Assessment
Assessment is a very broad term that encompasses many of the daily routines that good teachers practice - observing students, planning lessons based on students current level of understanding, providing meaningful feedback and collecting samples of student work. The three main categories of assessment are Assessment "for, of, and as" learning. Each of the following is explored below with examples of classroom applications. Assessment practices need to be weaved together with instruction carefully to promote exemplar classroom experiences.
Assessment FOR Learning
- The purpose of assessment for learning, is to gather information that will improve student learning.
- Utilized to identify students prior knowledge in a subject area, or about a specific concept (also referred to as diagnostic assessment).
- Examples of assessment for learning tools:
- conferencing/interview with students
- observations
- pre-unit "quiz" or inventory - only for identification of students current level of understanding
Assessment OF Learning
- The purpose of assessment of learning is to inform the teacher how the concepts the teacher has presented have been internalize, and to provide students with feedback about their learning.
- Allows the teacher to identify students who need extra support around a specific concept, those students who are on track, and those students who require extended learning experiences.
- Examples of assessment of learning tools:
- checklists
- observations (see page 18-22, specifically Methods for Recording Observations)
- questioning
- conferences/interviews with students
- rubrics
- daily work samples
- carefully designed written tasks - tests and quizzes
Assessment AS Learning
- The purpose of assessment as learning, is to help students to develop an awareness of their own learning and assist them in recognizing their strengths and weaknesses as developing learners
- Can take the form of self-assessment and/or peer-assessment
- Capacity Building Series: Student Self-Assessment
- Examples of assessment as learning tools:
- surveys
- rubrics