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assessment methods for students
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Abstract
This article discusses the four methods I use for assessing students, which are questioning, observation, student-teacher dialogue, and selected-response. Included, are explanations about the author’s prior knowledge of assessment, what I have learned regarding assessments, how this knowledge transferred to the classroom, and its use in future classes.
Assessing Your Assessment System
I began the school year with my usual methods of assessing my students, which are observation and a lot of teacher-student dialogue. I use a lot of verbal questioning with spatters of short written quizzes that are simple and quick. Mostly, I use verbal questioning and teacher-student dialogue; because my students are levels 1-3 English as a Second Language adults who need practice in listening and speaking. I use observation because I can follow whether a student has listened to and understood the lesson, instructions, directions, and can use what they learned effectively. When students work in groups, and are speaking their native language, I can tell who is asking for translation, who is offering translation and for what purpose. Prior to this class, I knew nothing about “assessment as a system”. I had never given any previous thought to a system of assessing. I know what my students need to learn because I constantly assess. I never use assessment, formally, as a guide for planning instruction. I assess my students’ needs through informal dialogue and observation. I teach a lesson, during which I determine what the students need to learn next. My assessments and the information that I gain from assessing is not formal. I know my students’ degree of English fluency, where they began and where they are now.
My assessment...
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... Keep in mind that many of my students are pre-lit to very low level one and most only want to learn to speak English. These students never attended school in their native countries because they had to help the family survive; therefore, they never came to appreciate the value of reading and writing. However, in next year’s class, I plan to implement frequent formal assessments and tie those assessments to the state standards. At this point, I do not have empirical evidence that my students improve, other than the standardized state tests that do not provide a realistic evaluation of the students’ knowledge and skill level. I think that if I had physical evidence that indicate improvement, it would be useful to show students, administrators, and other instructors where my students are and where they started in their English acquisition skills and knowledge.
Current educational policy and practice asserts that increased standardized student testing is the key to improving student learning and is the most appropriate means for holding individual schools and teachers accountable for student learning. Instead, it has become a tool solely for summarizing what students have learned and for ranking students and schools. The problem is standardized tests cannot provide the information about student achievement that teachers and students need day-to-day. Classroom assessment can provide this kind of information.
Question #1 – Education is currently experiencing a major student achievement initiative to reform curricula by remedying the discrepancy between the curricula guide, the instructional plan, and the variety of assessment measures. Why are multiple measures needed to address the full depth and breadth of the expectations for student learning?
Once I decided on what kind of assessment I wanted to use, I then wrote out how I would administer each piece and created the necessary worksheets to go along with them. I tried to incorporate multiple forms of assessment – the structure of worksheets, the freedom of journals, and discussion to talk through thoughts and issues – to provide students with numerous methods of expressing themselves and multiple opportunities to create connections with the material. I also made an effort to give students the chance to work in small groups, as a whole class, and independently so they could support each other’s learning to help make meaning from the content then put it into practice on their own.
All assessments will be purposeful, and the goal of the assessment will be determined before the assessment is given. Assessment and evaluation will be ongoing throughout the year to provide reliable information. Assessments will also be authentic during the natural daily schedule. I will assess by creating portfolios, observing the children, and taking anecdotal notes. The assessments will allow me to measure students’ success and development. I will gather data from multiple sources to ensure that the data is reliable. I will maintain ethical behavior in all forms of assessment and evaluation. I will also reflect on my own teaching practices to better myself for my
Assessments have always been a tool for teachers to assess mastery and for a long time it was just to provide a grade and enter it into the grade book or report card. Through resources in and out of the course, there has been a breath of new life into the research on how to use assessments. They take many forms and fall within the summative or formative assessment category. Sloan (2016) addresses how formative assessments has traditionally been used by teachers to modify instruction, but when we focus on a classroom that is learner-centered “it becomes assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning” (slide 4). The fact is, the students are the ones that should be and are the ones using the data we collect through assessments, since it is our way of providing feedback in order
Stiggins, Richard J.. "Selected Response Assessment." An Introduction to Student-Involved Assessment for Learning . 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008. 97-129. Print.
Assessments are an important part of teaching. Assessments are a good way for teachers to monitor students’ learning and understanding. Knowing students’ level of understanding can help teachers improve students’ learning and guide their instructions. In the future, I plan to continue assessing students in multiple ways such as, asking questions, illustrations and writing to adjust my instruction. I also plan to encourage students to assess their own work so they are involved in their own learning as well as look for ways to “employ technology to support assessment
Feedback is important to students’ academic growth it guides them. Implementing assessments that provided a timely feedback is essential for students’ academic success. Teachers can present feedback to students as they share their improvement in particular skills. In order for the feedback to be effective teachers must share with students, what are the particular goals or expectations during a lesson or activity. Feedback needs to be timely and relevant to what the students are learning and in a manner that will not make students uncomfortable. With English language learners teachers should be specific on what are the criteria’s for the assessments, when given feedback about the assessments teachers should also list the individual target students missed rather than just giving students a broader overview of what should be improved.
Houston’ class provides evidence of a finely planned lesson. This is the biggest strength that Mr. Houston exhibits. Questioning techniques and informal assessments are seamlessly embedded into all areas of the lesson and students are always actively engaged. This is probably due in part to the fact that students anticipate the many assessment opportunities placed within the lesson. Students are attentive and are eager to show that they understand the concept. Many welcome the opportunity to share out in class and raise their hands to answer questions. The type of environment that Mr. Houston creates makes learning meaningful and safe for all students. This is a goal for many educators, and one that Mr. Houston has
Today teachers have various forms of evaluating the students before taking a performance test as ISTEP or ACT. The evaluation, falls into two categories known as formal or informal. Formal assessments have data to defend the conclusions made from the exam; these tests usually are referred to as a standardized test, (Noyce 2011). For example, the SAT is a performance test, meaning it is testing everything a student has learned up until that point in time. The SAT gathers information and gives a student the score, the score then determines acceptance into college as well as some financial aid. This is a big deal because it determines where the student will go and what profession they could go into. It is even harder for those learning English as a second language. According to the Journal of International students, 63% of students admit they have problem reading and ...
Assessments are vital in the school but, how should a teacher give an assessment? In chapter eight the pros and cons of assessments in schools are laid out. There are also many types of ways to test from project all the way to essay questions. This chapter also reminds teachers to not only give assessments, but also to reflect on how they are doing as a teacher.
Assessment is an integral part of any language program. Assessment defines what students regard as important, how they spend their time and how they come to see themselves as students and then as graduates. It is a major concern of those who learn, those who teach and those who are responsible for the development and accreditation of courses. In the area of language learning and teaching, teachers usually correct the learners. However, rarely do these corrections lead to further improvement, especially in productive, skills. Sometimes, the teacher asks the students to correct or, more generally, assess their classmates, but, again, there is no significant development on the part of the learner being assessed in most cases ( Huetra – Marcias
Assessments allow for teachers to monitor the progress and growth of his/her students, help engage students and help guide teachers as well as students in their decision making. Teachers should know that tests are not the only way to assess students in the classroom. It is important for educators constantly assess their students on comprehension and progression.Teachers can take use of both formal and informal assessments so that they can engage students in their own learning, as well as monitor their comprehension and progress.
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a
As I reflect on my past assessment process, I realized how much my assessments have changed over the years. In my early years, I used tests for informational recall as my assessments. I felt these were appropriate guidelines in which I needed to follow in order to substantiate a student’s grade. Every assignment or tests was given a point value and then based on the amount of points, a grade was given. Every student’s assessment was exactly the same, and the assessments did not contain any subjectivity. I felt confident in giving the grade based on a valid point system. However reflecting back, I see that I did not include any performance-based assessments or individual learning styles in my early assessment. I also did not take into consideration the individual needs of my students. My assessment approach was awful. I am embarrassed that I use to assess students in this manner.