April's Topic: Assessment

Formative assessments should be used frequently to improve instruction and provide student feedback. Teachers should be checking for understanding at least every 15 minutes, but asking, “Does everybody understand?” is not assessing understanding. There are many reasons kids don’t show what they know or don’t know in front of class. How do you check frequently for individual comprehension of material presented? Please share a comment!

Testing should not have the sole purpose of assigning grades. Carol Ann Tomlinson says, “Assessment should have more to do with helping students grow than with cataloging their mistakes.” Use tests to determine individual student needs, to inform instruction, or to evaluation your program. If you are checking for understanding in a variety of ways, you don’t need many tests. Students need immediate and meaningful feedback and they can get that from a variety of smaller activities.

Performance tasks or projects need to have learning objectives stated and students need to know what they are expected to present. Go over the grading rubric before kids begin to help guide their work, and meet with each student during long term projects. Self-assessments foster meta-cognition so use learning logs and reflective journaling. Students can rate their participation in group work and comment on their portfolio pieces.

The Elementary Edition of Better Teaching includes ideas for exploring trees on Arbor Day, sharing student news, and identifying author's purpose. There are suggestions for helping students new to class feel welcome, setting daily student goals, and for holding class meetings to work on better behavior decisions. See tips for connecting with other teachers on the internet, grouping for RtI, building responsibility into group work, and using test results to maximize learning.

The Secondary Edition of Better Teaching includes ideas for creating edible models of cells, summarizing readings quickly, and using service projects. There are suggestions for using firm discipline, encouraging parent volunteers, motivating students, and using technology in the classroom. See tips for creating writing rubrics, having students assess their progress, and building responsibility into group work.