InTASC Standard 6: Assessment
“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.”
Students are assessed by various methods in order for the teacher to identify information gaps, keep track of students’ development, and set realistic learning goals. Evaluating where each student is on their learning path assists the teacher in lesson planning and helps to develop strategies for overcoming obstacles to subject mastery. It is necessary for educators to offer a mixture of formative, summative, formal, and informal assessments. Informal and formative assessments help teachers course correct, if necessary, and ensure that each student is grasping the information being provided.
Students will, naturally, also take part in their own self-assessment. For example, when students participate in project-based learning activities, they encounter complex problems that they must solve by using higher-level thinking and by looking to their peers for guidance. Students ask themselves, “What do I know, and what do I need help with? How can I try to solve this problem with my partner or group?” Allowing students the opportunity to actively challenge themselves in a structured, creative way allows them to engage in their development and develop confidence in their abilities.
To demonstrate my understanding of this standard, I am sharing an example of a pre-assessment given before a new unit began, an example of how I informally check for understanding, and an example of how I measure mastery using a project-based learning rubric.
Pre-Assessment for Research Unit
Pre-Assessments: Before I began my two-week unit on research and citations, I needed to determine what my students knew about bias, facts, opinions, MLA citations, and reliable sources. By giving each student a pre-assessment, I was able to see what my students’ strengths and weaknesses were. This data guided my instruction. I learned that most students knew the definition of plagiarism and bias, but did not know how to locate reliable sources or how to cite them. This means that I’ll concentrate more time and energy on these topics during my unit. With scores ranging from 0% to 86.7%, I am also able to see, individually, which students have little prior knowledge of these topics.
Portion of Pre-Assessment
Mrs. Sullivan Circulating and Checking for Understanding
Informal Checks for Understanding: I regularly ask questions during warm-ups, direct instruction, and guided practice activities as a check for understanding. However, there is nothing like one-on-one interaction to see how students are applying what they learn during independent practice. In this photo, you see me circulating around the room and speaking with every student as the class works in small groups. On this day, groups of three were filling out a graphic organizer about essential questions that must be answered during their research project. Additionally, I collected the graphic organizers and provided written and verbal feedback within 24 hours for each group. Informal checks for understanding, especially when every student is a part of the process, allows me to see whether my assignments have unintended flaws that can be addressed, whether students are mastering the material, and which students need additional support.
Portion of a PBL Rubric
Project-Based Learning Rubric: When assessing mastery of a concept, it helps to involve students in activities that fall in the higher realms of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Project-Based Learning assessments allow students to creatively and deeply engage in learning, rather than simply regurgitate facts that they’ve memorized and may soon forget. As part of the assessment design process, I developed my learning goals and rubric before designing my lesson. You can view the rubric here, which I shared with my students on the first day of the unit, as I introduced their project. Rubrics cut down on the subjective nature of grading, and they give students clear expectations for their summative assessment. Even though each student is handed a rubric on day one of the unit, midway through the unit I revisit the rubric to remind each student of my expectations. This helps keep them on track and focus their efforts. Additionally, it reminds them of what they are learning and why.
