Overview of Assessment
"Assessment informs practice, and we take action" (Rick Wormelli, taken from Education Alberta, "Differentiated Assessment", p.46).
Assessment is an important piece of effective differentiation. It allows teachers to plan, group, teach, and understand how much and what students are learning.
Assessment helps teachers realize student's strengths and needs.
It's important to remember that assessment is not the "big scary test" at the end of a unit or chapter, but rather a series of varied formats that take place before a unit (pre-assessment), during the unit (formative assessment) and after the unit (summative assessment).
Pre-assessment can be used to assess student readiness and ability for an upcoming topic. Pre-assessment is a great tool to help teachers plan flexible groupings.
Formative assessments are used throughout units to assess understanding, track goals, change groups,and inform teaching instruction.
Summative assessments are used at the end of a unit, and help determine what knowledge students have taken away after a unit is complete.
Differentiated assessment is key! Remember to offer a variety of projects/assignments so that students can choose the best way to illustrate their learning.
Links to differentiation and assessment:
1) Education Alberta: Making a Difference: Meeting diverse learning needs with differentiated instruction. Chapter 4, "Differentiated Assessment", pp 45-62.
http://education.alberta.ca/media/1233985/7_ch4%20differentiated.pdf-Great site to learn about the hows and whys of assessment and differentiation.
2) https://differentiatedstrategies.wikispaces.com/Differentiated+Strategies+for+Assessment
-An annotated list of assessment strategies. Lots to choose from!
3) http://www.marylandlearninglinks.org/939/resource_id:17301/resources_sub:rh/hash:757f84c616b96d869349f61125e0556a/jsd:ajax/
-25 Quick Formative Assessment options, with a rationale on why differentiated assessment is so important. Great ideas!
4) https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFEQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaroltomlinson.com%2FPresentations%2F2011ASCD_PDI_Memphis.pdf&ei=KKIoU7fzD4qEogTWgIGQAw&usg=AFQjCNFeLLhhsKeOUJWwjO8wMADWnkQdig&sig2=ZG-qEjGLR6QcqHOjV7tCLA
-Powerpoint presentation by Carol Tomlinson and Marcia Imbeau.
5.) https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/classroom_assessment/abouthand.htm
-BC Ministry of Education website links for Assessment Handbooks
Assessment is an important piece of effective differentiation. It allows teachers to plan, group, teach, and understand how much and what students are learning.
Assessment helps teachers realize student's strengths and needs.
It's important to remember that assessment is not the "big scary test" at the end of a unit or chapter, but rather a series of varied formats that take place before a unit (pre-assessment), during the unit (formative assessment) and after the unit (summative assessment).
Pre-assessment can be used to assess student readiness and ability for an upcoming topic. Pre-assessment is a great tool to help teachers plan flexible groupings.
Formative assessments are used throughout units to assess understanding, track goals, change groups,and inform teaching instruction.
Summative assessments are used at the end of a unit, and help determine what knowledge students have taken away after a unit is complete.
Differentiated assessment is key! Remember to offer a variety of projects/assignments so that students can choose the best way to illustrate their learning.
Links to differentiation and assessment:
1) Education Alberta: Making a Difference: Meeting diverse learning needs with differentiated instruction. Chapter 4, "Differentiated Assessment", pp 45-62.
http://education.alberta.ca/media/1233985/7_ch4%20differentiated.pdf-Great site to learn about the hows and whys of assessment and differentiation.
2) https://differentiatedstrategies.wikispaces.com/Differentiated+Strategies+for+Assessment
-An annotated list of assessment strategies. Lots to choose from!
3) http://www.marylandlearninglinks.org/939/resource_id:17301/resources_sub:rh/hash:757f84c616b96d869349f61125e0556a/jsd:ajax/
-25 Quick Formative Assessment options, with a rationale on why differentiated assessment is so important. Great ideas!
4) https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFEQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaroltomlinson.com%2FPresentations%2F2011ASCD_PDI_Memphis.pdf&ei=KKIoU7fzD4qEogTWgIGQAw&usg=AFQjCNFeLLhhsKeOUJWwjO8wMADWnkQdig&sig2=ZG-qEjGLR6QcqHOjV7tCLA
-Powerpoint presentation by Carol Tomlinson and Marcia Imbeau.
5.) https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/classroom_assessment/abouthand.htm
-BC Ministry of Education website links for Assessment Handbooks