Student Assessments
Diagnostic Assessments
Formative Assessments
Summative Assessments
Performance Based Assessments
High-stakes Assessments
Portfolio Assessments
Authentic Assessments
Self Assessments
Peer Assessments
Definition
Purpose
Advantage
Disadvantage
Assessment
Example for Grade 5 ESL
A diagnostic assessment is a form of pre-assessment that allows a teacher to determine students' individual strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills prior to instruction. It is primarily used to diagnose student difficulties and to guide lesson and curriculum planning.
It is used to diagnose difficulties that any students may have prior to instruction so as to guide curriculum and lesson planning.
They allow teachers to plan efficient and meaningful instruction, that is tailor-fit to students needs. It also aids teachers in developing individualized instruction, in that teachers will already know if students do or don't understand a concept, and can thus adjust the lesson beforehand.
Teachers may have a hard time allotting time beforehand. It is very time demanding to give diagnostic tests, and thus may only be achievable a couple times per semester at most. Sometimes the assessment may have been developed poorly and thus may give false results, thus guiding the lesson planning in the wrong direction. Finally, since this is not something students study for, they may be in a poor mindset at the time of testing, and thus perform poorly, further invalidating the results.
This is an assessment FOR learning, since it aims to measure what students already know before instruction, so as to guide curriculum development.
As I teach ESL we use these every semester to level our students by English ability. We have 4 English diagnostic tests, speaking, listening, reading, and listening. These four tests give us a good idea of each student's English ability.
Purpose
Definition
Advantage
Disadvantage
Learning
Example for Grade 5 ESL
Formative assessments are a form of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment.
The purpose of formative assessments is to see how well students are grasping content or skills taught in class, in order to modify lessons planning and curriculum.
Teachers can determine what minor or major changes they need to make in instruction so that all students can succeed. Students will take more responsibility for learning and thus become more self-aware of their own learning.
Some students may not take them seriously since they tend to not be weighted heavily in the grade book, thus skewing the results for the teacher.
These are an assessment OF learning as it aims to measure what students have learned after instruction. They are also an assessment FOR learning as the results are then used to improve instruction and increase students attainment.
One example I recently used in my class was having students read a story about bullying and then trying to identify some logical fallacies within the text, and finally explaining some better ways to solve the problem.
Definition
Purpose
Advantage
Disadvantage
Learning
Example for Grade 5 ESL
Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.
Summative assessments are used to give high point values to students and are usually weighed heavily against students grades. Teachers and faculty can also use them to guide instruction in future versions of the courses.
They help motivate students to study and pay attention during class, as the results are weighed heavily against their grades. They also help teachers determine if the means of instruction was effective or not.
They are not only weighed heavily against students, but also teachers. As a result many teachers may teach to the test in order to inflate their scores, resulting in poorer education.
These are an assessment OF learning as they aim to measure the end result of instruction, and see if students have learned the material or not.
I use summative assessments at the end of every chapter in my class, which comes out to be 3 per semester, 6 per year. They measure various content and skills we cover in the chapters.
Definition
Purpose
Advantages
Disadvantages
Learning
Examples for Grade 5 ESL
In general, a performance-based assessment measures students' ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit or units of study. Typically, the task challenges students to use their higher-order thinking skills to create a product or complete a process (Chun, 2010)
They are used to see if students not only understand the skills taught to them, but to see if they can apply the skills in a specified way, usually requiring some higher-order thinking skills
Since these assessments require higher-order thinking, they support students creativity, as students will be asked to apply the skill in their own way. They also provide a great way for skills and content to be combined. Finally, teachers can provide feedback throughout the assessment and aid students in accomplishing the task.
Usually these assessments are the most time-consuming, not only in planning, but also in execution. Since it is not a traditional paper test, the grades can be more subjective, and be subject to bias.
These are an assessment OF learning as they ask students to take a skill they learned in class and apply it in a certain context.
I most recently used this when I asked my students to write the same story we read in class, but told from a different character's perspective. Previously in the chapter we learned about identifying and analyzing different perspectives of the same event. So the assessment asked them to utilize this skill in their writing.
Definition
High-stakes assessments are ones that have very important consequences for the test taker.
Purpose
Advantages
Disadvantages
Learning
Example for Grade 5 ESL
These assessments are generally used to attain some certification or diploma, showing that a student has mastered all required information.
These assessments ensure equality in education, in that all schools and all people will be assessed in the same way. Thus creating a national standard.
As all schools are not equal, it is unfair to test all schools in the same way. Some schools have access to more funding and are located in better socioeconomic areas, which makes it easier to attain high results on the assessments. As funding is usually given based on the results of the tests, it forces teachers to teach to the test and not for the sake of education. Students are not asked to learn skills or content, but how to pass a test.
These are an assessment OF learning as they aim to see what students have learned after some time within a course or grade level.
In the past our school utilized end of year exams, that would be used to assess which English level students would be placed in the following school year. However, we have moved away from that, and now only rely on the summative assessments and diagnostic assessment
Definition
Purpose
Advantage
Disadvantages
Learning
Example of Grade 5 ESL
A portfolio assessment is purposeful collection of student work that has been selected and organized to show a student's learning progress.
By gathering student work from over a period of time, students can reflect on their growth over that period. It also provides a basis for communication with parents.
It asks students to develop meta-cognition skills, as students are asked to reflect on their own learning process. It also provides teachers and students with a direct source of communication, as teachers and students will frequently meet to discuss the portfolio.
Time may become an issue, as the student will have to keep track of their portfolio and keep it organized. Teachers will also have to frequently check-in with students to make sure they are completing assignments on time.
These are an assessment FOR learning as they aim to teach students self reflection and try to make them more independent.
I currently use a writing portfolio for my students. Students are expected to create a brainstorming map, first draft, second draft, and final draft for all writing assignments. At the end of each chapter students receive a grade based on all four assignments rather than just the final draft.
Definition
Purpose
Advantages
Disadvantages
Learning
Example of Grade 5 ESL
These are an assessment OF learning as they aim to see how students can take what they learn in a classroom and apply it in the real world.
An authentic assessment aims to evaluate students' abilities in 'real-world' contexts. Students learn how to apply their skills to authentic tasks and projects related to the real world.
The main purpose of an authentic assessment is to see if a skill learned in the classroom can be applied in a real-world setting.
Most authentic assessments have content which is based on subject matter that is important or interesting to students, and thus may increase motivation and participation. It provides a different or alternative means of assessment. Traditional learning as students to memorize information for a test, whereas authentic assessments measure how students think about something.
As the assessment itself does not follow a traditional formula, it may be difficult to grade in a way that is not subjective. In addition, it would require a lot of planning time by the teacher.
I recently did this in my class when I asked my students to determine why a character developed a certain point of view. They needed to identify events from the story in which they thought influenced how that the character thought. Thus utilizing events from a story to identify reasons for a perspective.
Definition
Purpose
Advantages
Disadvantages
Learning
Examples of Grade 5 ESL
Self assessment involves students evaluating their own work and learning progress.
Through self assessment students can become more independent and self-aware of their own learning, becoming stronger students in the process.
Through self assessment students can learn to identify gaps in their own learning, identify where they need to focus their attention, revise their own work, and set realistic goals.
Students may not be ready to do self assessment. It requires strong coaching from the teacher at first and well structured rubrics. Also, some students may give themselves grades that they do not deserve.
These are an assessment FOR learning as they aim to teach students how to assess their own learning, and reflect on their own learning process.
In my class, all students must do a self assessment of their writing assignments before submitting it for peer review. I pass out rubrics for students to use, so they know exactly how to grade their own work.
Definition
Purpose
Advantages
Disadvantages
Learning
Examples for Grade 5 ESL
Students evaluate their peers' work and have their work evaluated by their peers.
Through peer assessment students can become more independent and self-aware of theirs and their peers' learning.
Through peer feedback, students are able to get suggestions and strategies for improvement. At the same time, as they are correcting their peers work they may learn some strategies from their peers' work.
Students may not be ready to do peer assessment. It requires strong coaching from the teacher at first and well structured rubrics. Also, some students may give peers they have prejudices against poor marks or negative feedback.
These are an assessment FOR learning as they aim to teach students how to give appropriate feedback to their classmates, where they can learn from their peers and their peers can learn from them.
In my class, all students must do peer assessment of their writing assignments before submitting it for teacher review. I pass out rubrics for students to use, so they know exactly how to assess each other's work, and I monitor them as they do this providing feedback along the way.
