"Support Every Child, Reach Every Student" is the goal outlined by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The goal of education is to improve student learning and prepare students for the world beyond the classroom. Learning takes many forms; however, in the classroom learning is guided by effective and well-planned assessments to guide student learning.
Assessment is much more than receiving a sticker for a job well done or a game on your report card. In fact, this type of assessment does little to motivate students intrinsically and provides no feedback for improvement. In order to improve, students require meaningful feedback on an ongoing basis in the form of next steps. On a daily basis, teachers must plan meaningful activities which provide evidence of student learning and progress and must somehow record these learning through the use of observation checklists, anecdotal notes, rubric, inventories and more.
There are three types of assessment and three overarching goals for these assessments. Teachers must integrate these types of assessment into their classrooms on a daily basis to inform instruction and guide students to reach their full potential. The three types of assessment are outlined in the "Growing Success" document on page 31.
Assessment is much more than receiving a sticker for a job well done or a game on your report card. In fact, this type of assessment does little to motivate students intrinsically and provides no feedback for improvement. In order to improve, students require meaningful feedback on an ongoing basis in the form of next steps. On a daily basis, teachers must plan meaningful activities which provide evidence of student learning and progress and must somehow record these learning through the use of observation checklists, anecdotal notes, rubric, inventories and more.
There are three types of assessment and three overarching goals for these assessments. Teachers must integrate these types of assessment into their classrooms on a daily basis to inform instruction and guide students to reach their full potential. The three types of assessment are outlined in the "Growing Success" document on page 31.
Effective teachers use a variety of assessments on an ongoing basis.
Assessment for learning Below is a breakdown of the three types of assessment - assessment AS learning, assessment FOR learning, and assessment OF learning and various assessment tools that teachers can use to gather data for each type of assessment.
Assessment for learning Below is a breakdown of the three types of assessment - assessment AS learning, assessment FOR learning, and assessment OF learning and various assessment tools that teachers can use to gather data for each type of assessment.
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Diagnostic Assessment (ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING)
Diagnostic assessments are carried out at the beginning of the school year or at the beginning of a unit to determine a child’s strengths, needs and areas of interest. These assessments provide feedback for future learning. Diagnostic assessment tools for reading include but are not limited to...
Word Recognition Tests
BAS, PM Benchmark or Running Records
Oral Reading
Observational Notes
Word Wall Word Recognition
Sound/Letter Recognition
Reading Checklists
KWL Charts
Mind Maps
Formative Assessment (ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING)
Formative assessments are ongoing assessments that are carried out throughout a unit to assess a child’s progress and to help teachers plan future lessons. Formative assessments may be conducted by the teacher, student or a peer. Formative assessment tools for reading include but are not limited to...
Think-Pair-Share
Guided reading groups
Oral Reading (with teacher or peer)
Word Sorts (word families, prefix, suffixes)
BAS, PM Benchmark or Running Records
Comprehension worksheets or activities
Student-Teacher Conferences
Reading Journal Responses
Quizzes
Exit Slips
Mind Maps
Summative Assessment (ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING)
Summative assessments occur at the end of a unit to get a better understanding of what the child learned throughout the unit in comparison to the curriculum expectations. Summative evaluations are carried out to provide a mark for a child’s report card. Summative assessment tools for reading include but are not limited to...
Reading Portfolio
BAS, PM Benchmark or Running Records
Reading Reflections
Book Reports
KWL Charts
Mind Maps
Dramatizations
The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Here is a diagram of how assessment has occurred in the past with ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING occurring most often. The second image is a reconfigured pyramid to show ASSESSMENT OF learning occurring the least- with ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING taking place in the classroom most often.
"Ongoing descriptive feedback linked specifically to the learning goals and success criteria is a powerful tool for improving student learning and is fundamental to building a culture of learning within the classroom" (Growing Success, 2010, p. 34). Assessments must include effective and meaningful feedback to challenge students to grow academically. To ensure student success, teachers must make success criteria known to students prior to assessments in a language the students understand.
Various assessment tools can be used for various reasons; it is the way teachers will collect, analyze and react to the data that dictates which type of assessment the teacher should carry out at a given time in the classroom.
To ensure teachers are using assessment tools (rubrics, checklists, observation checklists and more), teachers are encouraged to collaborate with one another through teacher moderation to assess and adjust assessments of reading. When teachers collaborate with one another, their teaching practices improve and so too does student learning.
Diagnostic assessments are carried out at the beginning of the school year or at the beginning of a unit to determine a child’s strengths, needs and areas of interest. These assessments provide feedback for future learning. Diagnostic assessment tools for reading include but are not limited to...
Word Recognition Tests
BAS, PM Benchmark or Running Records
Oral Reading
Observational Notes
Word Wall Word Recognition
Sound/Letter Recognition
Reading Checklists
KWL Charts
Mind Maps
Formative Assessment (ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING)
Formative assessments are ongoing assessments that are carried out throughout a unit to assess a child’s progress and to help teachers plan future lessons. Formative assessments may be conducted by the teacher, student or a peer. Formative assessment tools for reading include but are not limited to...
Think-Pair-Share
Guided reading groups
Oral Reading (with teacher or peer)
Word Sorts (word families, prefix, suffixes)
BAS, PM Benchmark or Running Records
Comprehension worksheets or activities
Student-Teacher Conferences
Reading Journal Responses
Quizzes
Exit Slips
Mind Maps
Summative Assessment (ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING)
Summative assessments occur at the end of a unit to get a better understanding of what the child learned throughout the unit in comparison to the curriculum expectations. Summative evaluations are carried out to provide a mark for a child’s report card. Summative assessment tools for reading include but are not limited to...
Reading Portfolio
BAS, PM Benchmark or Running Records
Reading Reflections
Book Reports
KWL Charts
Mind Maps
Dramatizations
The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Here is a diagram of how assessment has occurred in the past with ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING occurring most often. The second image is a reconfigured pyramid to show ASSESSMENT OF learning occurring the least- with ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING taking place in the classroom most often.
"Ongoing descriptive feedback linked specifically to the learning goals and success criteria is a powerful tool for improving student learning and is fundamental to building a culture of learning within the classroom" (Growing Success, 2010, p. 34). Assessments must include effective and meaningful feedback to challenge students to grow academically. To ensure student success, teachers must make success criteria known to students prior to assessments in a language the students understand.
Various assessment tools can be used for various reasons; it is the way teachers will collect, analyze and react to the data that dictates which type of assessment the teacher should carry out at a given time in the classroom.
To ensure teachers are using assessment tools (rubrics, checklists, observation checklists and more), teachers are encouraged to collaborate with one another through teacher moderation to assess and adjust assessments of reading. When teachers collaborate with one another, their teaching practices improve and so too does student learning.
Reflection Questions:
When preparing a lesson for students, ask yourself:
1. What is it that I want students to learn?
2. How will I assess student learning?
3. What is the purpose of the assessment tool I am using? (AS, FOR, OF learning)
4. How will I support future learning for all students?
5. What will I do with the data I collect through the assessment?
6. How can I make my expectations and the success criteria known to students?
Now that you know more about the different types of assessment and the purposes of assessment:
1. What do you feel is the most important type of assessment and why?
2. How could you use the same assessment tool in your classroom as assessment for, assessment as and assessment of learning?
3. What is one thing that you would still like to learn more about and who could you speak to or where could you go to find out more?
1. What is it that I want students to learn?
2. How will I assess student learning?
3. What is the purpose of the assessment tool I am using? (AS, FOR, OF learning)
4. How will I support future learning for all students?
5. What will I do with the data I collect through the assessment?
6. How can I make my expectations and the success criteria known to students?
Now that you know more about the different types of assessment and the purposes of assessment:
1. What do you feel is the most important type of assessment and why?
2. How could you use the same assessment tool in your classroom as assessment for, assessment as and assessment of learning?
3. What is one thing that you would still like to learn more about and who could you speak to or where could you go to find out more?