Assessment in the Classroom By: Brooke Sheppard

Take a moment and think about what the word “assessment” means to you.

What are Assessments? According to The Glossary of Education Reform, assessments are “… the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students.”

How Do You Assess Learning? Check what students already know Compare to state or district standards Provide a Variety of Assessments Alternative Assessments that are not multiple choice or one shot approaches Authentic Assessments that involve real-life tasks that are relevant Performance Assessments that involve students being observed by teachers or an audience while performing a presentation, speech, or demonstration

Why are Assessments Important? For the Student: For the Teacher: Drives Student Learning Improve Performance from Feedback Identify Strengths and Weaknesses Provides Involvement of Learning Adjust Teaching Strategies Differentiating Instruction Check for Student Understanding Reduce Achievement Gaps Between Students

Formative & Summative Assessments Part of the instructional process Provides students with a chance to “practice” learning goals Checks student understanding during the learning process Summative Given at the end of a lesson, unit, or certain time period Meant to gauge student learning relative to standards Often known as High Stakes Assessments

High Stakes Assessments Assessments in which penalties or decisions are determined by the outcomes or results of the assessment. High Stakes Assessments decide: School Accreditation Graduation Promotion of Grade Levels Certification Course Credit

Methods of Assessment in the Classroom Formative Summative Exit Slips Self-assessments (checklist) One Sentence Summary Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Providing Feedback Standardized State Assessments District Benchmarks Final Projects or Performances End of Unit Tests Chapter Tests

Methods of Assessment in the Classroom Discussions Creating Brochures Graphic Organizers Midterm Exams Written Paper Creation of a Web Page

When Should You Give An Assessment? Formative assessments should be given consistently throughout the learning process Summative assessments should only be given at the end of a lesson or unit

How to Choose the “Right” Assessment Determine your learning goals for students and match them to assessments Use a variety of assessments Formative & Summative Authentic, Alternative, Performance Assessment Intervals Collecting Data Purposes

Learners need endless feedback more than they need endless teaching. -Grant Wiggins

Questions or Comments over Assessments?

References Assessment Definition. (2015, November 10). Retrieved July 31, 2016, from http://edglossary.org/assessment/ California State University. (2007). Choosing appropriate assessments. Retrieved August 02, 2016, from http://teachingcommons.cdl.edu/cdip/facultyteaching/Choosingappropriateassessment.html Dodge, J. (2016). What Are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use Them? | Scholastic.com. Retrieved August 02, 2016, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-are-formative-assessments-and-why-should-we-use-them Formative vs Summative Assessment-Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. (2015). Retrieved August 01, 2016, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html Guskey, T. R., & Jung, L. A. (2013). Answers to essential questions about Standards, Assessments, Grading, and Reporting. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Schurr, S. (2012). Authentic assessment: Active, engaging product, and performance measures. Westerville, OH: Association for Middle Level Education. UConn Logo University of Connecticut UC Title Fallback. (n.d.). Retrieved August 02, 2016, from http://assessment.uconn.edu/why-assessment/ Wiggins, G. (2012, August 27). Less Teaching and More Feedback? Retrieved August 2, 2016, from http://inservice.ascd.org/less-teaching-and-more-feedback/