Standard J Artifacts
Assessments:
Standardised-
These assessments are currently at the epicenter of school reform movements and a desire for a formula of teacher accountability. Wherever one may stand on those issues, however one may feel about "canned" exams, if administering them is a requirement, then it is prudent to find a way to use them to one's benefit.
In my department, we are just beginning to meet in order to identify the lowest strands in each grade level and look for similarities across grade levels. Once that has been identified, we will discuss and record strengths and weaknesses of present instructional practices that we use with the learning objectives that tie in with the strands.
User-Created Assessments-
I built these tests from a pool of questions provided by the textbook. I chose multiple-choice questions which required critical thinking and not just a regurgitation of facts.
When students performed poorly on a set, I would meet with them individually in order to determine their difficulty with the assessment. Sometimes, it would reveal a deficiency in my lesson plan; other times, it was a simple mistake, misreading the question or not understanding the vocabulary.
This assessment clearly showed that, even though the students had turned in editorials, they were still unclear as to what this type of writing actually entailed.
Formative/Summative-
Google Docs are quite versatile as a means of assessment. By having a student's draft shared with me, I can keep tabs on how well they're progressing with an assignment. I can add comments and even collaborate in real time on their writing; by viewing the revision history, I can evaluate how their work evolves. In its final version, it can then be reviewed as a summative assessment. As an additional bonus for collaboration, having an online record of student work makes it easier to share samples with colleagues.
