When students complete an assessment, they are communicating with us what they know. If you are administering a performance assessment, then students are communicating with us what they know and what they can do. While there are various methods for assessing what students know and can do, the important issue is the practical value of the assessment. The primary purpose of assessment in the classroom is to drive instruction. If we take the assessment data and put it on the shelf, we need to question the point of taking the time and energy to give the assessment in the first place. Understanding different types of assessments can support our instructional decisions and our instructional moves. There are assessments of learning and assessments for learning.
Assessments Of Learning
Assessments of learning include various methods whether students are achieving the intended learning outcomes of instruction. Assessments of learning might include teacher observation, oral questioning, journal entries, portfolio entries, exit cards, skill inventories, homework assignments, project products, student opinions, interest surveys, criterion-referenced tests, or norm-based tests. Assessments of learning are like a snapshot of the work students are doing, which can tell you what students know in the moment the assessment was administered.
Teachers are gathering, analyzing, and using data, including state and district assessment data, to measure learner progress, guide instruction, and provide timely feedback when using assessments for learning. Assessments for learning provide data that allows teachers to develop the roadmap for instruction. An assessment of learning tells you where students are at in the instructional sequence and/or progression of skills. The assessment can be used for learning as you prepare what you will teach and how, in order for students to reach the intended outcomes. Dylan Wiliam asserts that when teachers know where learners are at, give feedback to help learners move forward, and everyone is supporting one another in understanding the success criteria, then assessment for learning is happening.
Assessments For Learning
The practice of assessing student learning is essential for effective instruction and learning. High quality assessment provides teachers with the knowledge of whether students have attained the intended learning outcomes, and it informs teachers’ instructional decision making regarding what to teach and how to teach it. The outcome of assessments, regardless of the type, is to provide evidence of student learning to make informed decisions on revising instruction to advance learning for all students.
When assessments are used for learning, they can:
provide information regarding students’ readiness for learning new content
provide formative and summative information needed to monitor student progress and adjust instruction
keep students motivated
hold students accountable for their own learning
provide opportunities to re-expose students to content
and help students retain and transfer what they’ve learned
Formative Assessments
Formative assessments are also known as assessments for learning, as they can be used to determine the extent to which students are achieving the intended learning outcomes of instruction. Assessments for learning provide a snapshot of the work students are doing, which can tell you what students know in the moment the assessment was administered. The purpose of formative assessments is to help teachers adjust and modify their teaching practices. The principle that drives formative assessments is that they reflect the progress and needs of students. The data from formative assessments can be used daily to help guide instruction.
Formative assessments are implemented throughout each unit to identify gaps and misconceptions after skills are taught. The information from formative assessments are used to adjust or improve instruction. Qualitative data, like reading a student's journal response can give insight on their thinking and comprehension. When determining the best formative assessment, you must first decide how students will show you mastery. The key to successfully implementing formative assessments, is to use them to drive instructional decisions and moves. Formative assessment data should be used to determine the success of instruction and how to teach from that point. Students aren’t always going to learn the first time (or even second or third time) they are taught and we can’t blame them for that. Integrating various formative assessment strategies ensures we are supporting the learning and achievement for all learners.
Formative Assessment Strategies in Reading
Formative assessment reading strategies for elementary and middle school students are methods teachers use to gather ongoing, real-time feedback on students' reading skills and comprehension as they learn. These assessments are typically conducted during the learning process and provide valuable insights into students' progress and areas that may need further support. While there are many formative assessment strategies, not all of them need to be recorded as formal grades.
Anecdotal Notes: When conferring with students, listen to students and read their written responses to the texts they are reading. Use standards and the progression of skills that align to the standard to determine what students are doing well and what they will need to be taught next. Make notes about what they are doing well, what was taught, and an idea of what you might teach in the next conference.
Observations: Observe students' reading behaviors, including strategies used when encountering unfamiliar words, engagement with texts, and participation in discussions. This provides insights into the behaviors students are demonstrating independently and which ones require additional instruction.
Think-Alouds: Ask students to verbally explain their thinking. LIstening to them think-aloud supports your understanding of how they are applying the skills and strategies you are teaching. This might include how they make predictions, connect prior knowledge, summarize, and make inferences. Listening to students think aloud reveals how they are comprehending and thinking about reading.
Reading Reflection Journals: Reflection journals are one of my favorite strategies because students are more willing to share freely as they reflect, and it provides valuable insight into their thinking and understanding. These journals are a place for students to express their thoughts, questions, and reflections as they read. Reviewing and discussing entries with students allows the teacher the opportunity to review gauge comprehension, engagement, and metacognitive awareness.
Exit Slips: After independent reading practice, students write brief responses to questions or prompts related to the content. The key to making these truly formative, is to ensure the question or prompt directly aligns to the skill or objective that was taught. This provides immediate feedback on students’ understanding and retention, which allows the teacher to make instructional decisions and moves based on how students applied the skill independently.
Peer and Self-Assessment: Students can assess their own and their peers' reading performance using rubrics or checklists that align to the standard being taught. This strategy promotes reflection and self-awareness. Before providing the self-assessment tool, like a rubric or checklist, be sure to teach all of the elements first!
Why do Formative Assessment Strategies in Reading Matter?
Formative assessments support personalized learning when they are used to address individual student needs to ensure that each child receives appropriate support and challenges.
Formative assessments provide immediate feedback to both teachers and students, allowing adjustments to be made while learning is still in progress.
Data from formative assessments inform instructional decisions, helping teachers adapt teaching strategies, resources, and pacing.
Motivation refers to the ways in which students choose to behave, their self-confidence in their ability, their ability to overcome obstacles and challenges, and their capacity to recover from academic setbacks. Motivation, referring to how students behave, their self-efficacy, and mindset, can increase engagement. Students are more engaged when they see the relevance of assessments to their learning process. Formative assessments make learning goals clear and achievable.
Formative assessments support metacognitive development. Students learn to foster metacognitive skills as they reflect on their own learning processes and set goals for improvement.
When used appropriately and consistently, formative assessments support a commitment to lifelong learning when teachers and students work together to identify strengths and areas for growth.
Assessments can have a positive impact on learning when they are aligned with learning, valid and reliable, an accurate representation of student learning, accompanied with frequent, actionable feedback, involve students in the review and monitoring, and are properly documented. Incorporating formative assessments into reading ensures that teaching is responsive, effective, and focused each student reaching their full reading potential. Formative assessments can be used to empower students in taking ownership of their learning and support teachers with the tools to effectively support the progress and achievement of each student.
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