Student Assessments for Kindergarten

1. High-Stakes Assessments

1.1. Definition: A high-stakes assessment is the teacher or schools way of making important decisions for a student, such as moving onto the next grade.

1.2. Purpose: These are used to see how a student tests after a long amount of time. The students are assessed and the results also factor into how the teacher is evaluated.

1.3. Advantages: High-stakes assessments allow teachers to see how the student is learning and they can tailor the students learning to their specific manner. These assessments also make sure that subjects like math and language are being taught well in schools so that the students will be able to do well on their assessments.

1.4. Disadvantages: Teachers may end up "teaching to the test" by focusing class time on only subjects that will be on the test. Also, some students do not do well with this kind of assessment. They can easily develop anxiety for test taking and others may not realize just how important these assessments are.

1.5. Learning OF/FOR: This is an example of learning. It is a one time assessment that allows teachers and schools to see how a student or a class has learned over a long time.

1.6. Example: Standardized testing is an example of high-stakes assessment. They are done a couple of times a year and the results are given to teachers, school administrators, and parents.

2. Authentic Assessments

2.1. Definition: An authentic assessment is the measurement of intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful.

2.2. Purpose: These assessments are meant to help students learn to apply their skills and knowledge to real life experiences.

2.3. Advantages: There are different kinds of authentic assessments so each different learner has a chance to succeed. It also makes students use the knowledge they have learned instead of just showing that they know it.

2.4. Disadvantages: These assessments can be very time consuming, especially for larger classes. It can also be hard for a teacher to line these assessments up with traditional education standards.

2.5. Learning OF/FOR: This is an example for learning. They can be done often and help the student learn how to apply their skills and knowledge to real world experiences.

2.6. Example: The students could spend time learning about plants and what plants need to live. Then they could each plant their own seeds and be required to keep it near sunlight, water it, and tend to their plant.

3. Self Assessment

3.1. Definition: Self assessments are ones evaluation of their own work by using a criteria or rubric.

3.2. Purpose: Self assessments have the students evaluate their own work and see how they did based on a criteria or rubric. They give the students a chance to deepen their understanding of the topic.

3.3. Advantages: These assessments allow students to reflect on their learning and their work to see if they have made a good piece of work or one that needs to be improved. There are a lot of different types of self-assessments that can be used in the classroom.

3.4. Disadvantages: Self assessments can take some time for the students to get used to. If they don't understand the criteria in which they are to assess their own work, they will not be able to do self assessments.

3.5. Learning OF/FOR: Self assessments are for learning. They can happen often and allow students to get a deeper understanding of their learning.

3.6. Example: Each kindergarten student could have a self assessment journal. In the journal a teacher could have a lined paper and instruct them to write a sentence. The students could self assess for spelling, punctuation, capital letters, and fingers spaces.

4. Portfolio Assessments

4.1. Definition: Portfolio Assessments document a individual students' work to show what they are capable and keep track of their work.

4.2. Purpose: It keeps the students work together that the teacher can use as evidence to support their conclusions of a students' strengths, capabilities, and skills.

4.3. Advantages: Everything is kept together in one place which makes for easy access and referencing. It is also helpful for teachers to have to show to parents and school administration when necessary to back up what they are thinking about a student and their progress.

4.4. Disadvantages: Portfolios can be a lot of work for the teacher depending on how many students are in the class.

4.5. Learning OF/FOR: This is an example of for learning. It is a continuous assessment through the year that is updated with different student work.

4.6. Example: Have the students write the same sentence at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Save all three in the students portfolio to see the progression of work.

5. References

6. Formal Assessments

6.1. Definition: Assessments where teachers make frequent, interactive assessments of student understanding.

6.2. Purpose: This assessment helps the teacher to constantly see where the students are in their learning so they can adjust their teaching if they need to. It also allows students to be involved in their own assessments so they can develop skills to learn better.

6.3. Advantages: These assessments include the student and the teacher can provide immediate feedback. This can help the student adjust their learning to focus on what they need to and can help the teacher to differentiate their instruction to help the student.

6.4. Disadvantages: They can be time consuming since they are used often and continuously. There is a fear that teachers won't get the same level of assessment as they would get from a summative assessment, such as an exam.

6.5. Learning OF/FOR: Formal assessments are for learning. They are a continuous way for a teacher to see where the student stands academically.

6.6. Example: Teachers can use popsicle sticks with students names on them to call on students. This keeps students actively engaged since they don't know when their name will be called. An exit ticket or entrance ticket are also good formative assessments.

7. Summative Assessments

7.1. Definition: Summative assessments are given after instruction to measure student growth.

7.2. Purpose: The purpose of summative assessments are to measure what students have learned during a lesson or unit. Based on how the students do the teacher can change their teaching practices for the next year if necessary.

7.3. Advantages: They intrinsically motivate students to do well with their learning so they will get good grades or marks on their assessments.

7.4. Disadvantages: Teachers can get caught up in "teaching to the test". Summative assessments are not always the best measure of learning because each student is different and has different learning styles, so where one student of high achievement do very well, another of high achievement can do poorly depending on the test.

7.5. Learning OF/FOR: Summative assessments are an assessment of learning. They are done at the end of a lesson to see how much the student has learned.

7.6. Example: If kindergarten students are learning about patterns, a summative assessment could be having the students make a pattern poster with stickers or stamps and having them label the type of pattern. Another example would be to give them a simple pattern test where they need to create, copy, and complete patterns.

8. Peer Assessments

8.1. Definition: Peer assessments are students assessing each others work using a criteria or rubric.

8.2. Purpose: There are a couple of purposes of peer assessments. It allows the students to create a community with one another and allows students to learn how to give feedback. It also allows students to learn from each others successes and mistakes.

8.3. Advantages: The students create a community where they feel comfortable encouraging each other and discussing what can be improved upon. Another advantage is that once the students are comfortable with the assessment method it can help the teacher get feedback to the students in a more timely manner.

8.4. Disadvantages: It can take a lot of practice for the students to get used to assessing one another.

8.5. Learning OF/FOR: Peer assessments is designed for learning. It allows the students to learn through one another and helps them to communicate.

8.6. Example: An example during a kindergarten pattern lesson would be to partner the students up and have them grade each others pattern posters to check for correct answers or mistakes.

9. Diagnostic Assessments

9.1. Definition: A diagnostic assessment focuses in one area of content knowledge and helps a teacher know what the students prior knowledge of a topic is before going through a lesson.

9.2. Purpose: It is used to give teachers an understanding of the students prior knowledge. It can help teachers shape their lesson plans based on what the student previously knows.

9.3. Advantages: Teachers can use the information they get from performance-based assessments to make differentiated lesson plans to help each student.

9.4. Disadvantages: Through this kind of assessment, teachers may get a wrong idea of a students ability.

9.5. Learning OF/FOR: Diagnostic assessments are for learning. The help teachers really understand what the child is coming to class already understanding. Due to this the teacher is able to hone in on differentiated instruction that will benefit each student.

9.6. Example: Having each child individually go through the alphabet and state the letter and the sound that the letter makes.

10. Performance-Based Assessments

10.1. Definition: Performance-based assessments measure a students ability to apply skills and knowledge learned in a unit of study.

10.2. Purpose: Teachers use this method during lessons to make sure their students are learning the skills they need. It focuses on the how of how students get to their answers or conclusions instead of just answers to problems.

10.3. Advantages: Performance-based assessments focus on a deep understanding of the skills. If a student is struggling this kind of assessment can allow the teacher to see where the student is having trouble understanding.

10.4. Disadvantages: Grading can be tricky for teachers with this type of assessment. Since you are focusing on the "how" of students work, you need to set up a grading criteria for the project.

10.5. Learning OF/FOR: It is designed for learning. These assessments are effective because as a teacher it helps you follow the students thought process of doing their work since you are focusing on how they do their work to come up with an answer or project.

10.6. Example: If the students are learning about letter sounds and words, the students can take letter blocks and use them to sound out and create words. The blocks are different colors where the consonants are one color and the vowels are another, this way they can sound out each word. They will write down every word they make, and circle the ones that are actual words.