2.3 Multiple Assessment Types
At NCMS, you will find that our assessment types are just as diverse as the Northwest Cabarrus student body. Our Northwest staff consistently uses multiple and varied assessments of all different types of in our daily interactions with students. You may find teachers using exit tickets -whether informally or formally. You will see teachers use paper and pencil tests and quizzes, digital tests and quizzes, portfolios, projects, and performance tasks. Teachers will use rubrics or clearly communicate objectives for students to include in their projects or performance tasks so they can see how they have progressed in demonstrating the skills they were learning.
Students are also a part of the process of creating rubrics and self-assessing their own work. Even our PE classes have students creating their own games and self assessing their work. Our PE classes have created and evolved their own Noodle Race game. The students are given parameters in which to develop the game. Students then assess how well they are doing in each race and make modifications to their performances. The tasks get more and more complex as the race goes on and requires more and more critical thinking and creativity. Our PE teachers assess students on their ability to follow directions, work with peers, communicate with others, problem solve, and sportsmanship.
In 6th grade, students demonstrate their understanding of Science and Math by the performance task of finding the volume, mass, and density of 3 Musketeers bars and Milky Way candy bars. Mrs. Murray’s class might be making instruments as a way to demonstrate sound wave concepts of pitch by creating their own song. Our teachers and staff enjoyed a debate about Rosetta Stone. Students were given parameters of persuasive arguments then given the opportunity to perform a real debate to their entire school team. Now that is high pressure authentic assessment! The audience voted on who presented the stronger argument. You could find students engaged in assessments by creating Pixel art in a ratio assessment or creating presentations about new cars so teachers could assess their use of integers and percentages.
In 7th grade, math teachers assess students' knowledge of probability by smashing eggs into foreheads. You could find student’s demonstrating their knowledge of various subjects utilizing products from TinkerCad, Radio or Podcast recording, or Propaganda posters using product rubrics created by our 7th grade teachers. Have you used football to assess the use of the Pythagorean Theory? Here at Northwest Cabarrus STEM school, we do in 7th grade math. In addition, we make 3D models of cells to assess student understanding of cell structures and functions with rubrics to guide self assessment. Sometimes our students are giving us verbal presentations so we can assess their knowledge of things like genetic disorders.
In 8th grade. students use SCRATCH to create a basic memory and using a checklist rubric for them to self asses/teacher assessment. You can find students outside calculating roof pitch to assess slope in math. In ELA, students are assessed on their TinkerCad/3D printing skills once the final product is printed. Did they scale correctly? Did the TinkerCad file translate the way it should have to be printed successfully? If not, what needs to be fixed in the design to make it a perfect print?
Our counselors encourage students to assess themselves on their own progress using SMART goals and small group discussions. Northwest Cabarrus Counselors utilize “Choose Your Own Adventure” games to assess how students are understanding and implementing key Social Emotional Learning topics like Empathy, Self Care, and Effective Communication.
Our school Culture understands that there are so many ways to demonstrate knowledge so there must be at least as many ways to assess understanding. Titans are always thinking about the best way to judge understanding whether it is formal assessments or informal assessments. The most important thing about our assessments is that it benefits our students and our staff because we are all life long learners here at Northwest.
Assessment professional development provided by STEM coach on authentic assessments through PBL and STEM lessons.
Our standard, school-wide "project" and "presentation" rubrics (STEM focus)