Assessment Types

In McTighe's Understanding By Design (UBD) framework, the connection between learning activities and assessments is fundamental to ensuring that students achieve the desired learning outcomes. Here's how different types of assessments are connected to learning activities, along with the typical goals for each type of assessment:

1. Formative Assessments

Connection to Learning Activities: Formative assessments are ongoing checks for understanding that are embedded within learning activities. These could include quizzes, exit tickets, peer reviews, or class discussions. The purpose is to gauge student progress and understanding during the learning process.

Typical Goals:

1. Monitor Student Progress: Provide timely feedback to both students and teachers on what students understand and what they still need to learn.

2. Inform Instruction: Help teachers adjust instruction based on student needs and progress.

3. Encourage Reflection: Allow students to reflect on their learning and identify areas for improvement.

Examples:

• Exit Tickets: At the end of a lesson, students write a quick summary of what they learned or answer a specific question related to the day's lesson.

• Think-Pair-Share: Students think about a question individually, discuss their thoughts with a partner, and then share with the larger group. Teachers assess understanding through observation and discussion.

• Quizzes: Short, ungraded quizzes to check for understanding of recently covered material.

• Concept Maps: Students create a visual representation of the connections between ideas discussed in class.

2. Summative Assessments

Connection to Learning Activities: Summative assessments occur after a learning unit or module and are designed to evaluate students' mastery of the learning objectives. Learning activities leading up to these assessments are structured to build the knowledge and skills that will be tested.

Typical Goals:

1. Evaluate Mastery: Assess whether students have met the learning objectives at the end of an instructional period.

2. Provide a Final Grade: Summative assessments often contribute significantly to the final grade.

3. Validate Learning Outcomes: Ensure that the instructional goals have been achieved.

Examples:

• Final Exams: Comprehensive tests covering material from an entire unit or course.

• Research Papers: Students write an in-depth research paper on a topic covered during the course.

• Projects: A final project where students apply what they've learned to create a product, such as a model, presentation, or report.

• Standardized Tests: Tests such as end-of-course exams or assessments such as the MAP Skills Test, PSAT, SAT, and IB World Exams.

3. Diagnostic Assessments

Connection to Learning Activities: Diagnostic assessments are typically used before instruction begins. They help identify students' prior knowledge, strengths, and areas of need, which then informs the design of learning activities.

Typical Goals:

1. Identify Student Needs: Determine what students already know and what they need to learn.

2. Plan Instruction: Help teachers plan and differentiate instruction to meet diverse learning needs.

3. Set Baselines: Establish a starting point against which future progress can be measured.

Examples:

• Pre-Tests: Assessments given at the beginning of a unit to determine what students already know about the topic.

• Learning Style Inventories: Tools that help identify how individual students learn best (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.).

• Reading Level Assessments: Tests to determine students' reading proficiency before beginning a literature unit.

• Interest Surveys: Questionnaires to gauge students' interests related to the upcoming content.

4. Performance-Based Assessments

Connection to Learning Activities: Performance-based assessments require students to apply what they have learned in authentic, real-world tasks. Learning activities are designed to develop the skills necessary to complete these tasks effectively.

Typical Goals:

1. Assess Application of Skills: Evaluate students' ability to apply knowledge and skills in practical situations.

2. Promote Critical Thinking: Encourage deeper understanding and critical thinking as students create products or performances.

3. Demonstrate Mastery in Context: Allow students to show their understanding in a context that mirrors real-world challenges.

Examples:

• Science Experiments: Students design and conduct experiments, then present their findings.

• Role-Playing: Students assume the roles of historical figures in a debate or reenactment, demonstrating their understanding of the events and perspectives.

• Art Projects: Creating a visual representation, such as a poster or model, that ties into the lesson content (e.g., designing a model of a sustainable city in a geography class).

• Presentations: Students create and deliver presentations on a topic, often using multimedia tools.

5. Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment

Connection to Learning Activities: Self-assessment and peer assessment are integrated within learning activities to encourage students to take ownership of their learning. These assessments may involve reflective journals, checklists, or peer feedback sessions.

Typical Goals:

1. Develop Metacognitive Skills: Encourage students to reflect on their own learning and thinking processes.

2. Foster Collaborative Learning: Promote collaboration and constructive feedback among peers.

3. Enhance Self-Regulation: Help students set goals, monitor their progress, and adjust their learning strategies.

Examples:

• Reflective Journals: Students write about what they have learned, what challenges they faced, and how they overcame them.

• Peer Review: Students review each other’s work using a rubric, providing constructive feedback.

• Rubrics and Checklists: Students assess their own or peers' work against established criteria.

• Goal-Setting Exercises: Students set personal learning goals, monitor their progress, and assess how well they met their goals at the end of the unit.