AssessmentsThe biggest misconception is the idea that assessments need to be intense, stressful tests for students that their grades depend upon. Since taking graduate courses, The concept of "assessments" has been clarified to include, not just graded tests, but also encompasses the day-to-day interaction in learning. Acknowledging students' participation and feedback is an essential method in understanding what students are learning and how best to help them before unit tests.
Assessments, are broken down into three categories...
- Diagnostic Assessments which are pre-assessments or the "finding-out" what students know. This is performed early before the lesson is taught. Assessment beFORe learning
- Formative Assessments help keep track of students' learning and understanding. These check-ins help to determine if the students are grasping the lessons or if the lessons should be modified. Formative assessments provides information to students and teachers that is used to assist ongoing learning and addresses how well the teacher and the students are doing. Assessments FOR learning
- Summative Assessments confirms what the students have learned. It evaluates students' learning usually at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against a standard or benchmark. It captures the quality of what the student has learned. Assessment OF learning
Engage: Assessments FOR or Assessments OF learning? Why??
As an older teacher, I have had to rethink and change my view about what assessment really means & what its primary purposes are. When I think back to my own education, I only recall being graded and assessed on unit tests or homework (if done correctly). This was not always a fair representation of what I knew, and it did not take into mind accountability on the teacher's strategy for teaching. Assessment FOR learning is umbrellaed to include formative or 'on going' assessments. This can include (but not limited to) self & peer evaluations, journal entries, observations, quizzes, exit tickets, teacher-student conferences, students' involvements in group discussions, & reflections. I believe that formative assessments provide very important student evidence of how and what they are learning during the learning process. This is a critical time to correct misunderstandings or to modify the teaching strategies if the content is not being understood. Engaging students during the learning proces helps teachers to identify holes in the content and monitor students understanding.
My Slide on assessment
Kendra I agree with your thoughts on the structure of assessment; "House of Assessment and Instruction." In today's classroom every students experience is driven by curriculum. Curriculum is the foundation of the education process. From the curriculum educators and associated professionals derive the instruction and decide the strategies that would best help students understand the content. With instruction comes learning because like you said "learning is only as effective as instruction." Without effective instruction learning does not take place. Lastly, assessment, although assessment is the tool that drives instruction, with instruction and learning there would be nothing to assess.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very insightful and informative. I personally like that you address the biggest misconception on assessment! It does not have to be high-stakes testing that stresses out students and teachers. Assessment comes in many forms and most time the most effective and beneficial form is formative and diagnostic. The types of assessment that comes from interaction with the students, observations, quick and easy probes.