My thinking at the beginning of the semester was that assessment is important because it is the tool we use as teachers to make sure our students are on track to meeting the grade expectations. At the beginning of the semester I was aware that there are two types of assessments, summative and formative. Traditionally, formative assessment is what teachers do throughout the unit to make sure students are grasping the concept, and summative assessment is done at the end of the unit to make sure students have gotten the idea of the lesson/unit.
After completing my pre-internship I realized that not all classrooms have a large summative assessment at the end of the unit, the classroom that I was in did not have large assessments because the students did not have that skill set yet, and still have to grow and learn to have this skill. It is so important to know your students and what assessment is right for them. For example, some students are able to write tests and retain information that way, but there are many different kinds of learners, therefore there needs to be many different types of assessments. Personally, I am not good at writing tests, I would rather write an essay to show my knowledge. Giving the students the opportunity to show their full potential is part of being a teacher. Whether you need to change assessments each year to adapt to your students or have multiple assessments for students to choose from, it is important each student is able to share how much they know.
Also while in my internship I learned that you have to set expectations before the assessment is even given. If the teacher explains the expectations, how to complete the assignment, what the noise level should be in the room, if it is on their own or in pairs, and what to do after the assessment has been completed, students are more likely to listen, rather than giving them the assessment then telling instructions. I found this out because the first few times I gave assessments in my pre-internship I did not do this and the students were more intrigued about what was on the paper that I just gave them and some of them started it. So giving instructions ahead of time will ensure you have the students full undivided attention.
While assessments are important, it is crucial to not base a student’s grade on just one assessment. Students have a life outside of school and sometimes as a teacher we have no idea what they might be going through at home. Therefore, students might have their head elsewhere and perform badly, when really they have the knowledge to do well on the assessment. Although this is the case sometimes it is important not to cross the line of letting students get away with the excuse of why they got the bad grade, but then again, as a student’s teacher you should be able to tell from how they act and the grades they have gotten previously.
5 BIG IDEAS:
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There are two different forms of assessment: formative and summative, used side by side to ensure all students are grasping the information they need to reach the outcomes and indicators of their grade.
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Not all assessments need to be formal, assessments can be done in exit slips and even just conversations with the students.
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Attendance in students is going to affect assessments. Some students may miss an entire lesson and that gap in knowledge will show on the assessment.
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Engaging assessments rather than written and formal assessments are better for certain students. Having students participate in the lesson, have input and work hands on benefits the students.
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Feedback is an important aspect of assessment. If feedback is not given then students will not know what they did wrong, and what was done right. Encouragement is also just as important.