1. Creating Working Assessments
Developed by Lynee Tourdot
Baraboo School District

2. Pre-Assessments What are they?
They are used to determine a student’s comprehension of the knowledge, skills and understandings that will be taught in a unit.

3. Pre-Assessments Why do we give a pre-assessment?
To adjust the unit based on the background knowledge of the students.
If a student understands most or all of the concepts, extensions to learning will be needed for that student or students. This may include choices for open-ended research, projects, additional reading to extend the topic, using the student to teach a concept for the class related to the topic, etc.
If there is little background knowledge, a teacher may need to expand the unit to give the students more background information. This may include vocabulary, history, review, basic concepts, etc.

4. Pre-Assessments How do we use pre-assessments?
At the beginning of each unit to determine the level of existing knowledge about the topics being learned in the unit.
Given to all students
Used to adjust instruction (pre-assessments are useless if they are not used to adjust instruction)!

5. Formative Assessments
What are they?
They are also called “Assessment FOR Learning” or “Ongoing Assessments”
They are assessments given throughout the unit to determine the level of understanding about what has been taught.
Examples: homework, exit slips, using a white board to assess understanding, guided practice, quizzes, thumbs up, sideways or down, think alouds, feedback given for revision on assignments, etc.
These do NOT have to be graded.

6. Formative Assessments
How are they used?
To determine the level of understanding of each student throughout instruction. The level of understanding determines how the teacher adjusts instruction. For example, I may give an exit slip to see if students understood the type of math problem we learned today. Based on what I see on the exit slips, I adjust my instruction in the next lesson by meeting with individuals or small groups of students about misconceptions or misunderstandings, address the whole group if needed, or move on to the next level if students have shown understanding of the topic.

7. Formative Assessments
Formative assessments are all about feedback.
Students are in the learning process—they need feedback to improve
Should we grade students during the learning process while they are still making mistakes and haven’t had a chance to get their misconceptions corrected?
Feedback on their work is the single biggest factor in helping a student to improve or learn the concept
One way to give students feedback is by using a rubric
Use a modified rubric to help students move to the next level. (see example)
Rubric sites (see web site in resources)
Make sure students have an opportunity to KNOW what you expect (give examples, have students practice on good and bad samples, and have students assess themselves).
Assessment Ideas
List of ideas
Websites: Kathie Nunley (Layered Curriculum)

8. Summative Assessments:
What are they?
They are also called “Assessment OF Learning”. If Assessment For learning is the physical checkup, Assessment Of Learning is the autopsy, or the final analysis of what was learned.

9. Summative Assessments:
How are they used?
Typically this is at the end of the unit, but it may also be at an end point within the unit. A teacher may use the information to change what they do next time they teach the unit, but for the most part you are no longer going back to re-teach.
Make sure the assessment matches your BIG IDEA—What do you really want kids to learn? Book tests don’t often do this.

10. Summative Assessments
Types of Summative Assessment:
Final Exams (but they don’t all have to be like this!)
Open-ended questions (see Kathie Nunley’s info)
Projects
Higher level thinking
Choice of activities or projects, etc.
Debate
Role-play a scenario

11. Resources
Kathy Nunley: Layer Curriculum
Rubric Generators: