InTasc #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.
Assessment Chart
This is a chart that lists assessment types and categorizes them as either formative or summative, lists key aspects, and weighs their affordances and weaknesses. The assessments range from more formal, such as projects and quizzes, to less formal kinds of assessment, such as observation and number talks. The constraints give an idea of when each assessment may or may not be appropriate for a given situation and any shortcomings.
This chart shows an understanding of a variety of methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s decision making. Assessments such as affective writing prompts give students opportunities to reflect on their strengths and their areas for growth. Each of the assessments listed in the chart are used to monitor learners’ progress in some way, and that data can then be used to inform instructional decisions.
The assessments in this chart are almost all formative because most assessments should be formative. Students should have as many opportunities as possible to grow and learn from assessments, and teachers should be looking to make instructional decisions based on those assessments whenever possible. The chart also shows the variety of options teachers have in assessing students. This prevents the cycle of instruction and assessment from becoming stale and repetitive but also gives teachers a more well-rounded view of their students.
Case Study
In this case study, three students were chosen of three varying readiness levels in Math 6. Their work over the course of a two-week unit on area, perimeter, and congruency of polygons was assessed, and a plan was made to be responsive to that assessment. In the case study, student work samples are shown with analysis for depth of learning and use of language. Feedback was also provided to each student. Differentiated instruction was planned to meet the needs of each student and was implemented in a final review day with targeted stations assigned to students based on strengths and needs.
This artifact relates to monitoring learner progress and guiding the teacher’s decision making. The case study exhibits monitoring progress over the course of the two-week unit through entrance and exit slips, worksheets, and corrections on various assignments. It includes a total of 24 artifacts from the three students over the course of the unit and a discussion of how they were used to assign targeted, differentiated tasks to meet the students’ needs.
This case study shows the continuous, iterative process of planning, instruction, assessment, and analysis and feedback. You can see in the case study the use of assessment, the analysis of it and feedback given, and the planning and reassessment. I try to continually use this process in my teaching to circle back and address the needs of students at all levels of understanding.
Unit Plan – Radical Expressions
This artifact is a unit plan for a unit on radical expressions in an Algebra I class. Each day in the unit plan has an objective and multiple methods of assessment to assess students’ mastery of that objective. The assessments are largely formative with one summative assessment at the end of the unit which could be made formative with the use of test corrections or opportunities to retake.
This artifact relates to understanding and using multiple methods of assessment to monitor learner progress. Over the course of the unit, students are assessed in discussions, on warm-ups and exit tickets, explorations, and gamification tools like Blooket and GimKit. Each of these is used to monitor student progress and shows an understanding of how to assess students in multiple ways and when certain assessments are appropriate.
This unit plan is a starting point for designing assessments across the unit. This is where I can get an idea of the broad overview of how I want to assess the unit and decide which methods of assessment fit which objectives. For example, gamification tools are best used for quick, engaging practice with recall or procedures without connections and should be used sparingly whereas explorations would be used for doing math tasks. This helps me to plan assessments with the whole unit in mind and to have a specific target as my end goal.