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Assessment Methods Overview
Assessment Methods Overview
Through regular usage of diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments I am able to collect data that drives my instruction and provides an engaging learning experience for my students. Each of these types of assessment plays a role in holding my students for their goal setting and growth throughout the year.
Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic assessments offer insight into student prior content knowledge and how it can be the framework for their learning going forward. They will not have been introduced to the content on diagnostic assessments in my classroom, however they may have seen it in a previous grade. This type of assessment usually takes place at the beginning of our units or the introduction of a new standard and it allows me to adjust my instructional practices to be centered around any identified areas of improvement for students'. This data will assist in identifying student growth across the tested standard or unit and is a baseline for students to set their goals around as we work with new content. Once diagnostic assessments are complete learners are provided with
Pre-Unit Assessment
Pre-Unit Assessment
Before beginning a unit students are given an assessment that encompasses each standard that will be covered in the upcoming unit. This assessment is to gauge prior knowledge and prepare instruction as a grade level. In some cases students will score mastery on a standard we have not yet covered in class and this will help in my instruction going forward because I now know that this specific student could be a resource to their peers going forward. The data gathered from this test will be used for the entire unit as a point of reference during small groups, blended learning days, and understanding student testing performance. The test will consist of 20 questions and is not used in their actual grades for the quarter. Once students have completed the test they are given a bar graph that shows how they performed on each of the upcoming standards as well as their goal tracker for the unit. They will use the data from the pre-unit assessment to set goals for each standard as they identify areas for growth.
As we progress through the unit, students will monitor their progression toward their standard goals in addition to designing a plan to mastery. I will use the data from the pre-unit assessment to make any necessary changes to the pacing calendar, create independent practice activities, and begin structuring small group activities. The assessment consists of multiple choice questions that have been released from the prior years end of grade assessment, so that it aligns with what students will see at the end of the year. As we move through the unit I will incorporate some of these questions into our do now, exit ticket, and flashback activities to monitor how students are retaining content and to check the effectiveness of my instructional strategies.
Anticipation Guides
Anticipation Guides
These guides will generally be used in the beginning of a lesson to understand student perceptions of new material before it is introduced. They are a great tool for conceptual thinking because they are not always directly connected to content, but as the lesson progresses students will make their own connections to the guide. Much like the pre-test this helps to drive my instruction for the day because I am able to see how much prior knowledge students are bringing to the class before I begin formal instruction.
I use these tools to give students a glimpse into the lesson objective, encourage holistic thinking, and to measure their own growth at the end of the lesson. When students refer back to the anticipation guide at the end of the lesson they are able to engage in meaningful conversations about any changes that may have occurred with their answers and how the lesson shaped those changes. This is a great tool for myself and my students to informally monitor progress and growth in a single day.
These are three images of anticipation guides my students have used throughout the year. Each guide is designed to gauge prior knowledge and perception of content material before it is introduced. Once content is introduced students will refer back to the guide and analyze how/if their understanding has changed.
Formative Assessment
Formative Assessment
This form of assessment is used throughout the unit to monitor progress as students are learning and to inform instructive practices. Formative assessments are delivered in a variety of forms and can be helpful in the construction of small groups, classroom seating charts, relooping activities, and grade level planning. I can check these assessments on the spot as students are taking them and use the data collected to adjust daily lesson strategies in the moment. Through the data collected from formative assessments I can plan to clarify any anticipated misconceptions, give students instant feedback, and properly scaffold a lesson.
Do Now
Do Now
These assessments may be open ended questions, multiple choice on the computer, or even an illustration. The purpose of a Do Now is to check for retention from the prior days lesson while also introducing the new content. They are typically formatted to include four questions from the previous lesson and two questions from the new days' lesson. Do Nows are instant data from Mastery Connect that can be used immediately. Students are typically given 6-7 minutes to answer and annotate questions in this assessment which is an important aspect of our classroom culture because it encourages routine and a sense of urgency each day.
Once the Do Now is complete I will take a look at the data generated and decide on a plan of engagement for students moving forward that will best engage learners in the content. Students are given immediate feedback on Do Now’s in the form of writing on their paper, a score generated from the computer, or sharing out with their peers to gain a new perspective. This method of assessment is the first step my students take each day to engage in their growth from precious lessons as well as guiding their decision making going forward.
This screenshot shows me the mastery level of each block in a specific standard covered on the Do Now. Data collected allows me to immediately scaffold and adjust the lesson to address any misconceptions.
Exit Tickets
Exit Tickets
At the end of each lesson Exit Tickets provide me with an assessment of the daily learning objective. Each question in the exit ticket is aligned to our daily standard and will let me know what students have learned along with any concepts that may need to be revisited. Generally, I will review the results each day with my PLC across the grade level to plan our reteaching activities for the next day or small group days. This form of formative assessment is usually delivered through the Mastery Connect platform while students are required to annotate each question. In their annotations students identify keywords, the underlying question being asked, and use slash and trash to eliminate incorrect answers.
As a PLC we use Exit Ticket data to create tests that are aligned with unit objectives and focused around content areas that need to be revisited. In addition, learners are given the answers to the Exit Ticket once they are finished so they are able to reevaluate their answers and provide an explanation for their choices. Once this is complete I am able to use their reflections to gain insight into their decision making and adapt my lessons accordingly.
This is an example of the data collected from an exit ticket in Mastery Connect. Through this application I am able to assess questions that most of the students missed in order to revisit them later in the week. Because exit tickets are delivered after the lesson they provide me with critical data to drive or alter my instruction.
Bi-Weekly Multiple Choice Tests
Bi-Weekly Multiple Choice Tests
These are a routine test given by each teacher after students have had two weeks of new content. These tests provide us with the data we need for relooping days. During relooping, students are sent to different classrooms based on their mastery level in specific standards. The new classroom will only review one standard that each student in that class has shown they will need to revisit. Students that do not need to review will be sent to a different classroom where they will interact with new content, so they are not being unnecessarily remediated. Each test consists of 20-30 questions and is formatted to include 10 questions from two previous standards and 15 questions from the most recent standard we have covered.
10_4 Learn Check.pdfThis is an example of a test given to students after we finished a learning objective. The content on the test is reflective of the objectives taught in class. During the test students are required to annotate questions on a sheet of paper and submit the annotations at the end of the testing session. Annotations help give me glimpse into the students thinking as they were answering each question.
Graphic Organizers
Graphic Organizers
This is a useful assessment tool for students that are able to present their understandings in an illustrated form rather than in writing or on bubble sheets. Graphic organizers tie together concepts and visibly see the relationships between standards or components of one standard. As students fill in graphic organizers I am able to move around the classroom and provide feedback about their organization and fill in any missing data.
Graphic organizers provide visual connections that students may not see when they are reading texts or taking a test on the computer. They are a great resource for me because students who may not do well in one area of assessing are able to show their mastery through the completion of this activity. I will have kids complete the organizer in their notebooks, so they have them as a reference, and once everyone has finished we will share out as a class to help fill in any gaps. While students may not realize it, they are engaging in a form of assessment that shows their growth through the unit. These are typically provided after content has been taught so that they do not need to use technology to complete the assignment.
These are two examples of graphic organizers students will complete in their notebooks. Each of the graphic organizers is done solely using their notebook and their content knowledge as resources. As students are completing the organizers I will walk around the room checking for any areas that may be blank or filled in incorrectly in order to address them later in the class.
Summative Assessment
Summative Assessment
At the culmination of each unit students are asked to perform a summative task that will demonstrate mastery across the entire unit. Summative assessments allow me to connect everything that was encompassed in a unit and encourage students to build their own representation of what they have learned throughout the unit in its entirety. Because summative assessments are at the end of the learning cycle, are an important component in reviewing any gaps that may have existed in my teaching or in student absorption of content.
Summative Task
Summative Task
At the end of each unit or quarter students create a summative task that is a culmination of all the knowledge they have gained from every standard in the unit. The summative task is graded through a rubric, requires a tangible product, and is an individual assignment. For this task students may be asked to make a model, design an infographic, or create a mixture of both to show how they have drawn multiple connections within content. This task is a project based assessment that encourages students to take ownership over their demonstration of mastery. Their creativity is at the forefront during this assignment and it is generally the task that they enjoy the most.
As an assessment, this task is a way for students to see how much they have learned over the unit and their growth from the pre-unit assessment to the end of their learning process. The task includes multiple standards that must be connected for students to be rated proficient in the rubric. Grading this assessment helps me to decide how this unit should be taught in future classrooms, the effectiveness of the assessment strategies I have used in the unit, and engage learners in the demonstration of their growth.
This is an example of an end of unit summative assessment that is designed to tie together all of the standards students learned in the unit. These assessments are graded on a rubric and then analyzed to check for mastery, make any changes to the assessment next year, and provide an alternative method for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Much like a traditional bubble sheet test, students are still connecting concepts and working on their application of that knowledge.
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