Evaluation Of An Informal Assessment Technique

Both formal and informal assessments are used to help students meet specific standards (Yell, 2006). They are also used to identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses in the child’s performance, which can improve the quality of teaching and learning (Yell, 2006). Formal assessment is the use of specific assessments to determine the level of learning the student is at (McLaughlin, 2006). Formal assessment strategies may include, essays, exams, projects, presentations, journal writing, artwork, or creative design tasks to list a few (McLaughlin, 2006). Informal assessment on the other hand, consist of the observation and the monitoring of a student during class or during a teaching experience (McLaughlin, 2006). Informal assessment includes things like motivating, quizzing, giving the student an opportunity to show what they have learned, collecting, analyzing, and providing feedback on in and out of class work samples (McLaughlin, 2006). Formal and informal assessments can be used interchangeably. One may work better than the other depending on the disorder the child has. Determining which assessment to use can be difficult, especially when dealing with a disorder like ASD. One of the most difficult things in dealing with the diagnosis of ASD

Questioning is a method of testing knowledge by asking the learner a series of questions related to the performance criteria. It is important that the assessor plans the questions beforehand, ensuring that open questions are used, and identifies the means of recording them, whether it be written; voice recorded or videoed. Questioning can be a very useful assessment method used alongside other methods. With observation, in particular, ‘what if’ questions can be used for evidence that might be hard to obtain, for example.

Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) are diagnostic assessment administered individually to evaluate different aspects of students’ reading. After reading the text, students orally are answering the questions following the text. Teachers take into the consideration additional factors,, such as fluency, students’ prior knowledge, and determine students’ reading levels. This information may to choose appropriate reading material for students, to form reading groups, and to plan future reading instruction taking into the considerations students strengths and needs. According to Chall (1983), the greatest value of IRI is to help educators to diagnose the gaps in the abilities of readers who struggle the most. For teachers, who looking for the better way to address students instructional needs of children, who have reading difficulties, IRI is a very valuable diagnostic tool.

At the middle school level, it is difficult to administer extensive interminable assessments, when you are trying to determine readability for over 100 students. Many middle school teachers rely on the NWEA/MAP assessment and “Standard of Learning” to provide them with their student’s Lexile levels and readability. The problem with using data from the NWEA/MAP assessment and SOL scores is that teachers only have data from the previous year and are unable to assess the factors that contributed to the students testing scores. A quick and easy assessment that can be given the first week of school, which takes 10 minutes or less and shows word recognition as well as readability is the San Diego Quick Assessment.

There are many forms of both formal and informal assessment tools and approaches that help teachers evaluate the language development and the progress performance of their students. Assessment approaches are the way teachers assess their students and assessment tools referred to the instruments that utilize to measure each method. Some of those tools includes: Tests, quizzes, projects, classroom performances, tasks, observations, portfolios and standardize tests. Tests and quizzes are given periodically to ensure students comprehend the subject contents. Performance tasks and projects are used to measure students’ accumulated skills and knowledge in problem-solving and critical thinking whereas observations and portfolios are evidences to show students performance and achievement over the period of time. Each of these forms of assessment is very effective when utilized and conducted at an appropriate time.

Initially in this assignment, I intend to describe and evaluate two different assessment methods, which I use to assess the progress of my learners.

The type of assessment tool that would be used to measure students’ fluency is DIEBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DORF). The target intervention for the four students is improving their reading fluency to a 2nd grade level. DORF is a standardized test that measures student performance of reading word from the grade level by being timed for 1 minute. Students are instructed to read a passage as best as they can while the teacher is monitoring how many WPM they can read accurately in 1 minute. DORF also asks students to describe what they just read to allow a more accurate *** of students level or reading and avoid students reading quickly because they know they are being timed. (**p.32-33). The selecting of DIEBELS DORF was selected based on the

The reliability of an assessment in a perfect situation should produce the same results if marked by another tutor or if that examiner unknowingly receives the same paper again. If different marks are given the assessment is consequently unreliable and proves that this assessment is subjective.

This vastly researched and thriving subfield of psychology is concerned with basic methods used to identify similarities and differences among individual’s personal characteristics and capacities. Assessment involves more than mere administration of tests i.e.: collection and integration of information attained from various sources like interviews, behavioural observations, reports, psychological tests and historical documents in order to attain a complete picture of a person’s state.

Informal Assessment: Based on Robert’s IEP goals and objects, interviews and ecological assessment I choose to complete three informal assessments from Leach Chapter 3. I completed an informal social skills, communication skills and behavior skills assessments. I used the sample assessments that were provided by Leach to complete them. I choose these three informal assessments to focus on because the interviews and the ecological assessment pointed to concerns with social, communication and behavior skills (Appendix c). Robert also has IEP goals in social and communication areas.

Review a range of different assessment methods available and explain the ones you would use for your subject area. Evaluate the use of assessment methods in different contexts including reference to initial assessment, formative and summative. Justify the types of assessment records you would keep and why.

One of the best ways for a teacher to learn their students’ ability and growth is by informal and formal assessments. An affective assessment can be both a formal and informal assessment. A formal affective assessment collects scores and compares the students to national ranks. Therefore, an informal affective assessment is primarily for the teachers use and knowledge, to check their students’ current growth. This assessment provides teachers insight into their students’ attitude, interest, and values. An affective assessment can be administered one-on-one, one teacher or instructional aid is administering the test to a student, or whole-class. Fortunately, I was able to administer an affective assessment to one of my students at my internship. I informally assessed the student’s reading attitude. I decided to use and modify the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS), to gauge the student’s interest in reading. I modified the test by placing emoticons above each Garfield. I then had the student decide what each emoticon made them feel or think (i.e. love, happy, mad, and hurt). This provided the student control of the survey. Overall, I learned a lot about the student’s attitude towards reading, strategies that would best enhance his growth, and the reliability of an affective assessment.

Randy May works for a small airline based on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. He recently won two million in the New England Lottery and decided to invest his winnings, ultimately, in a chain of ice cream shops in the Cape Cod area to gain potential future earnings. Figuring he had enough money to open up ice cream shops in both islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, as well as two shops in Falmouth and Buzzards Bay, he signed a contract with a local builder and began construction of the shops. After beginning the process of construction, he was faced with the next task of hiring employees to staff the four ice cream shops. Throughout his calculations, he estimated

Assessments are a critical tool in monitoring the progress of English language learners at all grade levels. The main purpose of assessments is to ensure students are receiving quality teaching instruction in accordance to academic and content standards. Even though these tests are not the only resource used for testing students, they provide teachers with invaluable data to determine if the student is growing in certain academic areas. There are several types of assessment that can be used to measure a student’s progress. In this paper, various alternatives to

Diagnostic assessment is intended to improve the learner’s experience and their level of achievement. However, diagnostic assessment looks backward rather than forwards. It assesses what the learner already knows and/or the nature of difficulties that the learner might have, which, if undiagnosed, might limit their engagement in new learning. It is often used before teaching or when a problem arises. Diagnostic assessment involves the gathering and careful evaluation of detailed dates using student’s knowledge and skills in a given learning area.