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Student Assessments (Formative (Definition - in-process evaluations of…

- - - - Advantages - Allow teachers to track learning, alter lessons/teaching in real time, and differentiate learning for their students throughout the unit rather than after seeing the results of the summative assessment.
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Involves much more work and withitness on the teacher’s end.
        
        Can be difficult to track in large class sizes or by teachers with many different classes or grade levels.
      - Assessment FOR learning, as educators use the results to modify and improve teaching techniques during an instructional period. (edglossary.org, 2013)
        
        Example for middle school English - Having students first brainstorm ideas for a short story in groups, including all story elements, then sharing their story ideas with the class in an active discussion.
        
        References - (edglossary.org, 2013)
- - - - Assessment FOR learning, as the students are practically applying the skills and knowledge they’ve gained to a real-world problem/situation.
        
        Example for middle school English - Having 8th grade students act out a Shakespeare play using proper prose and blank verse, as well as stage directions to show their understanding of how these elements of a play work.
        
        References -
        (Dorvil, 2014)
        (Edutopia, 2011)
        (Teacher Vision, n.d.)
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Scoring process is subjective to each teacher and thus may change depending on who is giving the mark (even if the rubric is the same).
        
        Could cost additional funds beyond what is allotted.
        
        Classroom time is limited, so it may be difficult to fully complete the assessment due to time constraints (Dorvil, 2014).
      - Advantages -
        
        Engages students and is based in content or media in which the students actually have a genuine interest.
        
        Asks students to synthesize information and use critical-thinking skills.
        
        Is a learning experience in and of itself.
        
        Measures not just what students remember but how they think.
        
        Helps students understand where they are academically and helps teachers know how to best teach them.
        
        Generally more memorable lessons and experiences than traditionally taught lessons. (Edutopia, 2011)
- - - - Assessment FOR learning, as students learn from their mistakes and build up each other’s ability through their feedback.
        
        Example for middle school English - After writing a story, students swap and read each other’s work, commenting on what was done well and what might be improved, as well as proofreading.
        
        References -
        (Stanford University, n.d.)
      - Advantages -
        
        Allows for collaboration between students and thus shared knowledge/skills.
        
        Is more engaging than individual work.
        
        Frees teacher up to provide more personalized feedback to those who need it.
        
        Great for large classes.
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Requires VERY clear guidelines, training on assessment criteria, scoring rules, and practice with examples.
        
        May be difficult to implement with younger students or those who dislike working together.
- - - - Assessment FOR learning, as it forces students to apply what they’ve learned to complete a task, rather than just checking what they learned. This forces them to think, and learn, more than they had.
        
        Example for middle school English - After learning all about Shakespeare’s use of Prose in his plays, 8th grade students may have to act out a scene (Kelly, n.d.) from a play in which characters may speak in prose or blank verse, depending on their mood in the text.
        
        A great example for this is Tybalt and Mercutio's fight in "Romeo and Juliet". Mercutio constantly speaks in prose and Tybalt alternates between the two while Romeo constantly speaks in blank verse
        
        References -
        (edglossary.org, 2013)
        (Hilliard, 2015)
        (Kelly, n.d.)
      - Advantages -
        
        They are complex, authentic, product-oriented, open-ended, and time-bound, meaning that they are very similar to problem solving we all face in the world beyond school.
        
        They also force students to think critically using the skills and/or knowledge gained, rather than just reciting information, allowing greater insight into the student’s real grasp of the concepts.
      - Disadvantages -
        
        The types of activities can vary significantly and may be difficult to track students’ progress.
        
        Since often times there are multiple correct answers, it may be difficult to ascertain whether a student has really gotten a correct answer or not and/or if the process to that answer was legitimate.
- - - - Advantages -
        
        Can be collected in physical or digital formats.
        
        Show work over time, demonstrating improvement or stagnation to teachers, students, and others who view the portfolio.
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Physical and digital copies could both be lost, leading to a loss of the progress record.
        
        Does not necessarily foster improvement in and of itself.
      - Can be both an assessment OF and FOR learning, as it could be used to collect marked work samples showing what students have learned (of), as well as for providing students personal resources later by compiling examples of their skills at work in a single folder (for) (McDonald, 2011).
        
        Example for middle school English - Throughout an entire school year, the teacher could have students compile a portfolio of their writing assignments to demonstrate their improved (or stagnant) English writing ability throughout the year, including grammar, vocabulary, and the like. Alternatively, the portfolio could be a story portfolio or book, if the English class has a heavy focus on novels and fiction.
        
        References -
        (edglossary.org, 2013)
        (McDonald, 2011)
- - - - Advantages -
        
        Allows teachers to plan meaningful and efficient instruction appropriate to students’ exact knowledge and/or skill level.
        
        Allows for individualized instruction.
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Must be planned into a unit, reducing teaching time.
        
        Can be inaccurate depending on a number of outside factors such as student’s mood, age, and attitude that day.
        
        May not help with classes of widely varied levels.
      - Assessment FOR learning, as this takes place before learning takes place in order to get an idea of a starting point for students.
        
        Example for middle school English - Write a story about a given topic (done before proper story format has been gone over in order to see what elements students know about and include, as well as their general vocabulary).
        
        References -
        (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015)
        (Study.com, n.d)
- - - - Could be both an assessment OF and FOR learning, as students both reflect on what they’ve learned and done to see what they’ve fully understood (of), as well as find areas in which they could improve on and why their understanding had been limited (for).
        
        Example for middle school English - A proofreading exercise of a story or other writing activity in which students attempt to find grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
        
        References -
        (Desautels, 2014)
        (Stanford University, n.d.)
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Some students may not be very effective at self-assessing.
        
        Does not necessarily mean students will learn from their mistakes.
        
        May result in lost time as a result of above two points.
      - Advantages -
        
        Students think critically about themselves and can thus self-improve.
        
        If successful, frees teacher up to help other students that are less capable of self-assessing.
- - - - Assessment OF learning, as it evaluates academic achievement at the conclusion of an instructional period.
        
        Example for middle school English - A presentation analyzing the similarities and differences between a novel and its film adaptation.
        
        References - (edglossary.org, 2013)
      - Advantages -
        
        Shows what a student has actually learned in a unit.
        
        Gives a mark to be used to demonstrably show progress.
        
        Many different forms and methods that can be used.
      - Disadvantages -
        
        Can be stressful for students.
        
        Often overdone instead of proper use of formative assessments.
        
        No set, standard method for these, but rather many options that can be confusing for some students that are used to a “testing” mindset.
- - - - Advantages -
        
        Can be used to determine punishments, accolades, advancement, or compensation (for teachers).
        
        Provides standards for many aspects of education, such as university entrance examinations, master’s programs, study abroad programs, and more.
      - Disadvantages -
        High-stakes assessments are very risky, as failure often reduces opportunities and/or causes financial loss. They often require extensive studying outside of the normal K-12 programs and sometimes cannot be properly studied for, such as the SAT (which tests skills, rather than any specific knowledge).
      - Assessment OF learning, as they are typically largely summative assessments testing periods of learning (SAT is an examination testing High School education, TOEFL is an exam testing English ability learned, etc.)
        
        Example for middle school English - Cambridge’s Grade 8 Checkpoint examination is both a summative assessment and high-stakes, as it can only be taken once and determines what courses a student can take in high school in many cases.
        
        References -
        (edglossary.org, 2013)