Module 26 and 28 Blog Prompt 1

The main ideas from these modules were the different types of assessments to measure students understanding and knowledge of learning, and how as a teacher you can effectively evaluate the assessments and enhance student learning.  Some of the main purposes of an assessment include providing feedback on student progress, guiding and motivating students in their own learning, and understanding ways to better modify and enhance instruction to enrich student learning.  It’s important to decide when it’s appropriate to use a formal assessment such as a test or quiz and when to use an informal assessment, which includes the process of day-to-day observation of how students perform.  Next a teacher must decide how to assess a students learning, either by formative assessment or summative assessment.  In formative assessment a teacher checks for understanding and makes adjustments to improve students learning while in summative assessment a teacher documents achievements.  Effective assessment is important and helps students establish their own academic expectations to improve performance.  Assessment can facilitate learning when a teacher monitors changing perceptions and understanding to better their instruction.  It’s also very important to always provide feedback so students know how they can improve! It’s important for teachers to consider grading procedures when evaluating assessment.  Grades should be distributed fairly, and assessment should support student’s motivation to learn and improve.  Allowing students to make mistakes and fail sometimes is part of the learning process.  Another type of assessment is performance assessment, which is a form of assessment that requires students to carry out an activity or develop a product to show their knowledge or skill.  This type of assessment requires students to demonstrate their proficiency at a particular task by using high level problem solving skills, and not just answer questions on a test.  Different performance assessments include presentations, projects, and portfolios.  It’s crucial for teachers to have an efficient way to score performance.  Different grading procedures include checklists, rating scales, and rubrics.  There are many advantages in learning for performance assessments, but teachers must make sure they show validity to content being learned in class, and have a reliable way to grade and report feedback. 

What are some appropriate ways to assess performance assessments?

	Formative Assessment	Summative Assessment
Formally assessed	Provide a worksheet for students to complete after an assignment is taught to ensure understanding	Provide a test to see if students are understanding the learning material,
Informally assessed	Observe student’s progress of understanding concepts by answering questions and providing feedback after a lesson has been taught	Observe students and answer questions after the completion of a unit to determine if the goals of learning were completed

By just looking at formative versus summative assessment it’s difficult to determine which one is which.  The assessments are used in different ways.  When a teacher decides to use formative assessment for a learning activity, they’re checking to determine progress and understanding so they can provide feedback and improve a student’s learning while they’re still in progress.  A summative assessment is a teacher’s way to evaluate a student’s progress and assign a grade.