Ahh... Assessment.
It's so important, yet the word is dreaded by so many...
In this chapter, Sammons discusses how assessment is more than just testing. It's "evaluating students' progress, their understandings and misconceptions, their ability to solve problems and think critically, and their ability to apply their knowledge to new situations."
One thing from this chapter that stuck out to me was the suggestion of the use of rubrics as a form of assessment in Guided Math. I have never used rubrics in math, but after reading this chapter, I would like to explore that as an option for my classroom.
Really, isn't assessment vital to every subject? We must assess in order to know where our students are academically.
When I think of assessment, I don't always necessarily think of pencil and paper, students sitting with office folders up, assessments. I think of how often I note how students understand a concept during a math game, or how well they master a skill during math stations.
While I think formal assessment is important, I see the informal opportunities to be just as valuable.
My math assessments range from traditional to observational. I give a test with each math topic, but I also give checklist-like assessments using ESGI.
If you are a primary grades teacher and haven't used ESGI, you should really consider checking it out. It's easy, inexpensive, and best of all, it cuts down on assessment time. Prior to using ESGI, it took me days to get through these types of assessments. Now, it takes a matter of minutes per child. I can't imagine my classroom without it!
I also love using data folders with my students. I've kept a data wall up in my classroom for some time now, but allowing students to become invested in the process is much more meaningful than a teacher just posting something on a wall. I've been working on data folders for kindergarten for some time now, and I hope to have them posted in the next few days!
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Check out the rest of the posts on assessment below!
I would really love to see your data folders that students use to keep track of their progress. I have been wanting to do this for some time, but I don't really have an idea how to create one. Part of our state's new teacher evaluation is to have students take ownership of their learning and self-assessment and data folders/binders would be great for this.
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