Assessments in the Classroom Adapted from ‘Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom” by Catherine Garrison and Michael Ehringhaus, Ph.D

Consider this….. Assessment is a huge topic that encompasses everything from statewide accountability tests to district benchmark or interim tests to everyday classroom tests. In order to grapple with what seems to be an overuse of testing, educators should frame their views of testing as assessment and that assessment is information. The more information we have about students, the clearer the picture we have about achievement or where gaps may occur

Summative Assessments given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know. standardized tests such as state assessments important part of district and classroom programs. at the district and classroom level is an accountability measure that is generally used as part of the grading process.

Types of Summative Assessments District benchmark or interim assessments • End-of-unit or chapter tests and/or projects End-of-term or semester exams • Scores that are used for accountability of schools • (NJASK) and students (report card grades).

Summative assessments as a gauge.. at a particular point in time, student learning relative to content standards. can only help in evaluating certain aspects of the learning process are tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of programs, school improvement goals, alignment of curriculum, or student placement in specific programs. happen too far down the learning path to provide information at the classroom level and to make instructional adjustments and interventions during the learning process

Formative Assessment is part of the instructional process provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening informs both teachers and students about student understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be made these adjustments help to ensure students achieve targeted standards-based learning goals within a set time frame

Criteria and goal setting .. Creating clear expectations.. Students need to understand and know the learning target/goal the criteria for reaching it. Establishing and defining quality work together, asking students to participate in establishing norm behaviors for classroom culture determining what should be included in criteria for success Using student work classroom tests, or exemplars of what is expected helps students understand where they are, where they need to be, and an effective process for getting there.

Observations assist teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional planning. evidence can be recorded and used as feedback for students about their learning or as anecdotal data shared with them during conferences.

Questioning strategies Asking better questions allows an opportunity for deeper thinking and provides teachers with significant insight into the degree and depth of understanding Questions of this nature engage students in classroom dialogue that both uncovers and expands learning. An “exit slip” at the end of a class period to determine students’ understanding of the day’s lesson or quick checks during instruction such as “thumbs up/down” or “red/green” (stop/go) cards

Self and peer assessment Self and peer assessment helps to create a learning community within a classroom. Students who can reflect while engaged in metacognitive thinking are involved in their learning. When students have been involved in criteria and goal setting, self-evaluation is a logical step in the learning process. With peer evaluation, students see each other as resources for understanding and checking for quality work against previously established criteria.

Student record keeping helps students better understand their own learning as evidenced by their classroom work. students keeping ongoing records of their work not only engages students, it also helps them, beyond a “grade,” to see where they started and the progress they are making toward the learning goal.

Designing tiered activities Resources from “What Are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use Them? List of ideas Designing tiered activities

Strategies Summaries and Reflections Students stop and reflect, make sense of what they have heard or read, derive personal meaning from their learning experiences, and/or increase their metacognitive skills. These require that students use content-specific language. Lists, Charts, and Graphic Organizers Students will organize information, make connections, and note relationships through the use of various graphic organizers. Visual Representations of Information Students will use both words and pictures to make connections and increase memory, facilitating retrieval of information later on. This "dual coding" helps teachers address classroom diversity, preferences in learning style, and different ways of "knowing." Collaborative Activities Students have the opportunity to move and/or communicate with others as they develop and demonstrate their understanding of concepts.

Exit cards One of the easiest formative assessments is the Exit Card. Exit Cards are index cards (or sticky notes) that students hand to you, deposit in a box, or post on the door as they leave your classroom. On the Exit Card, your students have written their names and have responded to a question, solved a problem, or summarized their understanding after a particular learning experience. In a few short minutes, you can read the responses, sort them into groups (students who have not yet mastered the skill, students who are ready to apply the skill, students who are ready to go ahead or to go deeper), and use the data to modify instruction. Feedback provided by the Exit Cards frequently leads to the formation of a needs-based group whose members require re-teaching of the concept in a different way. It also identifies which of your students do not need to participate in your planned whole-group mini-lesson, because they are ready to be challenged at a greater level of complexity.

Keeping Track of the Data When you use formative assessments, you must keep track of the data that you collect. As you notice acquisition of a new skill or confusion and struggle with a skill, record the student's name and jot down a brief comment. Focus on the needs of individual students when you confer with each child or develop lessons for your whole class. Another way to keep track of the data is to use a class list. On this sheet, you can note specific skills and record how each student is doing. You can use a system of check-minus, check, and check-plus or the numbers 4, 3, 2, 1 to indicate student proficiency with the skill.

Modifying Instruction in Response to Formative Assessments Once you have assessed your learners, you must take action. You will be able to help your students achieve success by differentiating your instruction based on the information you have gathered. Ask yourself, "Who needs my attention now? Which students need a different approach? Which students are not learning anything new, because I haven't challenged them?"

Assessments enable us to determine what students need Assessments enable us to determine what students need. But for our assessments to be accurate, we need multiple measures of student understanding. We need evidence gathered over time in different ways to evaluate how effective the teaching and learning process has been.

Summary When a comprehensive assessment program at the classroom level balances formative and summative student learning/achievement information, a clear picture emerges of where a student is relative to learning targets and standards. Students should be able to articulate this shared information about their own learning. When this happens, student-led conferences, a formative assessment strategy, are valid. The more we know about individual students as they engage in the learning process, the better we can adjust instruction to ensure that all students continue to achieve by moving forward in their learning.