April Dailey

MED/560March 17, 2013

Trend, Challenge, Issue Presentation

5 Connections between Globalization and education

#1 ChallengeView of teaching as a Profession

Informal Assessments

The main types of informal assessments include

teacher observations, teacher questions, and student

reflections.

The majority of assessments used in classrooms are

informal.

Assessents occur in an ongoing, continuous manner.

Teacher Observations

Teacher Observations: watching and/or listening to students as they perform an activity, or judging a product they have produced.

• purpose is to record and describe student behavior as it naturally occurs

• can provide information with respect to:the quality of student performancesthe processes and procedures students use to

complete assignmentsthe processes and procedures teachers use in

providing instruction

Teacher Questions

Teacher Questions: informal, unplanned,

spontaneous oral inquiries posed by teachers to

students.

• useful as a means of monitoring student

understanding during instruction

• both lower- and higher-order questions can be

posed

• can also be used as a form of student self-

reflection

Student Reflections

Student Reflections: brief narratives or self-reports

written by students concerning the subject matter

being studied.• variations of journals or learning logs• completed periodically throughout a unit• may consist of summaries of material,

questions raised during class, characteristics of a project, etc.

• provide opportunities for teacher and students to discuss comments and questions

Validity and Reliability of Informal Assessments

Validity• can be adversely affected by prejudging or anticipating

student behaviors• inappropriate indicators of student characteristics are

sometimes selected

Reliability• affected by lack of adequate sampling of behaviors• inferences drawn in one setting may not extend to others

Advantages and Limitations of Informal Assessments

Advantages• are efficient and adaptable• can be built into flow of lesson (no interruption)• can be used to monitor instruction and learning

Limitations• observations are limited only to those behaviors

that occur naturally• teachers observe only a fraction of student

behaviors• many informal observations go undocumented

and, therefore, are likely forgotten

Formative Assessments…….

are assessments FOR learning that measure a few things

frequently.

Formative AssessmentA A formative assessmentformative assessment, like a physical examination, , like a physical examination,

can provide both the “doctor” and the “patient” with can provide both the “doctor” and the “patient” with timely information regarding the patient’s well-being timely information regarding the patient’s well-being and can help with a prescription for an ailing person and can help with a prescription for an ailing person or assist a healthy person to become even stronger.or assist a healthy person to become even stronger.

Formative Assessments

Common formative assessments represent the most effective strategies for determining whether the guaranteed curriculum is being taught…….. and more importantly, learned !!!!

What happens when you move to formative assessment too quickly?

SOME FINAL THOUGHTSFormative Assessment:Formative Assessment:

Refers to what happens on a daily basis in the classroom

Provides teachers with information about specific next instructional steps for students:

Assessment Drives Instruction.Assessment Drives Instruction.

Students know where they are at instructionally and where they need to go

On-going assessment provides continual feedback that helps students progress over time