Assessment​s
In TASC Standard 6: The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision-making.
Introduction
For the majority of my student’s, it’s their first time in a classroom. Although many can recite their alphabets and numbers, they aren’t able to distinguish the difference between letters, letter sounds, and they have difficulty writing numbers past five. Based on Common Core kindergarten standards, this puts my students behind grade level. To ensure my students can reach and surpass grade level standards, I use a variety of assessments to measure their growth.
Assessments provide insight into student learning, understanding, and growth. Through assessments, I can gauge the content students' have mastered, content that needs to be reviewed, and material that needs to be retaught. While assessments are an essential part of my professional toolkit, it’s also necessary that it becomes an integral part of my students’ toolbox as well. Through reflections, corrections, and goal setting, scholars can see their progress which invests them in their academic growth.
Student progress is monitored through formative and diagnostic assessments. Due to the young age of my scholars, almost every worksheet or activity is a formative assessment since we are constantly supporting them throughout their work. On a daily basis, if scholars are given a Wonders worksheet to finish, I’m monitoring the room and doing checks for understanding through questions. If a student gets a problem incorrect, I guide their thinking through prompts to see if they can figure out the mistake on their own. If they are unable to do so, they receive a quick review of the lesson to clarify any misunderstandings. If they still struggle, I re-teach during RTI time. Progress throughout the year is monitored through diagnostic assessments such as the kindergarten assessment and Fountas & Pinnell.
Click the link above to learn about summative assessments I use in my classroom
Click the link above to learn about formative assessments I use in my classroom
Click the link above to learn about the ways I engage students in assessments
Conclusion
Assessments inform my practice and guide my instructional decisions from student scores. The data that assessments provide helps me identify areas of struggle for my students and also helps me be cognizant of what instructional strategies I used. Through the data collection, I can determine if a different instructional approach should be implemented to ensure accessibility and relevance to my students and supplement the lesson material with worksheets that support their access to the content. For example, if my students struggle with a check for understanding during the whole group portion, I make sure to pull them for a quick review of the content in a smaller setting (small group or 1:1) before they begin their independent work. Additionally, assessment data inform my instruction by understanding what my students have mastered and if they didn’t master the objectives, what they need to learn still, and what they need to practice to reach mastery.