Module 4: Assessment

In a physical classroom space, elementary educators rely on observation and dialogue to assess student understanding. We can quickly provide guidance at a point-of-need basis, and provide feedback to students on what they have achieved and where they need to improve. The same can be done in an online learning environment, but it requires some planning and strategic use of the tools.

Much as in the physical classroom, here are some elements to consider when designing for assessment:

Best Practices

Offer choice and alternative ways of demonstrating knowledge. Students working at-home need flexibility in how they communicate understanding. Learning styles, access to technology, materials available in the home, and work space environments may effect how students are able to respond. For example, offering students choice in make something physical or on paper and take a picture, or make a digital drawing, or create a video as evidence of learning will make the assessment more engaging and accessible.

Train students to seek out the feedback and engage with it. The tools we have for teaching online do not necessarily put your feedback to students front and center. We need to explicitly show students where to find their feedback, create workflows that require them to receive and engage with that feedback.

Communicate with families about assessment. Be explicit with families about the best ways they can support students in completing assessments. Sometimes it makes sense for families to help students work until they have all of the "right" answers. But that is not the case if you are using an assignment as an assessment. Be sure to let parents know when you are giving an assessment and need to see what the student can do on their own.

Automate data collection when you can. Google Apps for Education and SeeSaw contain tools that can help you with data collection. Google Classroom contains a gradebook feature, which can be useful once students are trained on turning in their work correctly. SeeSaw offers weekly engagement reports. Google Form quiz responses can be sent to a spreadsheet where responses can be graded and tallied. Learning to utilize data collection from student programs such as Dreambox can also help give you a complete picture of student growth and understanding in specific areas.

Use folders and topics in SeeSaw and Classroom to keep documentation of assessments organized. They can serve as a digital portfolio.

Video: See Saw PD in Your PJs: PreK-2 Assessment (45 minutes)

Implementing summative assessment in the at-home learning environment can be challenging from an equity and reliability perspective. One of the best practices in this area is to focus on giving performance-based assessments that require students to apply their learning in an authentic environment.

Article: Summative Assessment in Distance Learning

Best Practices

Less is more when it comes to assessment points. At the elementary level we need to record audio, make videos, or use conferencing to give detailed feedback -- and all of that takes time. Limiting the number of assessments and letting students know when they really need to spend time with that feedback will help them to make the best use of your efforts.

Use smaller performance-based tasks. This doesn't always have to mean an extended project. In fact, in the at-home environment, longer and involved projects with many parts can feel unmanageable and overwhelming to students. Instead, think about creating a series of smaller tasks that allow students to apply their learning. Consider how students might use video, audio, and/or photgraphy to document an application of their understanding.