Sometimes it feels crazy overwhelming to keep assessing students and know exactly what they do/don’t understand. That’s where these quick and easy formative assessment ideas comes in! M…
Should you retake the StrengthsFinder test if you have already taken it before? Reasons why or why not to retake the CliftonStrengths assessment, how to do more with your results, and how to understand multiple sets of results.
Ideas and materials for assessing English Language Learners. Help get an idea throughout the year of your students language level.
Let's say that your principal called you into his office and sat you down. Then he said these words: "What formative assessments are you performing for your current math unit?" Would you know what t
Get fun formative assessment examples and ideas that are perfect for elementary school teachers. Each has been teacher-tested and approved.
Assessment of ESL students does not have to be complicated. Here is a short overview of Bloom's taxonomy, what assessment is and ideas for ESL assessment.
One of my favourite methods of self-assessment is the "two stars and a wish" tool. The students reflect on their learning by writing two things that they have learned (stars) and one thing that they would like to know/be able to do (wish). It works well for younger and older children and provides interesting feedback for the teacher. This is on sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store for $1.50 (about €1.10). There are various combinations of each of the following: *Black and white or colour *A4 or A5 *Lined boxes or unlined boxes
Easily Compare Formative Assessment Tools To make it easier for teachers to choose the best tool for the job, I've created the Formative Assessment Comparison Guide. There are so many great choices for teachers and students when
Whether they're completed on a piece of paper, a tablet, or a whiteboard, exit tickets are a powerful tool to use in your classroom. Exit tickets are formative assessments that provide a quick snapshot about your students' learning and understanding of a topic faster than any other tool in the classroom.
Click on the picture for free download from TpT. I've been thinking a lot about formative assessments lately. Formative assessments are all about gathering information from your students - during instruction - in order to inform your teaching. The most obvious place to gather that information is from student work (click HERE to see a post about that), and it can be a lot of fun. Another place to gather information is also from your students. But now you have to get inside their brains, and find out how they assess their own learning. How in the world are we supposed to do this? And why is it important? Let's tackle the importance question first. Studies show that students who are partners in their own assessment show increased engagement in all subject areas, and are more likely to become life-long learners. Also, students who are taught to analyze their own learning show increased motivation to learn. Well, that's enough to convince me. It just makes sense, and I think we can agree that this is important. So the next question is, how do we do this? Here's the bad news. Most students don't walk into your classroom knowing how to assess themselves. In fact, many adults have trouble with metacognition. Here's the good news. Metacognition can be explicitly taught. In fact, every teacher I know is already doing this (though perhaps we are not always aware of the fact that we are teaching metacognition. haha). We model reading strategies such as activating prior knowledge, summarizing, finding the meaning of a word through context, and stopping and rereading, just to name a few. Click on picture to see Pin. Here's another great Pinterest idea. If you have not invested in a tap light, it is fabulous for modeling reading strategies! Just tap the light on when you stop reading to model what you are thinking. Run to Walmart and get one. You won't be sorry. The only downside is that students will remind you to use it every time you interrupt your read aloud. So if the phone rings in the middle of the book, be prepared for 26 voices to yell, "Turn on the light first!" when you go to pick up the phone. When it comes to math, those of us teaching the Common Core State Standards are modeling the 8 Math Practice Standards (see that post, HERE). These practices are vital to teaching students to monitor their own mathematical thinking. We model ourselves not giving up, even when something is difficult to master (MP1), or looking for a shortcut (MP8), etc. (I have to share this... the other day, one of my students was struggling with a math concept. I asked him if he could find a shortcut to use. He looked up at me and said, "I'm going to use the long cut, because I really want to learn this.") So what about metacognition as it relates to self assessment? Well, we have to model that, too. And here is where it gets fun. We get to model for our students that we make mistakes. All. The. Time. Then we walk them through the thought processes involved in fixing the mistakes. I want my students to see mistakes as something positive - as the poster says, mistakes are proof that you are trying! Here are some ideas: Model mispronouncing a word, catching yourself, and then correcting it. Make a mistake on a math problem. Model how to find the correct answer. Revise something. Decide (out loud) in the middle that it is not quite right. Then fix it. Stop in the middle of a sentence and ask, "What am I doing right now? Am I on task? What is my strategy for learning?" © 2011 woodleywonderworks, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio In the past I have used the idea of Marzano's levels of understanding for the process of self assessment. I gave each student the "stoplight" colors to keep on their desks (red - I need help, yellow - I'm trying, green - I can do this), but I felt as though I needed more than color coded paper. I've also used the number system (A student who holds up one finger needs help, and so on), but I wanted to use them together, with the addition of light bulbs to signify learning. I checked on Teachers Pay Teachers, and there are many excellent versions, but nothing quite matched the picture in my mind. So I made my own. (So here you can see my own version of self assessment posters, a rubric, and cards for students to keep in/on their desks. There's also a notebook page. Click on the picture to take you to my TpT store and see for yourself, if you like.) This process of going from 'not knowing' to 'trying' to 'understanding' to 'explaining' also has to be modeled for students. Here are some ideas: Model those mistakes, and why they are a good thing. Model that it's okay to ask for help. Model that everyone is different, and some people need more practice than others. (I use drawing for this one, because I'm terrible at it, but I still try. And I need lots of practice!) Model that being on #1 is not a bad thing. It just means that you haven't learned something yet. (I use the Spanish language for this example. Sometimes I don't even want to try, because I know I will make mistakes. About half of my third graders are bilingual, and when I mispronounce something, they let me know!) Model the difference between explaining how to do something and simply giving the answer. Thank you for reading along as I think about my thinking (and teaching). I truly believe that writing this blog is helping me to become a better teacher. I'm sure that most of you are light years beyond me in this journey, and I'm humbled by the fact that you choose to read my meanderings. I hope you can use the free posters at the beginning of this post, and I hope you will come back again to read some more. Next time, I'll show you my new KWL charts. And KWHL charts, too. Happy Self Assessment and Metacognition,
A free, visual self assessment rubric to help students communicate understanding.
Check for Comprehension in Language classes– learn how to make sure your students are actually understanding you when you speak the target language in class!
Homeschool assessment and scantron tests are NOT one in the same. Let me teach you simple and effective ways to document growth without the tears!
If you are a teacher, you will eventually need to have resources to help you teach students who are English Language Learners. Here'...
A phase is ending, and so I have been thinking about my life. I am at a point that I am not sure I am entirely happy in the different parts of my life, especially in my career. Doing a search on “Personal Development” on Pinterest, I found the Wheel…
Students can use this rubric to assess their peer presentations, as well as guide their own participation as a presenter or audience member. ...
Use this rubric when assessing your students’ oral presentations. Adaptable to any oral presentation context! Pointers covered include: Time Management Content Preparedness Enthusiasm Speaking clearly Creativity. Students are assessed on a scale of 4 points to give you a clear idea of their ability level and simplify the reporting process. Want some help putting your […]
You've received a referral to assess the language abilities of a school aged child with suspected language difficulties. The child has not been assessed before so you know you’ll need a comprehensive language test to look at the child’s ability to recall sentences, follow directions, name words, as well as perform a number of other
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
Having just temporarily recovered from working on report cards, I thought I'd share a little about a technique I use for grading student wor...
I am so happy to be back linking up with this fabulous idea. My bright idea is to give you my top 5 EASY ways to implement formative assessment in your classroom. As teachers, we are all usually very good at summative assessment - that is, assessment of learning, where we check to see if our students are reaching certain goal and standards as set by the curriculum. But we need to become better at formative assessment - that is assessment FOR learning, where we are more able to support students through the learning process and make adjustments for each individual. Thanks Classroom Chit Chat for the stick photo. Graphics - Educlips, Krista Wallden Fonts - Kimberley Geswein If you enjoyed this Bright Idea, why not follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or TeachersPayTeachers for more? And for more Bright Ideas from over 100 bloggers, take a look at the link up below! Each idea has a recommended grade level for you :) An InLinkz Link-up
We offer an online professional development course for teachers on formative assessments in teaching. This 1-credit course is affordable and 100% online.
Need RtI, ESL, ELD reading assessments? Download FREE whole class tests with audio files and recording matrices. Plus, find out which assessments are unnecessary. In short, my advice is twofold: Test What is Teachable and Don't Test What You Can't Teach.
This product contains all the cards used for assessment in the ABBLS-R Assessment. They include tasks in areas A-E. Used for quick reference to program/assessment name and to keep organized while assessing. **********Contains 31 slides with 124 assessment cards******* A- Cooperation and Reinforcemen...
How do you typically measure learning? Check out the infographic for ideas on how to mix and match assessment techniques for your next training program.
Know the differences between assessment for learning vs. assessment of learning in math! FREE math assessment forms included!
Formative assessment can be fun and creative! 1. Break students into groups and challenge them to put on a skit. Skits work with almost any content area! They can be used to show understanding of a particular reading passage, a timeline of events in social studies, problem-solving in math, or a process in science. 2. Have students create a quiz. Students could create a short quiz on a topic and exchange it with a partner. The partner groups could then have a discussion about the questions and answers. Another option would be for students to submit questions and you could select a few to create a quiz. 3. Use self-evaluation charts in your classroom. From time to time, ask students to rate their learning. Students are quite aware of how well they are grasping the material you are teaching, so simply ask them! These charts have been super helpful in getting quick feedback from students. Students rate their understanding on a scale of 1 - 5. There is no 0 because being ready to learn counts! You're sure to smile when students rate themselves an off-the-charts 10! Are you a subscriber yet? FREE Activity for new subscribers: Sign up for the Fourth Grade Frenzy newsletter!
Using student parking lot as a formative assessment monitor students learning and provide ongoing feedback.
What is the difference between Formative and Summative Assessment? Formative assessments occur during a learning activity. Summative assessments occur at ..
As French teachers, administering French proficiency tests is how we can measure our students' success and help fill in their gaps. Without clear data on our
Should you retake the StrengthsFinder test if you have already taken it before? Reasons why or why not to retake the CliftonStrengths assessment, how to do more with your results, and how to understand multiple sets of results.
Every day of learning can make a huge impact on a student's life. It's getting them to see this truth that is difficult. Enter authentic assessments!
The thought of tests makes even the best students cringe, and it’s a nail-biter for instructors too! If they’re so stressful, why do we eve...
This is the second post of a five part series focusing on formative assessments for teachers trying to incorporate technology in more powerful ways.
Sometimes it feels crazy overwhelming to keep assessing students and know exactly what they do/don’t understand. That’s where these quick and easy formative assessment ideas comes in! M…
