Week Eight

         There was a time when I thought assessments were just something to give for a grade. I honestly viewed them as a waste of limited instructional time. That was before I realized how much assessment could guide my instruction throughout the unit so that students met the learning objective by the summative assessment. 

        I have learned that assessment involves unpacking a standard, writing learning objectives, designing assessments that carefully gather information about where a student is performing in relation to a learning objective, and how to study assessment data in order to devise interventions and instructional adjustments that will increase learning outcomes. I have learned that assessments take many forms such as checklists, observational notes, essays, multiple choice items, tickets out the door, and more. 

        It takes a great deal of practice to collect assessment data and utilize it for instructional decisions on a continual basis. Transitioning from limiting assessment use to summative data and grades to formative assessments that inform instruction take lots of trial and error, scheduling, and collaboration. 

        I have learned especially in writing instruction that the feedback I can give students based upon formative assessments makes tremendous differences in their writing growth. Summative assessments at the end of a unit can serve to illustrate growth from one unit to the next, but formative assessments help students and me see the small steps we need to take to make improvement during the unit. 

        The use of formative assessments have certainly made me a better teacher, and I plan to continue to practice and devise ways to use formative assessment data to shape my instruction. I want to make every effort to provide the best instruction possible for my students with each new strategy or skill I can utilize. 

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