After taking the Needs Assessment I was reaffirmed in my knowledge surrounding assessments. As I was going through the quiz, the questions that made me pause were about formative assessment. While I understand that formative assessments “provide teachers and students with important information about student performance that can be used to improve teaching and learning”, I realized that I am not as confident in my use of formative assessments ( Laureate Education, 2015, p. 3). This is something that other teachers probably struggle with as well. According to Cotton (2017), teachers often understand the concept of formative assessments, but they did not implement them appropriately in their classrooms. Going forward, I would like to learn more about informal formative assessments. Specifically, how can I provide my students with opportunities to show what they know other than an end of the day quiz.

As I proceeded through this week’s learning resources, there were multiple ideas that stuck out to me. The first was the idea that teachers can record the results from formative assessments but they should not be included into the final grades (Laureate Education, 2010b). This is something that I also noticed in the Needs Assessment. When I incorporate formative assessments, I am usually tempted to provide some sort of exit ticket or quiz at the end of the lesson. Rather than in the middle of the lesson. The next concept that resonated with me was using assessments in order to develop students that are self-directed and independent learners (Laureate Education, 2010b). In doing this, students can get feedback in real time about topics they need to improve on. My final point is the thought that good teachers emphasize higher order thinking as well as problem solving in order to help their students establish skills that will help them learn for themselves (Silva, 2020). All three of these concepts from the learning resources relate to providing assessments and instruction that will increase knowledge of both the material and of students’ perception of their learning.

I enjoyed watching all of the videos regarding assessment this week. My biggest take away is that assessments are not just a test or a score, but a process to understand what you students have learned and what they need to learn (Laureate Education, 2010a). Diagnostic and formative assessments are a helpful tool to provide ongoing feedback to your students (Laureate Education, 2010a). Being able to watch examples of assessments that other teachers use in their classrooms was very informative. I appreciated seeing examples from a variety of grade levels too. In one video, a teacher used a very basic assessment for her students. She asked them to show thumbs up, thumbs sideways, or thumbs down, depending on how they were feeling during/ after the lesson (Laureate Education, 2010b). This is something I already use in my classroom and will continue to use. In another example, a teacher used small group presentations as a way to hear what students had learned (Laureate Production, 2010b). Although one of the teachers taught first grade and the other taught sixth, both of these examples are ones that would easily work for my third grade students. As a result of this module, I will use some of the examples provided and adapt them to fit the needs of my class.

As I mentioned above, one area I would like to improve is my use of formative assessments. I would like to plan more assessments for my students that are intentional and valuable. According to Beesley and Dempsey (2018), “formative assessment is an evidencebased process of gathering information on three questions: (a) Where am I going? (b) How am I doing now? (c) Where do I go next? to support a learning cycle” (p.6). I have realized that these assessments can be a way to increase students’ confidence in a subject or topic. If students know what specific areas they have misconceptions, then they can either ask for help from their teacher and/or review that concept before the next class. By improving this area, I will have a better understanding of how I can help my students. If I use more ongoing assessments I can provide help before the end of a unit or lesson. These assessments can give specific details to who needs help with what, thus allowing me to meet the various needs of my diverse learners.

References

Beesley, A. D., Clark, T. F., Dempsey, K., & Tweed, A. (2018). Enhancing formative assessment practice and encouraging middle school mathematics engagement and

persistence. School

Science & Mathematics, 118(1/2), 4–16.

https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/ssm.12255

Cotton, D. (2017). Teachers’ use of formative assessment. Delta Kappa Gamma

Bulletin, 83(3) , 39–51.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Needs assessment quiz [Multimedia file]. Baltimore,

MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2010a). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment:

Diagnostic assessment [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2010b). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment:

Formative assessment [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Silva, E. (2009). Measuring Skills for 21st-Century Learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(9), 630-634.

https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1177/003172170909000905

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)