Assessments
Assessments? What?
From standardized to summative to formative, they are everywhere you look. Although assessments are so prevalent, there are many misconceptions about what makes a "good" assessment and what assessments actually measure.
What Makes a "Good" Assessment?
A "good" assessment is when the teacher has something they want the students to learn, and then has a way to specifically measure that. However, some things can't be measured- what kind of assessments does that entail? There are things that we are used to trying to measure- identifying theme, including evidence, creating a research question, testing a hypothesis, solving a math problem...but how do you teach and measure things like art, music, or gym? Creativity, critical thinking, or problem solving strategies? On this website, there are a multitude of different ways to look at assessment, measure student success, and add interventions and other success strategies to groups of students or individuals.
How do you determine what to measure in an assessment?
Start with the end in mind. What do you want your learning outcomes to be for each student? What do you want them to walk away with at the end of the class? To be able to do the next day, or the next week? To carry with them for next year? Or even five or ten years from now? Think about those things, and put them into your daily lessons, leading up to that assessment.
How can you tell if a student has mastery of content?
If you're starting with the end in mind, there are many ways for students to demonstrate mastery. See the tab "Formative Assessment" for more ideas