Assessments

1. Interim/Benchmark

1.1. An interim assessment or a benchmark is a form of assessment that teachers use to evaluate where the students are in their learning process as well as determining whether they are on track to performing well on future assessments.

1.2. Example #1: Before reviewing for the STAAR exam, a teacher gives the students last years STAAR exam to see if they are on track of where they need to be and to see what else the students are still struggling with.

1.3. Example #2: This could also be like a district assessment that is given to the students to see if they are on track of where they need to be as well as helping to predict how they will do on future assessments.

2. Performance

2.1. A performance assessment is a form of testing that requires students to perform a task versus them selecting an answer.

2.2. Example #1: The teacher has students participate in a group project where will understand the value of teamwork and how to delegate tasks and assume responsibility.

2.3. Example #2: A great example of a performance would be having students great a portfolio at the beginning of the year and having the students put their completed work in their portfolio so they are able to see their progress throughout the year.

3. Diagnostic

3.1. A diagnostic assessment is a form of assessments that allows teachers to determine individual strengths and weakness of the student for a particular topic. These types of assessments allows the teacher to know what skills to really focus before he or she begins a new unit.

3.2. Example #1: When the teacher gives students a pre-assessment about multiplying fractions to see what they already know about the topic as well as what the teacher needs to cover when teaching the topic.

3.3. Example #2: A teacher could also use a K-W-L chart to help assess students knowledge of the topic before begin the lesson or the topic.

4. Formative

4.1. A formative assessment is a formal or informal assessment to either check for student understanding or for the teacher to modify her teaching to improve student attainment.

4.2. Example #1: A teacher giving students a quiz in class about a certain topic.

4.3. Example #2: While the teacher is carrying out her lesson, she ask questions to check students understanding as well as to see where she needs to improve her implementation of the lesson.

5. Summative

5.1. A summative assessment has really only one main purpose only and that is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit.

5.2. Example #1: Giving students a district assessment after each 6 weeks and comparing the students growth on each assessment.

5.3. Example #2: STAAR is definitely one of the first examples that comes to my mind when I think of summative assessments because it is assessing their knowledge of what they learned that particular year.

6. H.O.T Questions

6.1. Opening Questions

6.1.1. List ways that you think an ecosystem can change.

6.1.2. How would you example what making a prediction is?

6.2. Guiding Questions

6.2.1. What do you think the author meant by _____________?

6.2.2. What examples could you find of ________ in the text?

6.3. Closing Questions

6.3.1. What would you have changed about this piece of writing?

6.3.2. Why do you think the author chose this word in the text?