Chapter 7: AssessmentMake Assessment Instruction's Working Partner

Outline Core Ideas

Demonstration of Assessment Tools/Strategies Informal Reading Conference Shared Reading Exercise

Discussion

Core Ideas“Assessment must be used to bring about benefits for children, or data should not be collected at all” -Lorrie A. Shepard

Assessment must be used to move students ahead and determine next steps for teaching; it must work for both the student and the teacher

Teachers must have a “mindset of evaluation”, constantly and actively linking assessment with instruction, and adjusting to the needs of their students

Most accurate assessment comes from observing and interacting with your students

Core Ideas (Cont.) Balance formal assessment with informal assessments

Use assessments as a tool in setting expectations (teachers, students and parents), teacher collaboration and administrator/teacher partnership

Teach Intentionally!

Work to change/eliminate impractical assessment practices (or those that provide little information)

Teaching Cycle….Assess (collect

data)

Evaluate (analyze data)

Meet student needs?Adjust Lesson

Reteach

At the start of an assessment…. Is this a valid and useful assessment?

How am I using this assessment?

What goals am I setting?

Who else do I need to inform?

Applying a New Strategy: Informal Conference Special Ed Classroom (Insert School Details)

Five Students; One teacher, One individual student aide

Student Profile : (Insert details of Student Profile)

Student Profile: Insert details of student #2 profile

Guidelines: Informal Reading Conference Important for Students to view as a “checkup” (conversation) rather than a

“test”

Conference Structure During Independent Reading Five-ten minutes per child Most students once per month, “struggling’ students weekly Teacher does not have to have pre-read the text Student may read aloud or read silently (older students) Allow the student to choose the text (one they have read and understand)

Applying a new Strategy: Assessing a Shared Reading Exercise Not sure what we are doing here…..a demo? Video ourselves? We have to

demo the assessment protocol

Discussion Questions (sample; add more!) Why do we assess students? How do you think teachers should balance

formal assessment and informal assessment?

Routman emphasizes the need for teachers to engage in need based teaching, teaching that is individual and moves your student ahead. What strategies can you use to make sure that you are using assessments to formulate a need based plan?

How can we use results from “high stakes testing” to inform and improve our teaching?

Discussion Questions (cont.)

Conclusions