Ongoing Thoughts About Assessment, Evaluation & Documentation

One of the most important things to remember as an educator is that assessment is ongoing, and it is something that needs to occur throughout the school day. A significant portion of assessment during the school day is diagnostic (Assessment FOR) and formative (Assessment AS). This is where we provide students with feedback and guidance that will allow them to perfect their skills before their summative assessment (Assessment OF). As teachers, it will be beneficial to use our assessments to guide our lesson plans and fill in the gaps when required (Ministry of Ontario, Growing Success 2010).

The Ministry of Ontario document, Growing Success, is the guiding document that will guide teachers in their assessment of students.

Here are four key takeaways for teachers to be effective assessors:

1. Identify and clarify learning goals

2. Create effective classroom discussion

3. Provide feedback to help learners move forward.

4. Direct students to learn from each other.

It is up to teachers to decide how they will document student learning. Class checklists, grids with student names and online tools are among among the many tools teachers can use to conduct diagnostic assessment.

Here are some effective online tools for teacher diagnostic and formative evaluation.

As teachers assess students, it is important to always consider the various needs of the learners in the classroom and any required accommodations and/or modifications detailed in IEP documents.

Teachers need to remember that their assessment is differentiated and they are not using the same methods all the time (i.e. only in writing). It is important to observe students during class, pose questions for explicit thinking and encourage students to articulate their thinking in small group discussion. (Ministry of Ontario, Growing Success 2010).

As outlined in the Growing Success document, here are some final thoughts for when conducting our final evaluations (Assessment FOR), options for assessment include:

1. tests

2. exams

3. essays

4. projects (marked individually)

5. rich performance task

Final evaluations cannot include:

1. homework

2. collective group mark

3. peer assessment mark

References

Bell, K. (2019, March 13). 4 ways to use Google keep for feedback and assessment. Shake Up Learning. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-google-keep-for-feedback-and-assessment/

Bell, K. (2021, July 6). 27 formative assessment tools for your classroom. Shake Up Learning. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/20-formative-assessment-tools-for-your-classroom/?epik=dj0yJnU9WjVuY1FXOWNsMi10dGtwczJCZXhjR0FJUGtHU1lMb3QmcD0wJm49SWFGV1pFOFpqUWtpS0gyTDFrQU5SZyZ0PUFBQUFBR09NQklv

Ministry of Education | ontario.ca. (2010). Growing Success. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growsuccess.pdf