Assessments
Formative and summative assessment
Assessment of, as, and for learning: The different reasons that teachers take assessments of their students.
Performance assessment
Formative Assessment
Summative Assessment
Assessment for Learning
Assessment as Learning
Subjective to an extent. There are no right or wrong answers in many cases. There can be incorrect execution of the assignment.
Tracks student learning
Assesses broad levels of knowledge or skills after learning, but usually doesn't inform teaching directly
Helps students determine what they know/need to know during learning, and informs teaching
Examples can include:
Virtual tools
Entry/Exit Tickets
Class Discussions
Progress Reports
Group Projects
Portfolios
Kahoot!
Socrative
Google Forms
Quizziz
Quizlet
Questions asked throughout class
Types include:
Content Knowledge
Higher Order Thinking Skills
Process Oriented Skills
Simplest. Access prior knowledge with questions, exit tickets, or multiple choice surveys
More open-ended. Might require discussion or peer evaluation.
Multiple choice surveys are insufficient. Prompting long more elaborate answers better to test synthesis of knowledge.
Test how much students can take control of their learning.
Option: help students map out processes for learning themselves using graphic organizers, timelines, or outlines.
Encourages kinesthetic learning. Option: STEAM projects for direct engagement with course material.
Main teacher goal: determine how students arrived at their conclusion or went through their process.
Simple questions and simple answers suffice here.
Involves more memorization and less elaborate thinking.
Barometer for success:
80% or more students pass assessment: continue teaching lesson the same way, differentiate for individual students who fail.
50-80% pass assessment: added time for structured differentiation.
Less than 50% pass assessment: reteach material using concrete strategies.
Often comes at the end of a chapter, semester, or school year
Examples include:
Final Exams
Unit Tests
Standardized Tests
Benefits include:
Setting student-centered growth targets to reach
Providing data on students to teachers and admin to address deficits
Informing new curriculum standards to meet the learning needs of students
Allows educators to assess the learning solutions that have been used for students and set new standards
Possible alternatives to standardized tests for summative assessments include:
Recording a podcast
Writing a script
Working on a project
Anything not listed which is "real-world relevant" and has clear instructions/guidelines outlined via rubric
Diagnostic Assesssment---By Qiong Shi
Purposes
Types
Features
Advantages
happen at the beginning of a learning experience such as a new semester or lesson unit.
focus on understanding a student’s current knowledge base
identify the strengths and areas of improvement for the student.
creates a rewarding and amicable learning environment
non-graded
establish a baseline to compare what a student knew prior to a lesson and what they learned after in order to measure growth.
providing a baseline for teaching.
make the teaching/learning process more efficient and effective
collect enough data about what students already know about a topic
Limitations and Disadvantages
Standardized Diagnostic Assessment
Informal Diagnostic Assessment
allows the teacher to map out a meaningful and efficient instruction plan
makes the teaching and learning process more efficient
creates a baseline for future assessment.
provide substantial data for creating an effective curriculum
allows the teacher to individualize instruction.
tie learning outcomes to specific goals and objectives.
difficult for a large class size
time-consuming
require special training
trigger anxiety in students.
lead to false inferences about a child’s knowledge or abilities
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Examples
Unit Pretest
Checklists
Surveys and Questionnaires
Curriculum-based Measurements
Entry Slips
A diagnostic assessment is a type of pre-evaluation that allows the teacher to discover how much knowledge a student has on a subject matter
Not "traditional" in a sense. The performance assessment is not a test paper. It is a performance to show that knowledge has been acquired. Students are in charge of the main content and the teacher gives them a set of requirements to fulfill.
Open-ended
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five key components:
Product
Time frame
Audience
Role
Setting
Examples
Presentations
Group or solo projects
Portfolios
Debates
Performances
Exhibits or fairs
Evaluates the lesson plan
Student centered
Can be opinion driven
success based on the student
Shows the ability to research and think independently
"real world" aplication
Standards given so the students can learn to self evaluate while working
can be hard to apply to certain subjects
Standards need to be clearly stated. As long as the requirements are fulfilled the student is likely to have a high grade.
Assessment of Learning
Other reasons to take this approach is to evaluate the actual lesson to see what the students gathered from the lesson itself and evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson.
The goal of assessment is to help students achieve more, and understand the content better rather than to just be a benchmark that students meet to make the grade.
Questions that teachers ask themselves to evaluate to evaluate their assessment for learning
How was the classroom management? Did other students or other factors outside of the lesson get in the students way of understanding the material.
Was the lesson engaging and did the students enjoy class that day?
How was the difficulty of the lesson? Did the students already know the topic or were the concepts higher than they were ready for?
How could I as a teacher conveyed the concepts in a better and more effective manner? Was I able to communicate the subject material to them effectively?
The assessment of learning is to help the teacher understand the level of skill and understanding that the students have on the particular topic, and to ultimately give them a reflection of their own learning. These are far more summative assessment tools and provide the framework of where the student is in their journey of learning.
This can be done so that students can gain knowledge of thier own skills in a particular area and allow them to make evaluations of how they should proceed in their future studies whether that be that they are struggling and need to revisit some of the topics discussed in the class, or if they were successful and should be pursing a more in depth study of the subject at large.
One of the goals of assessment is also to provide a transparent description of evaluation topics to both the student and teacher so that both are on the same page of the understanding that they are expected to have at the end of the class.
Assessment also provides evidence of achievement to outside groups so that the student can go out and demonstrate to them what they understand and where they are in their own skill building.
grades
test scores
certificates of achievment
projects for demonstration
Students can use the assessments to be able to continue their own learning by getting their evaluations and asking questions in relationship to their progress.
Assessment as learning also allows for collaboration between students, other students, and their teachers to discuss about the topic at hand and how their own understanding can be improved or how they can use their skills to grow other's own skills as well.
Assessment as learning is a type of self reflection and coming to terms with where the student is in their own journey, how they can further themselves, and what subjects or topics interest them so that they can become more engaged with their own learning.
examples
Reflecting on the lesson plan that the teacher gave
evaluating the tone or mood of the class for the day
learning how to more effectively communicate with each of the students
being aware of barriers that may be between the students and the teacher (language or learning disability)