I feel that I am at a good spot with assessment knowledge, being in my third year of my program. 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. There are two types of assessment, summative and formative. 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. We use these often, daily and ongoing through the school year. Some may be more formal such as documentation and some may be less formal such as a quick chat with each student. All assessments should be clear and students should know what is expected of them. They should guide practice, monitor progress, inform students and inform teachers, while creating a continuous cycle of practice, feedback and monitoring. Assessments are not just worksheets or assignments but can be anything that shows us the students’ understanding of the topic such as group talks and activities. I am aware that assessment goes hand in hand with feedback. It is crucial for students to receive feedback on their assessments in order for them to know how they can improve and what they are succeeding in. I also strongly believe that while giving feedback teachers should not just tell the students what they are doing wrong, but to give them encouragement on what they are doing well, so they do not get discouraged.
I want to… be able to come up with fun and engaging assessments for my students, in a timely manner. This is important as I am going into my three week block this semester and also preparing for my 4 month block in the fall.