Assessment of and for Student Learning

As teachers, we are constantly assessing our students. Assessments can be formal tests, such as the SOL test or a division-wide snapshot, or they can be informal questioning, exit slips, and quizzes. Assessment allows educators to accurately measure a student’s success. Assessments track a student’s understanding as well as the effectiveness of a teacher. To properly measure a student’s progress, a teacher should pace lessons according to student abilities and assess student progress throughout the school year. The information from assessments should be used to determine the direction of a lesson.

Formative Assessments:

Formative assessments are a way for teachers to monitor student learning during the lesson. Formative assessments give the teacher a snapshot of what the student understands, and what the student still needs to work on. The information from formative assessments should guide the direction of a lesson. If a quick check shows students are still struggling with a concept, the teacher can review the material before moving on.

At the end of a lesson on plant anatomy, students drew and labeled the parts of a flower.

Summative Assessments:

Summative assessments are used to see what a student has learned. They are the culmination of a lesson or unit. Summative assessments can be tests or quizzes, but my preference is projected based assessments. Students are able to take what they have learned, and create something. Projects encourage students to take pride in their work and be creative.

Students created models of cells at the end of a unit

Record of Pupil Learning:

After completing a two week unit on Cells, I analyzed student data to determine the effectiveness of the lesson. For an in depth reflection on the lesson, click the image below.

For more information, please see my paper on Professional Practice Standard: Assessment of and for Student Learning