How Does Assessments Affect Children's Learning?

I am a strong believer that one test defines a students. Therefore, variety is key when assessing students. When using formative assessment I use student reflections, journal entries, exit cards in addition to non verbal communication such as thumbs up or down. I also make anadotal notes on students to help assess the overall learning journey of the student. When using summative assessments, I use district assessments, state assessments, portfolios, short answer, multiple choice, and student based projects. In all forms of assessments, students are provided the appropriate accommodations. My learning goal for assessing students is to have a valid assessment that demonstrate the student’s understanding of the specific skill. It is crucial that I understand the purpose of the assessments and the content that is being taught, therefore, I often start instruction with the assessment piece in

Assessment as learning for students will occur mainly in their interactions with other students. As students listen to what their peers are saying, they will learn new ideas. This engagement and participation will be good learning experiences that the students have throughout this unit. Students can use personal knowledge to construct meaning and monitor what they don’t understand something. Student’s routines reflect their work and I can make judgments about what they have already read. Student will use rubric to assess their journal. The student

Assessment and evaluation aid in determining whether or not learning objectives are being met. For example, assessment improves students learning by providing them with valid information to promote students’ achievements (Watson, 2015). Also, teachers’ assessment of student learning and performance is essential in a clinical setting (Oermann, 2013). Furthermore, assessment gathers, summarizes, interprets, and utilizes data determine the degree to make a successful action (Bastable, 2014). Therefore, teachers may write test items and analyze their results. Educators may also develop rating scales and other clinical evaluation or observe

Pupils learning and progress needs to be measured against objectives using ongoing assessment methods. Formative assessment methods are ongoing, they are used to check progress continually during learning . These techniques include using open ended questions which encourage pupils to think for themselves and use their own ideas rather than being influenced too much or led by the adult. Observing pupils is a formative assessment method which allows us to gather lots of knowledge about how pupils are progressing. It reveals how they work, interact with others, preferences, strengths, weaknesses etc over a period of time. Observations can be informal and take place on an ongoing regular basis or can be formal direct observations. Listening to pupils describe their work and reasoning, to hear about pupils understanding

Assessing learning, this can be done by initial, formative and summative assessments. Adapting assessment activities where possible to meet any particular requirements or needs. Recognising and valuing individual’s achievements. Ensuring assessment planning is individual. Encouraging all students to reach their full potential.

Therefore teachers’ knowledge, skills and competencies in classroom assessment practices are very important (Koloi-Keaikitse, 2012). As teachers play a major role in student achievements and preparing them for future, it is essential for them to understand how to assess and evaluate students’ learning outcomes (Koloi-Keaikitse, 2012). For this reason, Reynolds, Livingston, & Willson, (2009); McMillan, (2008); Nitko, (2001) maintain the common argument that because AFL plays a vital role in teaching and learning related activities teachers should master basic assessment competencies. Without this ability the type of assessment will be useless for the future learning of the students. For example, most common type of assessment provided in the classrooms are pen and paper tests taken at the end of a unit, the result from this is never used to improved student learning as teachers perceive the topic as completed and done with. Vandeyar and Killen (2003) argued that regardless of educational setting, high-quality assessment practices should satisfy essential principles such as validity, reliability, fairness, discrimination, and meaningfulness. For Vandeyar and Killen (2003), if teachers have a clear understanding of these principles; they can have an informed framework of using assessment results to make better-informed decisions from assessment results. When teachers misunderstand these principles, their assessment practices are more likely to generate worthless information and this might hinder them applying various classroom assessment strategies and form to assess and evaluate the students. Therefore in order to be more competent and knowledgeable in AFL; teachers are in need of professional development in order to foster effective AFL in in their classrooms. In addition, another factor that will increase an awareness of classroom assessment

After reading chapter 11 of our textbook, there were three important topics that stood out to me. The first topic that I thought was interesting was the purposes of assessments. According to Carjuzaa and Kellough, the purposes of assessments are for assisting student learning, identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, assess the effectiveness of a particular instruction strategy, assess and improve the effectiveness of curriculum programs, assess and improve teaching effectiveness, to provide data in order to communicate with parents and guardians and to involve them in their children’s learning, and to provide data that assist in decision making about a student’s future (Carjuzaa & Kellough, 2017, pg. 337-338). Assessing to identify strengths

After observing a 7th grade classroom, I have seen our class objectives being used in the classroom. I saw how a teacher uses assessment to check her students understanding and adjust instruction to meet the needs of the students. I saw different forms of assessment of formative assessment. I saw observations, the use of questioning, worksheets, and homework. The teacher reviewed material and retaught material that students had trouble understanding.

These assessment tasks are a form of formative assessment to monitor progress. Once students have completed a set of instructions and attempted a learning outcome they will be assessed on their performance. Readman and Allen (2013, p.154) urge the importance of recording all assessments and the most common form of recording is a cross-matrix, with learning outcomes against students’ names. Their performance is recorded and ticked off as they complete each step. There is room on the record sheet for any comments or observations. Providing an assessment task after each step and ticking students off as they grasp the concept ensures that they are developing the required skills to master the concept. This form of formative assessment can also be used as formative judgement and determine what direction the students need to be taken in. For example, after instruction the students are to complete an assessment task, if the majority of students are unable to complete the task you may need to take the whole class back a step and re-establish the lesson. Formative assessment tasks are a useful tool to assess understanding, make formative judgements and provide evidence of

There are many different types of assessments educators will use to assess their students. The two main assessments this paper will be discussing are formative and summative. Formative assessments are complete as students are learning, while summative assessment are completed at the end of learning (exam). The formative assessment specifically concentrates on observing the students’ progress and response during instruction (Black, et al., 2003). This assessment allows the students to receive instant feedback during their learning development. The summative assessment focusses on confirming what the students have learned at the conclusion of a lesson or at the end of the term (Wiggins, 1998). This assessment assists in the decision of what instructional and learning goals were met. Alternative assessments need to be completed, due to not all students are capable of showing what they comprehend on all assessments. Some students are too young to even take a summative assessment.

As an educator there are many important facets that facilitate in the success of students. Teachers are responsible for establishing rapport, educating, making observations, creating goals, and assessing the progress that students make throughout the school year. There are many advantages to being competent in the educational assessments of students. Black and William (1998) mentions the major part of assessing students is to aid in understanding and improving the quality of teaching that a student receives. Also, when assessing students the information obtained by teachers must be accurate, reliable, and honest in regards to how a student is performing.

As a teacher, keeping good assessment records is one key way to analyze the educational needs of the student. Keeping good records acquire an accurate picture of the strengths and weakness of the student’s academic needs as well as for improving achievements and meeting academic challenges. Assessment may include: progress monitoring, dynamic assessment, portfolio assessment, observational and anecdotal records and standardized tests.

Assessment’s benefit teachers greatly and are a factor that is vital to a student’s education. Assessments are a method in which teachers use to evaluate, measure, and document the progress students have made. While assessments are usually equated with traditional testing, teachers may also use a diverse array of assessment methods to measure a student’s progress in any class. Assessments are usually created to measure specific elements of learning wither its cognitive, psychomotor or affective. Assessment may also be used to see the level of knowledge a student may already have on a concept or a skill that the teacher is planning on teaching. Assessments are also used to identify individual student weaknesses and strengths so that teachers may cater to the student by providing extra support on the concept being taught. The two common forms of assessments are formative assessments and summative assessments. A formative assessment is an in-process evaluation on students learning and is typically completed multiple times throughout a unit. This type of assessment may provide clarity on a student’s learning progress, and modifications that a teacher may need to make. A summative assessment is used to evaluate students at the end of a unit.

The first component in assessing student learning is thinking about the instrument that will be used to gather evidence and make sense of what students have learned and understand about their learning progress. Assessment instruments vary in form and include essays to synthesize knowledge, presentations, test worksheets etc., but any assessments must be aligned to measure learning targets and state standards at the appropriate levels of understanding. In many cases, as seen in Figure 1, teachers make sense of the evidence they collect from assessments by making tables and graphs that represent the quantitative measure of student knowledge before and after instruction.

The students will be assessed for understanding throughout the lesson as well as at the conclusion of the lesson through activities and