Assessments are integral parts of instruction, they determine whether classroom goals have been achieved, and help teachers know what areas they should focus on and maybe reteach. They are great tools for developing lesson plans and answer questions such as; “do my students possess full understanding of the material?” There are many ways of assessing students’ learning, one of which I have personal experience with are on-the-spot assessments. On-the-spot assessment is a method of gathering on-the-spot information when observing students while they work independently or in groups. (reference pg. 222) While working as a pre-k teacher I had access to ATI Galileo Pre-k, this is an assessment technology that provides assessments, and curriculum. The program provided a list of learning objectives under several different learning scales. It was our job to do on-the-spot assessments based on our observation list to document individual child’s progress. We would then input the assessments to the system and the program would develop a lesson plan based on what each child had learned. It would also provide specialized activities for children that were ahead or behind the classroom average. On top of using on-the-spot …show more content…
These observations lists contained developmental goals in different learning scales such as creative arts expression, language, literacy, nature & science and so on. There was a process to completing our observation list. The first time the student was observed was after the introduction of a new concept. The second time would consist of the completion of a different activity with the same concept and the third time was the student using this new concept by him/herself. Only then would we be able to indicate that the student had full understanding of the
Assessments are the way to find out if learning has actually taken place. Enabling us, as tutors, to see if objectives have been met.
It is the measurement of what students are learning. Achievement is defined by how well they can master certain skills. Assessments provide objective and subjective data in order to see student progress and mastery of skills (Ronan, 2015). Most educators select a valid, research-based assessment tool that ensures all areas are being assessed and that objective and reliable results are being produced that are shareable with parents, staff members, administrators and state. Assessments can include criterion-based testing, norm-referenced testing, or a combination of those. Observational assessment is an informal technique of watching your students to identify strengths and weaknesses, behaviors and cognitive strategies (Scholastic, 2000). Observations help determine which students need additional support and how to adjust instruction to encourage better learning. They help to guide and record teacher observations as certain tasks are performed. Student checklists can be used by students for self-assessments. They develop their own list of qualities to judge for their own work. Students who learn to monitor their own progress and judge their own efforts will strive to improve (Witt, Elliot, Kramer,
Assessment is a valuable tool to measure students learning and achievement. It is an essential element for teacher to reflect on what and how they teach. To assess students is to collect evidence of their learning. Teachers use the information to modify their lesson plans and adjust their instructional methods; students need feedback on their performance to concentrate on their vulnerable areas. Assessment is necessary for parents to reinforce their children strength and assist them where extra attention is required. The data collected will inform school
Ch. 2 – Who are the various users of assessment and its results? What specific instructional decisions can be made based on assessment results? Why must we build balanced assessment systems to support the instructional programs we offer students? This chapter nails down the purpose of assessing, which is gathering information to inform teachers of students of their instruction and learning, respectively. In this way, assessment is individualized to each student and classroom, and because all students/classes are different, it should inform the teachers of what is working or not working in the classroom, which should then influence some sort of change to instruction. This chapter also talks about the different levels of assessment – from the individuals
Assessment is often thought of as a punitive exercise. But the purpose of assessment is to ensure that students meet specific standards of progress and to rectify learning deficits before a child falls too far behind. Assessment can also identify a child's strengths as well as his or her weaknesses. As well as comparing the child's performance with his or her peers, the teacher can assess specific learning needs, learning styles, interests, aptitudes, and other critical components of the child's developing learning personality.
Assessment is the process of establishing the nature and quality of our students’ learning and measuring whether learning has actually taken place. Assessment is a key part of the teaching cycle because it enables us to measure achievement against set standards in order to ascertain if our trainees have acquired the skills and knowledge needed at a given stage of training, to diagnose learning needs and to select for further training. It is also the means by which we measure learning at the end of a course and certificate achievements.
Efficient educators know and understand the importance of selecting, planning, and implementing effective assessment tools and strategies that measure student’s levels of understanding. Different types of assessments are used for a broad range of purposes that include formative, placement, diagnostic, and summative assessments. However, the main purpose is to “foster learning in all its forms” (Lefrancois, 2013, Ch. 6.1). Teachers use pre, formative, and summative assessments to determine what students know before, during, and after instruction. Each measurement is used to plan, modify, and adjust instruction to meet the needs of all learners. Although each form of assessment plays a critical role in ensuring all students succeed, educators
Assessments are vital to the educational process. They provide feedback about what the students know and what they may need to learn in order to obtain the content within a given curriculum. It provides teachers with a glimpse into the student’s readiness on a particular topic or subject. One of the six key principles of having an effective differentiated classroom is having a formative assessment that informs teachers on the effectiveness of their teaching. It also provides teachers with the readiness levels of their students and shows them exactly where the students’ readiness, interests, and learning profile needs really are (Tomlinson, 2014).
Classroom assessment involves the professional decision of the teacher to determine how to implement assessment, what should be assessed, and when should assessment occur. Teachers must be able to interpret each students’ unique learning abilities in ways that are credible, fair, and free from bias. Possible factors to consider when creating these multiple formats for assessments include gender, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic backgrounds, and special needs. Each and every student in the classroom should be give the same opportunity to display their strengths. And it is important for teachers to properly manage an assessment plan that will benefit students, as well as the teachers, in the classroom. Eventually, a well-constructed assessment plan will be able to contribute to the development of lifelong learners within the teacher and the students.
From the time we enter a preschool program or Kindergarten, our abilities, knowledge and development are consistently being assessed. Assessment has occured throughout all aspects of my education, from the spelling tests I took in elementray school, to the Connecticut Mastery tests, to the SAT’s in high school, and even to the placement tests I took for the community college I attended. These assessments may not have been the most pleasurable experiences that occurred during my education, but they were very important.
Pupils learning and progress needs to be measured against objectives using ongoing assessment methods. Formative assessment methods are ongoing, they are used to check progress continually during learning . These techniques include using open ended questions which encourage pupils to think for themselves and use their own ideas rather than being influenced too much or led by the adult. Observing pupils is a formative assessment method which allows us to gather lots of knowledge about how pupils are progressing. It reveals how they work, interact with others, preferences, strengths, weaknesses etc over a period of time. Observations can be informal and take place on an ongoing regular basis or can be formal direct observations. Listening to pupils describe their work and reasoning, to hear about pupils understanding
As a Middle School Language Arts teacher, I have found that assessments are a daily part of our job. Everything that my students do in the classroom ultimately ends up being assessed in some sort of way. I must admit that it can at times be overwhelming for assessments to be such a huge part of our curriculum; I understand the necessity of each one. I haven’t always been focused as intently on assessments. I really didn’t consider the importance of assessments as much. As I gained experience and knowledge I realized that assessing my students provides me with information that makes my job more successful. I believe to effectively teach my students, I must understand and implement the right assessments properly. My assessment philosophy is that to be able to ensure our students are learning and that we are teaching the right way we must include proper assessment for validation. With that being said it is very important to use different forms of assessments to gauge student performance. One of the outstanding features of studies of assessment in recent years has been the shift in the focus of attention, towards greater interest In the interactions between assessment and classroom learning and away from concentration on the properties of restricted forms of test which are only weakly linked to the learning experiences of students (Black 2015) This research supports the idea that assessments
By my definition, a classroom assessment is a measuring tool used to guide instruction and learning on subsequent lessons to follow. It’s an opportunity to evaluate how well your students are synthesizing information and applying it in the classroom. Keeley (2015) states that good assessment practices are integral to informing teaching and learning, as well as documenting and measuring student achievement. Examples of classroom assessments are broken into two categories; formative and summative. Summative have been traditionally a go to for teachers with tests, quizzes, and projects. Formative assessments are an informal evaluation or a checkpoint at which the teacher can use observation or short surveys to understand where their students stand with the curriculum.
As a future elementary educator, I know that there are various methods for assessing students. In my opinion, assessment should vary depending on the age group being assessed. Students throughout elementary school learn in different ways and develop different levels of thinking as their learning progresses. A kindergarten student does not learn material in the same manner as a fifth grader; therefore, assessments should fit the objectives and goals of the students and also project their level of thinking and learning. I want to teach fourth or fifth grade students, so I will discuss the variety of assessments I will use, why I seek to use them, how I will incorporate them in my classroom, and weight their importance in my evaluations of
There are several kinds of assessment carried out during a student’s learning. These include the placement assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. Learners coming into the kindergarten class are often given a pre test or a placement assessment to evaluate what the learner may already know or think about content that is to be