Assessments are a crucial part of classroom instruction. They measure how well each student learned the material and skills taught. They give students the feedback they need to be able to set achievable goals to improve their studying and performance, and indicate how well the teaching methods worked. If a significant number of students did not know some or all of the material, or did not display achievement of the skills taught, this informs the teacher that a modification in teaching methods is in order.
Assessments need to align with the teacher’s instruction and reflect the concepts and skills that the teacher emphasized in class.
The most common time to administer an assessment is at the end of a unit, curriculum, etc. However, assessments are valuable tools to use throughout a curriculum.
A pre-assessment administered before a unit begins will inform you of what your students already know. This way you can focus your instruction on those concepts and skills still needed to be taught. If the pre-assessment is in the form of a game or other enjoyable method, it also introduces the topic to the students, whetting their interest.
Shorter, intermittent assessments guide you as you see what needs further review before progressing in the unit. It is much more beneficial to see any gaps in the learning process before the end of the unit so that you can modify your instruction accordingly and students can successfully master the unit.
It’s important to vary your assessment styles. If you only use essay or multiple choice tests, those students who do not perform well in these styles will not be able to accurately display the content and skills they have learned.
Examples of different types of assessments:
-
At the end of each lesson, ask students to verbally summarize what was learned, or write down their reflections on the lesson.
-
Students perform an ongoing interactive notebook or journal to reflect material learned.
-
Students keep a portfolio, selecting from their work, that represents the material learned.
-
Students, working in small groups, create projects and displays to represent learning.
-
Students create the tests or quizzes.