When entering my first teaching practicum in Educ 391, a goal I had set for myself was to explore a variety of assessment methods and to gain more experience in practicing both summative and formative assessment. Although summative assessment methods were clear to me from my own experience in education, I wanted to gain more experience practicing formative assessment to become more comfortable with the variety of ways this can be used to support students learning. Here are some of the things I learned about assessment for learning and some examples that I created, enjoy 🙂
“Assessment for learning is a collection of formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather and share evidence for the purpose of guiding next steps in learning.”
Jan chappuis & Rick stiggins (classroom assessment for student learning 2020)
Through learning about what formative assessment entails, I discovered that assessment for learning can include a question posed or informal/formal observations to provide feedback on the instructional next steps for both the teacher and the student. I have learned the importance of utilizing assessment for learning as a guide to support the students needs and modifying the instructions to foster gains in students achievement. I’ve learned the value in embedded the following three practices when integrating formative assessment:
Diagnostic assessment: The use of classroom discussions, classroom tasks, and homework to determine the current state of student learning or understanding, with action taken to improve learning and correct misunderstandings
Feedback: The provision of descriptive feedback during the learning, with guidance on how to improve
Student self and peer assessment: Students accurately analyzing their own work to determine strengths and areas for further work; peers offering each other accurate feedback
References: Chappius, J., & Stiggins, R. (2020 ). Classroom Assessment for Learning. Doing it Right – Using it Well (Third Edition). Pearson .
Assessment for learning examples
Three point rubric. This 3 point rubric was used during a science lesson in my first teaching practicum to formatively assess students conducting an experiment on an owl pellet dissection.
Four point rubric. This 4 point rubric was used during a health education lesson for Educ 391/421 in situ learning. The focus of this lesson was acts of kindness to self and others to promote positive mental-well being in connection with Pink Shirt day.
Single point rubric. This single point rubric was used during science lesson during my first teaching practicum, where students were formatively assessed on using materials to test their ideas and predictions. I found using the single point rubric to be a valuable tool during formative assessments!
Single point rubric. This single point rubric was used during a math lesson during my first teaching practicum, to formatively assess students during an experiential activity to introduce the number line and mental math strategies through play and inquiry-based learning.