Comments on: Formative assessments http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/02/02/formative-assessments/ Talk about science and science teaching Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:54:46 +0000 hourly 1 By: MaryB http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/02/02/formative-assessments/comment-page-1/#comment-266 MaryB Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:04:18 +0000 http://nstacommunities.org/blog/?p=1993#comment-266 We received this comment from "Jim" via email: I want to suggest another set of resource tools for Assessing Student Learning. Please see www.Diagnoser.com which has been developed bridge between teacher practice and research on learning and teaching, to relate to learning goals and to students' valuable and problematic thinking with respect to those learning goals. There is a related chapter (3) in the 2008 book on assessment for learning, published by NSTA. That book also is a great source of suggestions for formative assessment. We received this comment from “Jim” via email: I want to suggest another set of resource tools for Assessing Student Learning. Please see http://www.Diagnoser.com which has been developed bridge between teacher practice and research on learning and teaching, to relate to learning goals and to students’ valuable and problematic thinking with respect to those learning goals. There is a related chapter (3) in the 2008 book on assessment for learning, published by NSTA. That book also is a great source of suggestions for formative assessment.

]]> By: MaryB http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/02/02/formative-assessments/comment-page-1/#comment-264 MaryB Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:25:44 +0000 http://nstacommunities.org/blog/?p=1993#comment-264 Thanks, Susan. You make a valuable point about using the results of these assessments to adjust the lesson if necessary. Thanks, Susan. You make a valuable point about using the results of these assessments to adjust the lesson if necessary.

]]> By: Susan Morrison http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/02/02/formative-assessments/comment-page-1/#comment-259 Susan Morrison Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:47:38 +0000 http://nstacommunities.org/blog/?p=1993#comment-259 I may have commented on this before. The easiest formative assessment is to constantly query students as you're teaching. Keep track of who've you queried on a photocopy of your seating chart. Make sure you query everyone equally EXCEPT query the least capable kids the most. This keeps them constantly accountable and lets you know that if they "get it," probably everyone else gets it, too, and you can move on. If they stumble, you can coach them into an acceptable response, which helps them to succeed and serves as a review for others. Another quick assessment is a 4 question pop quiz. These are fast to check. Benchmark tests are terrific formative assessments if they give you breakdowns of how students responded to every question. If the majority of kids got a question wrong, it is informative to see what answers they chose, reflect on how you taught the lesson that the question addresses, figure out how they misunderstood you, and then re-teach the lesson. I may have commented on this before. The easiest formative assessment is to constantly query students as you’re teaching. Keep track of who’ve you queried on a photocopy of your seating chart. Make sure you query everyone equally EXCEPT query the least capable kids the most. This keeps them constantly accountable and lets you know that if they “get it,” probably everyone else gets it, too, and you can move on. If they stumble, you can coach them into an acceptable response, which helps them to succeed and serves as a review for others.

Another quick assessment is a 4 question pop quiz. These are fast to check.

Benchmark tests are terrific formative assessments if they give you breakdowns of how students responded to every question. If the majority of kids got a question wrong, it is informative to see what answers they chose, reflect on how you taught the lesson that the question addresses, figure out how they misunderstood you, and then re-teach the lesson.

]]> By: Cheryl Roach http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/02/02/formative-assessments/comment-page-1/#comment-249 Cheryl Roach Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:36:31 +0000 http://nstacommunities.org/blog/?p=1993#comment-249 I am a /math/science coach and my teachers recently have started a new formative assessment procedure. On test day, as students finish their test, as many as four at a time can come to the table where the teacher is sitting. There they find a colored pencil and the answer key. They check their own test and discuss with the teacher why they missed each question and clear up misconceptions immediately. Though this is after the test, misconceptions are cleared up and now I am encouraging teachers to retest for mastery whenever possible. I am a /math/science coach and my teachers recently have started a new formative assessment procedure. On test day, as students finish their test, as many as four at a time can come to the table where the teacher is sitting. There they find a colored pencil and the answer key. They check their own test and discuss with the teacher why they missed each question and clear up misconceptions immediately. Though this is after the test, misconceptions are cleared up and now I am encouraging teachers to retest for mastery whenever possible.

]]>