Different Types Of Assessments
By Evan Williamson, Spenser Rhine, and Aaron Lowers
Assessments For, As, and Of Learning :
Diagnostic Assessments: Diagnostic assessments are intended to help teachers identify what students know and can do in different domains to support their students' learning. These kinds of assessments may help teachers determine what students understand in order to build on the students' strengths and address their specific needs.
Summative & Formative Assessments
.
Performance Assessments
Example: Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System CASAS.
Easy-to-administer tests (online and paper testing)
A scoring system that takes minutes
Accurate results for placement and measuring learning gains
Reports that reduce planning time and identify what students need to learn
Why is it used?
Diagnostic Assessments are often used before a new unit or course to identify student gaps to guide future instruction.
We shouldn't assume students have the pre-requisite skills and a diagnostic assessment allows us to see where we are at as a class.
Examples
Example: Questionnaires, Surveys, and Data Gathering Apps can be used to mine the collective knowledge in the class
Formative.com is a fantastic way to gather data from your class, even anonymously!
FOR
What is it?
A formative type of learning where teachers and peers check progress and learning to help learners to determine how to improve.
Who?
How does it work?
Involves formal and informal assessment activities as part of learning and to inform the planning of future learning.
When: Ongoing Feedback
Teachers and Peers
Why: To Improve Learning
click to edit
Emphasis: Feedback, Support, and Collaboration
AS
Who?
Learner and Peers
What Is It?
How does it work?
Teach a kid to fish! Don't just give them a fish!
A formative type of learning where the learner takes responsibility for their own learning and asks questions about their learning and the learning process and explores how to improve.
Emphasis: Collaboration, reflection, and self-evaluation
Learners use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment to help understand the next steps in learning.
When: Continual Reflection
Why: To provide deeper learning and Learning How To Learn
OF
Who?
Teacher
What is it?
A Summative assessment where teachers determine the progress or application of knowledge or skills against a standard.
Emphasis:
Scoring, grades, and competition
How Does It Work?
Formal assessments used to collect evidence of student progress and may be used for achievement grading on grades.
When: Periodic Report
Reference: Harapnuik, D., 2020. Assessment OF/FOR/AS Learning. [online] Harapnuik.org. Available at: https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8475 [Accessed 27 November 2021].
Why: Ranking and Reporting
Formative Assessments: Formative assessment is more diagnostic than evaluative. It is used to monitor pupil learning style and ability, to provide ongoing feedback and allow educators to improve and adjust their teaching methods and for students to improve their learning.
Summative assessments: Summative assessment aims to evaluate student learning and academic achievement at the end of a term, year or semester by comparing it against a universal standard or school benchmark. Summative assessments often have a high point value, take place under controlled conditions, and therefore have more visibility.
GED: The GED test was originally an acronym for "General Educational Development," though now it is simply known as the GED. This test serves as a high school equivalency test and those who pass the four subtests: Reading and Language Arts RLA, Science, Social Studies, and Math, are deemed to possess the basic knowledge and skills as a high school graduate.
Formative assessments can be as informal as asking for a show of hands or questioning individual students about understanding, or more formal low-stake quizzes geared toward gauging student understanding of material. This data can be used for individual remediation, lesson development and delivery, and to reinforce concepts (assessment as instruction.
One useful platform for developing formative assessment quizzes is https://app.formative.com/formatives/61a269fb42536b98f701f532
Kahoot is another great platform for engaging formative assessments.
A performance assessment tasks students with demonstrating what they have learned. These assessments can take on many forms, but will always be based around the application of new skills or knowledge. Often, these will require students to think creatively, collaborate, create new content, and exhibit their work.
The purpose of these assessments is to show that a student is able to apply what they have learned. The products of such assessments can sometimes be used later on as they may be practical creations or as resume work samples. Because these assessments are often based on addressing real-world problems, their value may exceed their initial purposes.
EXAMPLES:
Presentations
Portfolios
Performances
Projects
Exhibits
Debates
For more on performance assessments, visit:
(https://www.edutopia.org/blog/performance-based-assessment-reviewing-basics-patricia-hilliard)
(https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-performance-assessment/2019/02)
()
Evan Williamson