Informal Assessment
Portfolio:
Portfolios - this is an informal assessment tool that is used for tracking student progress over the course of the school year. The information gathered in the portfolio can also be shared with parents at parent/teacher interviews. Students collect completed assignments and store them in a single folder or portfolio. By looking at all of their work over the course of time, students, teachers and parents can see how they have improved and/or where they need more work.
Younger students do not fair well in pencil-paper test. In order to get an accurate picture of student’s sequential development and learning, teachers can use portfolio assessments. Portfolio assessments are often a more authentic assessment, as it doesn’t show what students can do compared to the rest of the class, or grade level expectations. Instead, portfolio assessments are a collection of data of students learning over a period of time, it’s purpose isn’t to demonstrate what students can’t do, but focuses on what students can do.
Project Based:
Project-based assignments - this is another type of informal assessment where the student is directed to show his/her knowledge of a specific topic through research and a presentation to the class. The project that student creates illustrates his understanding of what he has learned over time. This form of assessment also allows for differentiation in the type of presentation the student chooses (eg. google slides, a poster, a dramatic presentation) and also allows the teacher to modify or reduce expectations for students with challenges.
PM Benchmarks
I use PM Benchmarks at the very beginning of the year to look at a child’s reading ability. This is a reading kit that contains 30 levelled books with corresponding running records. This is one of the first things I do with each student that first week of school. I try to fit about 3 students in per day – so this can take up to 2 weeks to complete. I then have a baseline with which to work and can also sort the students into reading groups. I then the students 2 more times throughout the year, unless I have further concerns. If I am concerned about a student’s reading ability, I will test them more often throughout the year.
Behavioral Checklists:
Observation- Observing students is an effective initial step in getting to know more about your students and provides a foundation for subsequent informal and formal assessments. There is much insight into behaviours and characteristics that can be gained from watching and listening to students and making thorough anecdotal notes.
The following can be observed:
-Students’ interactions with peers during instructional and non-instructional time
-How a students behaves during different types of instruction (eg. experiential, visual, listening)
-How long a student takes to begin and complete work -How a student perseveres through challenges
-What actions and reactions a student has during different emotions (anger, fear, joy, sadness)
-How the physical learning environment affects the student and his/her learning
Notes can be compiled over a long period of time as evidential support for suggestions for change in instructional strategies, modifications and accommodations. Correlations and patterns can be noted over lengthy note-taking periods based on observations, helping future teachers better understand their students earlier in the year. Observation also helps teacher gain a better understanding of their students as individuals and a class. The more we know about our students on their own and as part of a group, the more successfully we can build lessons and instructional strategies around their strengths, weaknesses and needs.
2) Behaviour checklists- Our spec ed department provides teachers with fairly comprehensive checklists to assess student behaviours. They are to be completed in the first month of school, and onward as needed. The checklists are intended to provide teachers, school staff and parents with a more well-rounded understanding of how students behave throughout the day. The checklists are broken into several categories, including: -attention span
-academic performance
-emotional and social behaviour
-disruptive behaviour
-hyperactive behaviour
-sneaky/dishonest behaviour
-(dis)respectful behaviour
-hostile behaviour.
This checklists is not only evidence of particular behaviours by particular students, but also helps teachers to adapt the environment to the students’ needs, and modify instructional strategies as necessary. It gives us insight to students’ lives, and prevents teacher frustration. If we can remove the subjectivity from student behaviours, we can more successfully analyze their learning and concentrate more on guiding them to succeed.
ABC Tracking Form:
In our school, this form is used with students who are identified with a behavioural (or other) exceptionality. Often, these student have difficulty with self-regulation and need assistance managing their behaviour. The Special Education Team usually tracks student behaviour to understand “triggers” that may cause the behaviour. Many triggers such as change in routine, transition or being asked to perform a task can cause a student with an exceptionality to react. The form also outlines the behaviour exhibited and what consequence the student was given after the behaviour. This allows the team to track the behaviour over time and implement an intervention plan that can ease the disruptions for the student.
Cool Ideas:
Exit cards:
The exit card is an excellent formative assessment to help evaluate student’s understanding of new information. You give a card to every student at the end of the period, have them fill out the card and have the students hand them in on their way out. It can contain questions such as, “Two new things I’ve learned today is….”, “One thing I still don’t understand is…”, “One question I still have is…”, “Two interesting facts…”. The exit card is a superb way of getting feedback from the students and it really forces the students to reflect on their efforts around learning. It also helps teachers better prepare their lessons to meet the student’s needs.
In case anyone doesn’t know, a KWL Chart is a chart/ graphic organizer that teachers can use to pre-access students knowledge in a subject and what they are interested in learning to guide instruction. At the end, students consolidate their learning by listing everything they have learned in a particular subject/ unit. K-W-L Charts, track what a student knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L) about a topic, can be used before, during, and after learning.
Here is an outline of a KWL chart: http://whysospecial.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/kwl-1.jpg
Exit cards are an immediate, informal assessment completed by students at the end of a lesson or activity. Exit cards require students to answer particular questions on a piece of paper that is turned in before they leave the class. These cards provide teachers with information that can be used to assess students’ understanding, monitor students’ questions or gather feedback on teaching. For students, exit cards serve as a content review at the end of a daily lesson and enhance their meta-cognitive skills.
Here is a website that list different prompts students can answer on exist cards such as List three things you learned in class today, what questions, ideas and feelings have been raised by this lesson? What was your favorite moment of class? https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/exit-cards
Informal assessment strategies such as KWL Charts and Exit Cards can be a useful and quick assessment for teachers to survey what a class understood from a lesson, how may comprehended the concepts being taught, and students interests in particular topics. This type of informal assessment also allows teachers to notice if there’re area that need to be look at or taught in a different way for students to understand.
Socratic Discussion Checklist:http://webs.spokaneschools.org/SchoolDataToolsFiles/eval/Soc%20Sem%20observation%20assessment%20tools[1]2038955713.pdf
I have found this checklist to be useful to evaluate oral and listening techniques during discussions. Our students learned about food sources through our Food Inc. Unit. When students assembled in groups, one of the checklists was used so that each student could evaluate a peer during the discussion. The checklist format made every student accountable for both their evaluations and their listening. As a result, students became more engaged and reflective in their discussions. Additionally, I used another checklist to assess students and their contributions to their group. I found that the notes I made were consistent with the student observations.
Portfolios - this is an informal assessment tool that is used for tracking student progress over the course of the school year. The information gathered in the portfolio can also be shared with parents at parent/teacher interviews. Students collect completed assignments and store them in a single folder or portfolio. By looking at all of their work over the course of time, students, teachers and parents can see how they have improved and/or where they need more work.
Younger students do not fair well in pencil-paper test. In order to get an accurate picture of student’s sequential development and learning, teachers can use portfolio assessments. Portfolio assessments are often a more authentic assessment, as it doesn’t show what students can do compared to the rest of the class, or grade level expectations. Instead, portfolio assessments are a collection of data of students learning over a period of time, it’s purpose isn’t to demonstrate what students can’t do, but focuses on what students can do.
Project Based:
Project-based assignments - this is another type of informal assessment where the student is directed to show his/her knowledge of a specific topic through research and a presentation to the class. The project that student creates illustrates his understanding of what he has learned over time. This form of assessment also allows for differentiation in the type of presentation the student chooses (eg. google slides, a poster, a dramatic presentation) and also allows the teacher to modify or reduce expectations for students with challenges.
PM Benchmarks
I use PM Benchmarks at the very beginning of the year to look at a child’s reading ability. This is a reading kit that contains 30 levelled books with corresponding running records. This is one of the first things I do with each student that first week of school. I try to fit about 3 students in per day – so this can take up to 2 weeks to complete. I then have a baseline with which to work and can also sort the students into reading groups. I then the students 2 more times throughout the year, unless I have further concerns. If I am concerned about a student’s reading ability, I will test them more often throughout the year.
Behavioral Checklists:
Observation- Observing students is an effective initial step in getting to know more about your students and provides a foundation for subsequent informal and formal assessments. There is much insight into behaviours and characteristics that can be gained from watching and listening to students and making thorough anecdotal notes.
The following can be observed:
-Students’ interactions with peers during instructional and non-instructional time
-How a students behaves during different types of instruction (eg. experiential, visual, listening)
-How long a student takes to begin and complete work -How a student perseveres through challenges
-What actions and reactions a student has during different emotions (anger, fear, joy, sadness)
-How the physical learning environment affects the student and his/her learning
Notes can be compiled over a long period of time as evidential support for suggestions for change in instructional strategies, modifications and accommodations. Correlations and patterns can be noted over lengthy note-taking periods based on observations, helping future teachers better understand their students earlier in the year. Observation also helps teacher gain a better understanding of their students as individuals and a class. The more we know about our students on their own and as part of a group, the more successfully we can build lessons and instructional strategies around their strengths, weaknesses and needs.
2) Behaviour checklists- Our spec ed department provides teachers with fairly comprehensive checklists to assess student behaviours. They are to be completed in the first month of school, and onward as needed. The checklists are intended to provide teachers, school staff and parents with a more well-rounded understanding of how students behave throughout the day. The checklists are broken into several categories, including: -attention span
-academic performance
-emotional and social behaviour
-disruptive behaviour
-hyperactive behaviour
-sneaky/dishonest behaviour
-(dis)respectful behaviour
-hostile behaviour.
This checklists is not only evidence of particular behaviours by particular students, but also helps teachers to adapt the environment to the students’ needs, and modify instructional strategies as necessary. It gives us insight to students’ lives, and prevents teacher frustration. If we can remove the subjectivity from student behaviours, we can more successfully analyze their learning and concentrate more on guiding them to succeed.
ABC Tracking Form:
In our school, this form is used with students who are identified with a behavioural (or other) exceptionality. Often, these student have difficulty with self-regulation and need assistance managing their behaviour. The Special Education Team usually tracks student behaviour to understand “triggers” that may cause the behaviour. Many triggers such as change in routine, transition or being asked to perform a task can cause a student with an exceptionality to react. The form also outlines the behaviour exhibited and what consequence the student was given after the behaviour. This allows the team to track the behaviour over time and implement an intervention plan that can ease the disruptions for the student.
Cool Ideas:
Exit cards:
The exit card is an excellent formative assessment to help evaluate student’s understanding of new information. You give a card to every student at the end of the period, have them fill out the card and have the students hand them in on their way out. It can contain questions such as, “Two new things I’ve learned today is….”, “One thing I still don’t understand is…”, “One question I still have is…”, “Two interesting facts…”. The exit card is a superb way of getting feedback from the students and it really forces the students to reflect on their efforts around learning. It also helps teachers better prepare their lessons to meet the student’s needs.
In case anyone doesn’t know, a KWL Chart is a chart/ graphic organizer that teachers can use to pre-access students knowledge in a subject and what they are interested in learning to guide instruction. At the end, students consolidate their learning by listing everything they have learned in a particular subject/ unit. K-W-L Charts, track what a student knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L) about a topic, can be used before, during, and after learning.
Here is an outline of a KWL chart: http://whysospecial.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/kwl-1.jpg
Exit cards are an immediate, informal assessment completed by students at the end of a lesson or activity. Exit cards require students to answer particular questions on a piece of paper that is turned in before they leave the class. These cards provide teachers with information that can be used to assess students’ understanding, monitor students’ questions or gather feedback on teaching. For students, exit cards serve as a content review at the end of a daily lesson and enhance their meta-cognitive skills.
Here is a website that list different prompts students can answer on exist cards such as List three things you learned in class today, what questions, ideas and feelings have been raised by this lesson? What was your favorite moment of class? https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/exit-cards
Informal assessment strategies such as KWL Charts and Exit Cards can be a useful and quick assessment for teachers to survey what a class understood from a lesson, how may comprehended the concepts being taught, and students interests in particular topics. This type of informal assessment also allows teachers to notice if there’re area that need to be look at or taught in a different way for students to understand.
Socratic Discussion Checklist:http://webs.spokaneschools.org/SchoolDataToolsFiles/eval/Soc%20Sem%20observation%20assessment%20tools[1]2038955713.pdf
I have found this checklist to be useful to evaluate oral and listening techniques during discussions. Our students learned about food sources through our Food Inc. Unit. When students assembled in groups, one of the checklists was used so that each student could evaluate a peer during the discussion. The checklist format made every student accountable for both their evaluations and their listening. As a result, students became more engaged and reflective in their discussions. Additionally, I used another checklist to assess students and their contributions to their group. I found that the notes I made were consistent with the student observations.
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