1. Assessment in the Classroom
By: Brooke Sheppard

2. Take a moment and think about what the word “assessment” means to you.

3. What are Assessments?
According to The Glossary of Education Reform, assessments are
“… the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students.”

4. How Do You Assess Learning?
Check what students already know
Compare to state or district standards
Provide a Variety of Assessments
Alternative
Assessments that are not multiple choice or one shot approaches
Authentic
Assessments that involve real-life tasks that are relevant
Performance
Assessments that involve students being observed by teachers or an audience while performing a presentation, speech, or demonstration

5. Why are Assessments Important?
For the Student:
For the Teacher:
Drives Student Learning
Improve Performance from Feedback
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses
Provides Involvement of Learning
Adjust Teaching Strategies
Differentiating Instruction
Check for Student Understanding
Reduce Achievement Gaps Between Students

6. Formative & Summative Assessments
Part of the instructional process
Provides students with a chance to “practice” learning goals
Checks student understanding during the learning process
Summative
Given at the end of a lesson, unit, or certain time period
Meant to gauge student learning relative to standards
Often known as High Stakes Assessments

7. High Stakes Assessments
Assessments in which penalties or decisions are determined by the outcomes or results of the assessment.
High Stakes Assessments decide:
School Accreditation
Graduation
Promotion of Grade Levels
Certification
Course Credit

8. Methods of Assessment in the Classroom
Formative
Summative
Exit Slips
Self-assessments (checklist)
One Sentence Summary
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Providing Feedback
Standardized State Assessments
District Benchmarks
Final Projects or Performances
End of Unit Tests
Chapter Tests

9. Methods of Assessment in the Classroom
Discussions
Creating Brochures
Graphic Organizers
Midterm Exams
Written Paper
Creation of a Web Page

10. When Should You Give An Assessment?
Formative assessments should be given consistently throughout the learning process
Summative assessments should only be given at the end of a lesson or unit

11. How to Choose the “Right” Assessment
Determine your learning goals for students and match them to assessments
Use a variety of assessments
Formative & Summative
Authentic, Alternative, Performance
Assessment Intervals
Collecting Data Purposes

12. Learners need endless feedback more than they need endless teaching.
-Grant Wiggins

13. Questions or Comments over Assessments?

14. References
Assessment Definition. (2015, November 10). Retrieved July 31, 2016, from
California State University. (2007). Choosing appropriate assessments. Retrieved August 02, 2016, from
Dodge, J. (2016). What Are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use Them? | Scholastic.com. Retrieved August 02, 2016, from
Formative vs Summative Assessment-Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. (2015). Retrieved August 01, 2016, from
Guskey, T. R., & Jung, L. A. (2013). Answers to essential questions about Standards, Assessments, Grading, and Reporting. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Schurr, S. (2012). Authentic assessment: Active, engaging product, and performance measures. Westerville, OH: Association for Middle Level Education.
UConn Logo University of Connecticut UC Title Fallback. (n.d.). Retrieved August 02, 2016, from
Wiggins, G. (2012, August 27). Less Teaching and More Feedback? Retrieved August 2, 2016, from