I had a good idea as to what reading level each child was at when
they finished SK. However, reading levels drop throughout the summer, so I
assumed each child would be a little lower than the levels suggested. I decided
to do an assessment for learning by collecting a variety of leveled books and
performing running records. A quick snap shot showed me if they needed a higher
level, a lower level, or if I got it just right. I made sure to ask
comprehension questions to make sure they weren’t simply decoding. Was it time
consuming? Yes! It was September and I was still getting to know these
children. My assessments for learning throughout the year were not as rigorous.
Some schools purchase
licenses to a program called Reading A-Z. Personally, I really like it. I have
used it to assess for learning because you can click on Resources and select “Assessments”.
From there, you can select a specific reading level, print off a passage and a
pre-made running record form. It’s a quick and easy way to determine a student’s
reading level.
Click HERE to go to the
Reading A-Z website.
Some other forms of
assessment for learning:
-checklists
-anecdotal notes
-questionnaires
Assessment AS Learning
What was once known as “formative
assessment”, we now call assessment as learning. It is the assessment that
occurs throughout a unit and it is constantly happening. It’s ongoing and in my
opinion, it’s the most important, most crucial kind of assessment. At this
point, the teacher has established learning goals and a list of success
criteria and also has a solid end goal in mind. The teacher has taught a few
lessons that focus on the skills that need to be learned throughout the unit,
and he/she has been carefully observing and assessing student progress. The
assessment as learning is a critical tool for teachers to measure student
success. It helps teachers understand what skills students understand and which
ones they are still struggling with. It allows the teacher to see if the whole
class needs to take a step back and revisit a skill or if a smaller group of
students need guided, small group lessons. Assessment as learning also helps
the teacher identify which students require certain differentiation and
modifications to their learning. By having a solid understanding about what
your students know and what they’re learning, the teacher is then able to plan
for future lessons and mini lessons. A big part of assessment as learning is
providing feedback. Feedback isn’t just a “Good job!”; or a “I like how you
read that book so well”; feedback needs to be descriptive so that the students
know exactly what they’re doing well and exactly what needs to be done to move
forward.
Example: Although I use
running records for my assessment for learning, I continue to use them for my
assessment as learning as well. Truth be told, they aren’t always as formal as
the traditional running record, but my check mark and coding system make it
easy for me to see how the student’s reading is progressing. I also use the
space to make notes about what I’ve noticed about comprehension, connections,
and other reading skills that we are working on as a group. Click HERE for a
copy of a blank running records form.
In my Grade One class, I
was a big fan of sticky notes for ongoing feedback. Each time I read with a
student, I would send them home with their new book and a sticky note on the
front. The sticky would tell parents and the student the skill to be practiced
while reading (Billy is working on skipping a tricky word and returning to it
when he is done reading the sentence).
On a more formal note, I
would send a Descriptive Feedback chart home to parents. Each row would have
our current success criteria in it and the check marks would indicate the child’s
current ability to do each one independently. The Grade Ones loved it because
they knew the success criteria and could see how well they were accomplishing each
one. They knew what they needed to work on. Parents liked it because my
comments at the bottom always provided a next step. It was a handy way to keep
myself informed of student progress, as well as the learners and their
families.
Click HERE for a copy of
the descriptive feedback form.
Some other forms of
assessment as learning:
-conferences
-anecdotal notes
-checklists
-self and peer assessments
Assessment OF Learning
You may know this as “summative
assessment”, as it is the kind of assessment we use to assess students at the
end of a unit. Now referred to as assessment of learning, this kind of
assessment summarizes student progress and understanding of the curriculum
expectations. It is perhaps the most stressful of the three kinds of assessment
because it requires the teacher’s professional judgment of a student’s overall
understanding of the expectations learned throughout the unit. With enough
solid assessment throughout the unit, the teacher should have no problem
arriving at a final statement about the student’s learning. Often times, the
assessment of learning is used to help make an evaluative decision for such
things like report cards. Summative tasks tend to capture a snapshot of a
student’s learning because they usually occur at the end of a unit. Most of us
know these tasks as tests or final projects. It’s important to understand that
if a child is not successful in a final test it does not mean he/she does not
understand the concepts. Students are like anyone else and they have good days
and bad days. Maybe the child didn’t eat breakfast that day; maybe there was a
fight with a best friend. There are many circumstances that may lead to an
inaccurate snapshot of a child’s abilities. This is why teachers need to offer
a variety of ways for a child to demonstrate his/her understanding. It’s also
important for teachers to use their ongoing assessments of the students to
reach a final evaluation and not solely depend on the assessment of learning
task.
Example: There is a strong
connection between reading and writing. At the end of the year, my Grade Ones
used what they knew about reading pirate stories to write their own pirate
adventure stories. Their stories had to include the elements of a story. Most
of my students were able to write a great story; however, I had two students
who had still not developed the skill of even effectively holding a pencil let
alone sounding out words. Was I ready to deem them unable to understand the
elements of a story? No. I opened Garage Band, selected the Pod Cast option,
and each boy made a voice recording of their pirate adventure story. The
written component worked well for the rest of the class, but it didn’t work for
everyone. Teachers need to differentiate the final tasks so that each child has
a fair opportunity at being successful.
Some other forms of
assessment of learning:
-authentic performance
tasks
-test
-presentation
-porfolio
-project
Questions For You
1) How do you implement
the three kinds of assessment in your classroom?
2) What forms of
assessment do you use for reading?
3) How do you
differentiate your assessments for the various needs of your learners?
4) Do you have a common
assessment tool that is used by all teachers in your school?
