Three Kinds of Assessment

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?