Designing Student Assessments
What is component 1F?
Designing student assessments is an important part of planning and preparation. The purpose of a lesson is that students can meet the learning objective, and teachers use assessment to know if this has occurred. Additionally, assessment should be planned with these lesson objectives in mind. Teachers also need to be using formative assessment during instruction, and using results to guide and pace the lesson. Summative assessments are often used at the end of a lesson or unit to see if objectives have been met. It is also important that if a student needs adaption of assessments, they are provided with it when appropriate. Teachers should keep in mind that assessment is gauging student understanding, and not their ability to perform well on a test.
Why do you need it?
Assessments provide teachers with feedback that can be used to guide instruction. If students struggle with an assessment, this allows the teacher to go back and provide additional instruction. Without assessment, the teacher may not have known the material needed more attention. Teachers should be incorporating assessment in their lessons as a way of monitoring student progress.
What are the elements?
Congruence with instructional outcomes: Assessments should be formed from lesson objectives. It should be clear that the assessment is assessing fulfillment of these lesson objectives, and not something else.
Criteria and standards: Teachers should be informing students of standards and objectives of a lesson, so students can have a clear understanding of expectations for skills and knowledge.
Design of formative assessments: Even though formative assessments are often part of instruction, they should still be planned. These formative assessments should be used to guide and pace the lesson.
Use of planning: A lesson does not end with assessment. Rather, assessments should be used as a compass pointing where to go next. Teachers should be reflecting on student performance when deciding where to go next.
In the classroom…
*To incorporate formative assessment, a teacher can use questioning, exit tickets, and activity performance. The purpose of these formative assessments should be to gather feedback on student understanding.
*Teachers should be using different types of assessment when able, and not strictly basing student performance on their ability to take a written test. Some different types of assessment include posters, speeches, graphs or tables, and others depending on the subject matter.
*When planning IEPs for students with exceptionalities, teachers and the team should be willing to provide accommodations for assessment. It is important to keep in mind that a test should be measuring student understanding, and not a student's ability to take a test.
*If a teacher decides to grade a formative assessment, there should be a rubric that clearly outlines expectations. Students can be involved in making this rubric.
*When students are preparing for a test, the teacher could have students write some questions they think might be on the test. These questions could be used for a review activity, or even be put on the test.
What is component 1F?
Designing student assessments is an important part of planning and preparation. The purpose of a lesson is that students can meet the learning objective, and teachers use assessment to know if this has occurred. Additionally, assessment should be planned with these lesson objectives in mind. Teachers also need to be using formative assessment during instruction, and using results to guide and pace the lesson. Summative assessments are often used at the end of a lesson or unit to see if objectives have been met. It is also important that if a student needs adaption of assessments, they are provided with it when appropriate. Teachers should keep in mind that assessment is gauging student understanding, and not their ability to perform well on a test.
Why do you need it?
Assessments provide teachers with feedback that can be used to guide instruction. If students struggle with an assessment, this allows the teacher to go back and provide additional instruction. Without assessment, the teacher may not have known the material needed more attention. Teachers should be incorporating assessment in their lessons as a way of monitoring student progress.
What are the elements?
Congruence with instructional outcomes: Assessments should be formed from lesson objectives. It should be clear that the assessment is assessing fulfillment of these lesson objectives, and not something else.
Criteria and standards: Teachers should be informing students of standards and objectives of a lesson, so students can have a clear understanding of expectations for skills and knowledge.
Design of formative assessments: Even though formative assessments are often part of instruction, they should still be planned. These formative assessments should be used to guide and pace the lesson.
Use of planning: A lesson does not end with assessment. Rather, assessments should be used as a compass pointing where to go next. Teachers should be reflecting on student performance when deciding where to go next.
In the classroom…
*To incorporate formative assessment, a teacher can use questioning, exit tickets, and activity performance. The purpose of these formative assessments should be to gather feedback on student understanding.
*Teachers should be using different types of assessment when able, and not strictly basing student performance on their ability to take a written test. Some different types of assessment include posters, speeches, graphs or tables, and others depending on the subject matter.
*When planning IEPs for students with exceptionalities, teachers and the team should be willing to provide accommodations for assessment. It is important to keep in mind that a test should be measuring student understanding, and not a student's ability to take a test.
*If a teacher decides to grade a formative assessment, there should be a rubric that clearly outlines expectations. Students can be involved in making this rubric.
*When students are preparing for a test, the teacher could have students write some questions they think might be on the test. These questions could be used for a review activity, or even be put on the test.
Resources:
PDE SAS. (2011). The Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument. [online] Available at: http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/danielson_rubric_32.pdf [Accessed 13 Oct. 2017].
Pixabay.com. (2015). Free Image on Pixabay - Test, Testing, Bubble Form. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/en/test-testing-bubble-form-test-form-986935/ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2017].
PDE SAS. (2011). The Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument. [online] Available at: http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/danielson_rubric_32.pdf [Accessed 13 Oct. 2017].
Pixabay.com. (2015). Free Image on Pixabay - Test, Testing, Bubble Form. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/en/test-testing-bubble-form-test-form-986935/ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2017].