Assessment In 555 Ways

Assessment In 555 Ways

In 5 minutes, you can determine what students are thinking and achieve any one, perhaps two, of the following:
    ← Make sure that the teaching objective for the day is assessable.

    ← Create a question that captures the learning target for the day.

    ← Pass out and collect entrance/exit cards to get a quick snapshot of progress and needs.

    ← Sort entrance/exit cards by those who are getting it, those who are almost there, and those who aren't getting the lesson. You can use this information to plan tiered groups.

    ← Take quick notes on a clipboard about student work -- check, check-plus, check-minus will do.

    ← Remember to call on students randomly.

    ← Hold up white boards with student work to point out exemplary samples.

    ← Look over a student's shoulder to see what he is writing in his notebook. You can then take your own notes about what you saw or talk to the student right then about what he is doing well and what he could be doing better.

    ← Ask students to turn and talk to each other in response to a directed question. You can then listen in on those responses and take notes or join the talk to offer suggestions.

In 5 days, you can determine what students know and prove it:
    ← Read over conference notes and checklists for the week to look for trends and then group students by readiness and understanding.

    ← Be open to the fact that students are moving at a different pace than you may be. You need to be willing to respond by slowing a lesson or moving more quickly.

    ← Look at your formative assessment notes to identify the students whom you have not yet assessed. For example, record notes on a seating chart and look for empty spaces and try to assess those students by the end of the week.

    ← Review a diagnostic such as entrance cards or tasks on demand and make adjustments to a unit plan based on the results.

    ← Encourage special education teachers and...