1. Formative
1.1. Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support (eglossary.org)
1.1.1. Th students are assessed by formative assessment throughout the semester. In my class they do worksheets, they work in groups where they have to answer questions. I always ask them questions that require them to use academic language. If the student is not answering the question in the proper way I probe them and elicit them for a proper response.
1.1.1.1. An advantage of using formative assessment is you get to assess how well a student is understanding the lesson that is being taught. A disadvantage of using formative assessment is that teachers do not use the assessment correctly so the information assessed is not accurate.
2. Summative
2.1. Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. (eglossary.org)
2.1.1. The students are assessed using summative assessment multiple times throughout the semester in my class. At the end of every chapter we have a chapter exam. The students have to answer short answer questions and/or multiple choice questions. The students also complete three projects throughout the semester.
2.1.1.1. Some advantages of summative assessments are that it can help teachers determine whether students are making adequate academic progress or meeting expected learning standards, and results may be used to inform modifications to instructional techniques, lesson designs, or teaching materials the next time a course, unit, or lesson is taught. A disadvantage of summative assessment is if not used correctly the results may not be valid.
3. Diagnostic
3.1. A diagnostic assessment or pre-assessment often focuses on one area or domain of knowledge. It can provide educators with information about each student’s prior knowledge before beginning instruction. You can use a diagnostic assessment to assist them in developing lesson plans and providing differentiated instruction to meet children’s needs.
3.1.1. I use a diagnostic test at the beginning of the semester to test student's prior knowledge of the lesson that I teach throughout the semester. I also ask questions before each lesson to assess the prior knowledge of the lesson that I am lecturing about that day.
3.1.1.1. An advantage of diagnostic assessments is that yo get a chance to see what the student knows prior to teaching a lesson. A disadvantage of diagnostic assessment is that you do not always get true results.
4. Performance Based
4.1. Performance-based testing is an alternative that is designed to encompass a better overall representation of student progress including the effectiveness of teacher lesson plans, worksheets and study skills. The idea with performance-based testing is to gather a demonstration of the scope of knowledge a student has on a subject rather than simply testing the accuracy of their response on a selection of questions.
4.1.1. Performance -based assessment is used in my classroom when I have the students present their papers to the class. They are also present the information that was discussed during their group assignments
4.1.1.1. An advantage of performance-based assessment is the teacher can evaluate the content that the student is learning based on verbal representation. Some students are not good test takers so this assessment will help the student know if the student that is not a good taker is learning. A disadvantage is that it may be difficult to implement in a large class setting.
5. High Stakes
5.1. A high-stakes test is any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability—i.e., the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers. In general, “high stakes” means that test scores are used to determine punishments (such as sanctions, penalties, funding reductions, negative publicity), accolades (awards, public celebration, positive publicity), advancement (grade promotion or graduation for students), or compensation (salary increases or bonuses for administrators and teachers).
5.1.1. We no longer use high stakes assessment in my school district. We were using the California Standardized Test, but they were discontinued two years ago. We are in a transition phase and our school district is trying to find another high stakes test to implement.
5.1.1.1. An advantage of using high stakes assessment is that teachers and students know the importance of learning the content that is being assessed on the test. A disadvantage is the data does not always truly represent what the students are learning and the classroom and how effective the teacher is teaching in the classroom.
6. Resources: http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/auth.html http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/assessing/peereval.htm http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/alternative_assessment/performance_based/ http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/
7. Portfolio
7.1. A portfolio is a compilation of student work assembled for the purpose of (1) evaluating coursework quality and academic achievement, (2) creating a lasting archive of academic work products, and (3) determining whether students have met learning standards or academic requirements for courses, grade-level promotion, and graduation. Advocates of student portfolios argue that compiling, reviewing, and evaluating student work over time can provide a richer and more accurate picture of what students have learned and are able to do than more traditional measures, such as standardized tests or final exams, that reflect only what a student knows at a specific point in time.
7.1.1. In my Health class my students compile information including work samples complete journal entries on a daily basis. The journals are collected randomly throughout the semester and graded based on the amount of information provided by the student. The students collect random work including certifications and certificates to include in their portfolio. The students also include
7.1.1.1. The advantages of using a portfolio as an assessment is you get to see the student from different perspectives. You get to see the student's accomplishments, see how the student have matured since the first day of your class. A disadvantage of using a portfolio as an assessment is you have to wait until the data that is included in the portfolio is completed to asses the student. Sometimes portfolios are filled away and forgotten about which also pose a problem. The portfolio have to be meaningful to the student and the teacher to be effective.
8. Authentic
8.1. Authentic assessment refers to assessment tasks that resemble reading and writing in the real world and in school (Hiebert, Valencia & Afflerbach, 1994; Wiggins, 1993). Its aim is to assess many different kinds of literacy abilities in contexts that closely resemble actual situations in which those abilities are used. For example, authentic assessments ask students to read real texts, to write for authentic purposes about meaningful topics, and to participate in authentic literacy tasks such as discussing books, keeping journals, writing letters, and revising a piece of writing until it works for the reader. Both the material and the assessment tasks look as natural as possible. Furthermore, authentic assessment values the thinking behind work, the process, as much as the finished product (Pearson & Valencia, 1987; Wiggins, 1989; Wolf, 1989).
8.1.1. I use authentic assessment when i have the students write about things that are currently happening in the world. I have them do real-world activities. Since my class is health, all of the assignments ad task focus on real-world applications.
8.1.1.1. An advantage of using authentic assessment is students are interesting in the material that you are assessing since it focuses on real-world applications. A disadvantage is the student is forced to use a larger scale of thinking and critical thinking skills that the teacher must help develop prior to using this assessment and this could be a difficult task if you have a large number of students.
9. Self Assessment
9.1. Self-assessment is a process by which you learn more about yourself. You are able to authentically assess how well you are learning a subject Students can become better language learners when they engage in deliberate thought about what they are learning and how they are learning it. In this kind of reflection, students step back from the learning process to think about their language learning strategies and their progress as language learners. Such self assessment encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation.
9.1.1. We do self assessments at the beginning, middle and end of the semester. of the semester in my classroom. I want to get to know the students in my class ass much as possible. I also want to see how the students feel about themselves and the knowledge that they are learning in my classroom.
9.1.1.1. An advantage of using this assessment tool is the student gets to assess themselves. The student will be forced to look at his or herself and reflect on their findings. A disadvantage is sometimes the student is holding back on really revealing the truth about themselves because they do not want to be judged.
10. Peer Assessment
10.1. Peer assessment is when students look at and evaluate their peer's work in the clasroom
10.1.1. We do a lot peer assessment in my classroom. My students work with partners and in groups to complete assignments regularly.
10.1.1.1. For peer evaluation to work effectively, the learning environment in the classroom must be supportive. Students must feel comfortable and trust one another in order to provide honest and constructive feedback. Instructors who use group work and peer assessment frequently can help students develop trust by forming them into small groups early in the semester and having them work in the same groups throughout the term. This allows them to become more comfortable with each other and leads to better peer feedback.