Formal Assessment
Formal Assessment
Embedded Files
Tutors,
Since 1964, we have received countless testimonies from former students who attest their academic and professional success to GCLC’s services. We had also informally collected quantitative data in the form of word reading tests and curriculum-specific formative assessments. In Summer 2020, recognizing the role of data in supporting student learning and securing sustainable funding, we designed and implemented formal intake and benchmark assessments.
During the initial assessments, I collect baseline data/observations about each new student’s strengths and needs. These results are shared with you, to use in differentiating your curriculum and materials.
Because of the flexibility provided by our one-on-one model, you can respond immediately to student growth, challenging students or providing additional support as needed. Students regularly surprise their tutors and even themselves with their rapid gains. Our model of one-on-one tutoring provides an empowering experience of mutual care and confidence.
If you have questions or feedback regarding assessment, formal or otherwise, please drop by or drop me a line!
Cimarron Burt, Academic Director
Our formal literacy/reading assessments are adapted from ATLAS’s Evidence-Based Reading Instruction( EBRI) and Beginning Alphabetic Assessment Tools ( BAAT). Our diagnostic/benchmark battery includes
Letter Name/Sound Identification;
Sylvia Greene’s Informal Word Analysis Inventory, a sequential test of phonics using real word lists;
Word Reading Test, a test of alphabetics and grade-level automatic word recognition (1-10);
Reading Assessment, measuring fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.
Our math assessments are still in development, but will consist of leveled skills-based tests.
Our formal assessment battery is subject to change as we learn more about best practices, new materials, and the needs of our learning community.
Informal Assessment
Informal Assessment
"Formal assessment alone is nor adequate for gauging a leaner's skills, needs, goals, and progress. Formal assessment must be supplemented with on-going informal means for accurate placement and assessment of learners. For examples of informal assessment, especially for Language Arts, please see Cimarron.
Questions/Discussions. Tutors and coordinators can assess learners' skills and goals by having a simple discussion or conversation. Tutors can also use questions and discussions to allow learners to appraise their own progress.
Tutor's Notes. Anecdotal records can be kept by the tutor describing the accomplishments of the learners. Information shared by learners of activities outside the tutor setting would be included, e.g. applying for a new position, taking on new responsibility at work/in school, passing an important exam, or any other situation that indicates increased comfort with and knowledge of the subject area.
3. Portfolios. These are collections of the learners' work, usually containing work selected by the student and tutor together. Any text generated in-class can be included: letters, essays, outlines, presentations, notes, etc.
4. Journals. Journals can be used as an indication of the learners' progress in writing and may involve many different topics. Learners can summarize a math lesson, share their own sense of of success/frustration during a lesson, reflect on a discussion, or make predictions for an upcoming session. Journals can also be recorded via video or audio.
5. Questionnaires. Learning centers and tutors can create a questionnaire for learners in which they indicate their level of skill or give feedback.
SEE BELOW FOR STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRES
Page updated
Report abuse