Formative Assessment Cycle

Below is a evidence collected and formal analysis of a Formative Assessment Cycle taught in 2nd Grade. Included in this are examples of student work from before and after instruction on the focus skills, the formal analysis, student thinking trends data, and records of the planned intervention. 

This Formative Assessment Cycle taught in 2nd Grade was a project I collaborated on with a veteran 2nd grade teacher at our school as a co-teacher (III.iv.c). It was a strong tool for enhancing mathematical instruction. The project delved into Unit 2 of the iReady Curriculum, Numbers Within 100. In this project, students began by completing a short assessment showcasing their understanding of addition within 100. Analyzing the pre-assessment data helped my co-teacher and I identify common misconceptions and student thinking trends (II.c.ii). Next, we used this information to plan both adapted core instruction and an intervention in which students compared and discussed strategies to improve efficiency and base 10 strategies (II.c.i, II.c.iv). 

After we taught the adapted core instruction and intervention, a selected group of students' progress was assessed through follow-up evaluations. Our targeted plans showed improvement for our focal students with understanding and using concepts of base 10 to develop efficient strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems.  This process fostered continuous improvement in teaching methods, and collaborative and creative approaches to meeting the diverse needs of these 2nd-grade students (II.c.vii, II.c.viii).

Mathematics Specialist Standards 

II.c.i.: Know learning trajectories related to mathematical topics and use this knowledge to sequence activities and design instructional tasks.

II.c.ii: Use multiple strategies, including listening to and understanding the ways students think about mathematics, to assess students’ mathematical knowledge.

II.c.iv.: Select, use, adapt, and determine the suitability of mathematics curricula and teaching materials (e.g., textbooks, technology, manipulatives) for particular learning goals.

II.c.vii.: Use the formative assessment cycle (administer a formative assessment task, analyze student responses to the task, and design and reteach lessons based on this analysis) and be able to find or create appropriate resources for this purpose.

II.c.viii.: Analyze formative and summative assessment results, make appropriate interpretations and communicate results to appropriate and varied audiences.

III.iv.c: collaborate with school-based professionals to develop evidence-based interventions for high and low-achieving students;