More specifically, formative assessments:. Formative assessments are generally low stakes , which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:. The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. The easiest way to observe and assess student growth is to walk around your room with a clipboard and sticky notes.
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. Consider keeping a folder for each child in which you insert any notes that you make on a daily basis. This process will help you 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.
Thomas R. Guskey suggests that for assessments to become an integral part of the instructional process, teachers need to change their approach in three important ways.
They must "1 use assessments as sources of information for both students and teachers, 2 follow assessments with high-quality corrective instruction, and 3 give students second chances to demonstrate success" 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? We must be prepared to provide both corrective activities and enrichment activities for those who need them. Your challenge will be to find a new and different pathway to understanding. After using any of the formative assessments contained in this book, you can choose from among these suggestions to scaffold your struggling learners or challenge your advanced learners.
The suggestions for struggling learners will help students during their "second-chance" learning on the road toward mastery. The suggestions for advanced learners will challenge those students who, in my opinion, are frequently forgotten in mixed-ability classrooms.
With these easy adjustments to your lesson plans, you will be able to respond to the diverse readiness needs of students in your heterogeneous classroom. In differentiated classrooms everywhere, a resounding mantra is "Fair is not equal; fair is getting what you 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.
Tomlinson and McTighe suggest that when we gather a "photo album" rather than a "snapshot" of our students, we can differentiate instruction based on a more accurate evaluation of our students' learning needs. I wish you success as you gather your own "photo album" of your students and choose from a variety of reflective, unique, and engaging assessment tools.
This book offers you an "assessment tool kit" to choose from as you create a classroom that is continually more responsive to the needs of your diverse learners.
These assessments will provide you and your students "evidence" of their learning and help them on their journey to greater achievement in school. This new way of delivering intervention to struggling students encompasses a three-tiered model. Tier 1 interventions include monitoring at-risk students within the general education classroom, ensuring that each student has access to a high-quality education that is matched to his or her needs.
RTI focuses on improving academic achievement by using scientifically based instructional practices. According to the National Association of State Directors of Special Education , Tier 1 strategies encompass "alternative assessment which utilizes quality interventions matched to student needs, coupled with formative evaluation to obtain data over time to make critical educational decisions.
The evidence-based formative assessments provided in this book are excellent methods for classroom teachers to measure the progress of their Tier 1 students. Educator and author Judith Dodge provides a variety of techniques for incorporating formative assessments into classroom practice and describes how this can assist in differentiating instruction.
Create a List. What to look for? If there are small group conversations happening, and they are successfully applying the new learning, not just one student is talking; they are talking over each other, and they are animated with body, hands and eyes.
On the other hand, if it is quiet during this talk time, and they are watching you watch them, they are most likely lost. Put a check by each child you hear share so you can see how many you heard versus how many get it. If I have 17 names with checks after them, but only four check-plus marks, it's time to review or re-teach. How do you check for understanding with your students?
What are some formative assessments that you find fun, engaging, and effective? Please share with us your thoughts, ideas and expertise! But what about informal or formative assessments?
Are we putting enough effort into these? What Are They? To Inform, Not Punish If you find yourself wanting to spring a "gotcha" quiz on your students, ask yourself if it is really meant to collect important data or to freak them out and maybe "get them more serious about paying attention"? If you feel tempted to do this, just say no; it's a mistake.
When and How? And to avoid using the tired old quiz, here's a few ways you can check for understanding: Exit Slips These can be fun and not daunting, for students or teacher. Student Checklist Give your students a checklist and have them self-assess. The Three-Minute Paper This is more involved than the exit slip and often times, I'd give the kids more than three minutes.
One-Sentence Summary Ask students to write a summary sentence that answers the "who, what where, when, why, how" questions about the topic.
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