This is an assessment for learning because it helps the teacher gauge and understand where the student is in his or her learning at the beginning of the year primarily. It allows the teacher to identify previous knowledge as well as student weaknesses. It is a starting point from which the teacher can then differentiate instruction in order to meet specific learning needs.
Diagnostic assessments are a useful tool for teachers to identify a learning starting point for each student prior to instruction. They provide information about student growth when compared to summative assessments at the end of a unit post instruction.
Diagnostic assessments may take time and they may be a bit overwhelming for students if they are done for each subject; especially at the beginning of the year.
Students are asked to write an informational piece on their own and without guidance to gauge their understanding of informational texts and the writing process.
This is an assessment for learning because it is an ongoing process from lesson to lesson to gauge how students are understanding, processing, and using new information and concepts taught in class. The teacher provides continuous and timely feedback to student performance. The student embarks in a process of self assessment and self reflection of their own learning in order to understand strengths and weaknesses. Personal learning goals and plans can be formulated based on the formative assessment given.
Formative assessment helps the teacher understand on a individual level how students are coming along in their learning process. It provides useful information about how to differentiate instruction for individual students so that they meet learning objectives successfully.
Teachers might struggle with formative assessments because of lack of understanding of the process. Effective and truly useful formative assessment requires carefully planned lessons and units where formative assessments is identified from the very beginning and this may be difficult for some teachers to achieve.
Students read a book about different types of families together then they will think-pair-share the main point of the book and they will complete an outline together.
This is an assessment of learning where students are given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and acquisition of skills taught throughout a number of lessons.
Having students complete summative assessments is a useful way for teachers to have an overview of what students have learned and what skills they have mastered after instruction. It is the culminating point in which students should be able to demonstrate the ability to apply concepts and skills acquired during the unit.
Summative assessments may not come at the right time for each students' learning process, meaning that not all students will be ready to demonstrate their learning at the same time. Luckily, summative assessments can potentially become formative assessments where students identify areas of weaknesses with the help of timely feedback from the teacher.
Students write a repost about the specific characteristics of their community and about what they learned about their community based on investigations and research.
This an assessment of learning where students demonstrate what they know and what they have learned through projects and performance based tasks. I believe It is the most realistic and valuable form of assessment of learning that a student can be asked to perform because it is not only the demonstration of skills and concepts, but also the application of these. Through performance-based assessments, students are asked to produce and create by using the skills and concepts acquired in their lessons. Furthermore, this type of assessment allows students to demonstrate 21st century skills because it requires students to perform investigations and present their findings to a panel of experts.
Students are allowed to demonstrate their learning through projects chosen based on their personal interests and strengths as long as they are linked to the curriculum and standards. The application of skills and concepts allows students to truly deepen their understanding in meaningful ways.
There are no true disadvantages to this type of assessment. However, some may argue that performance-based assessments may lack rigor if they are not completely aligned to the curriculum and standards. Some others may argue that these types of assessments are too time consuming and that they are difficult to evaluate.
This type of assessment is meant to be a form of summative assessment where students demonstrate their understanding of concepts and acquisition of skills through a number of standardized tests. However, it is argued that these high-stakes assessments are usually not aligned to school curriculums and thus are not valid forms of summative assessments.
These tests were designed to track academic progress of students and to provide data that informs teachers of students' areas of weaknesses to then change instruction. They also inform parents of where their child stands compared to nationwide results.
These tests are not an absolute measure of student growth and intelligence. They are a measure of how well students take tests and how well they were taught to do so. Also, they may cause a great deal of pressure on the student, especially because it is a one test fits all model. High stakes assessments do not allow students to demonstrate their learning in their own way.
Students are required to take the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) test three times a year to measure growth and academic achievement.
This is an assessment of learning where a students collect and analyze work completed throughout a number of lessons. It is a student's compilation of projects and works that demonstrate the student's learning process and whether they have reached standards, objectives and personal learning goals.
Portfolios provide snapshots and visuals of student learning through clear evidence of work products. They allow students to review and reflect upon their work and learning in order to identify strengths and weaknesses, thus creating the possibility to set specific learning goals.
Assessing portfolios may be a time consuming and labor intensive task. Also, it may be difficult to ensure that all teachers are providing the same quality of feedback and time for students to self assess.
Writing: In a writing portfolio, students collect and gather work completed throughout the unit to show growth in their writing of narratives and descriptive writing. They will collect examples of their planning process, drafts, revisions and final products.
Authentic assessment is an assessment of learning that is similar to performance -based assessment. During an authentic assessment task, students are required to apply and demonstrate skills and concepts learned to solve real-world problems. They must call upon previous and new knowledge as well as apply creativity and specific competencies.
These types of assessments provide more meaningful and relevant tasks for students to show their learning, which results in higher student engagement and interest levels. They require students to apply higher level thinking skills as well as a more complex combination of skills that span across the curriculum. It is said that authentic assessments help form global citizens of the future.
Some authentic assessments may be considered to be too subjective because of how much of the final grade depends on teacher observation thus making scoring
During their study of their community, students identify local goods and services and evaluate other goods and service that can be included. Students then represent those goods and services in an economic fair where they create a product or service to offer to their community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_-lsn-gAME
Self-assessment is an assessment for learning where students reflects upon their learning processes and identify certain areas of growth as well as areas for improvement. A self assessment can be guided by a rubric that the student refers to during the process of self-assessment in order to recall and revisit the learning objectives and the level of performance they must reach. Self-assessment can also take place in the form of journal entries where students describe their understanding of concepts and set personal learning goals based on identified areas of necessary growth.
Self assessments allow students to self reflect on the quality of their work and on how they can improve in order to produce more academic growth. It gives students an opportunity to take their learning into their own hands and to become accountable and responsible for their learning process.
As students complete a personal timeline of life events, they will revisit a rubric that describes specific expectations for the timeline and levels of achievement so that students may be continuously aware of the objective to be achieved and the performance level that is expected of them.
Peer assessment is an assessment for learning where students share the process of evaluating work with their peers. Peers and teachers participate conjunctly in assessing student learning allowing students to discuss their learning with one another where they identify areas of improvement and objectives achieved.
Peer assessments encourage student evolvement and responsibility as well as taking ownership of the assessment process. Students may be more willing to generate and receive feedback given by peers.
In some cases, assessments may be in danger of being unreliable depending on the nature of peer relationships within a group. Also, some students may feel reluctant to make judgments on peer work.
When completing a family investigation and family tree in Social studies, students sit together in pairs to compare their family trees and discuss what other pertinent information they can include to make their investigations more complete.
https://vimeo.com/38247060
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Mueller, J. (2014). Authentic assessment toolbox. Retrieved from ttp://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm#definitions
Munoz, R. (2014, December 4). High stakes testing pros and cons. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/magazine/article/high-stakes-testing-pros-cons/
Rick Wormeli: Formative and summative assessment [Video file]. (2010, November, 30). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4
Self and peer assessment - advantages and disadvantages. Retrieved from http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/groupwork/docs/SelfPeerAssessment.pdf
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Teach Them English (2013, November 23). What are the advantages and disadvantages of portfolio assessment?. Retrieved from http://www.teachthemenglish.com/2013/11/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-portfolio-assessment/