Assess Chapter Three

Abstract:

Chapter three’s focus was on principles of assessment. Wormeli tells us that students come to us “biased” on the subjects we are trying to teach, and it is our job to help them see the “truth.” He reminds us that having students work in small groups may break up monotony, but is not actually differentiation until we divide those students according to aptitudes or interests. The text suggests providing the students with a copy of the end of semester test at the beginning of the year and telling them exactly what they should be learning. One cannot determine what students need to learn without first discovering where they are at with their knowledge of the content about to be discussed. It describes the differences between pre, formative, and summative assessments. Thus, they suggest pre-assessments to determine where students are at and to make the pre-assessments relevant to the concepts being taught. The chapter goes on to describe the principles of a good assessment and allowing students to “try again,” and concludes with stressing the importance of reflecting on the assessments given and altering the lesson appropriately.

Reflection:

The most helpful aspect of the chapter was the steps and examples of how to plan and design formative assessments that assess students' knowledge and skills. The concept of having a hierarchy of challenge per assessment helps relieve students of pressure that is associated with graded work and allows them to focus on learning. Two particular suggestions really stuck out: allowing students to make up their grades, and providing pre-assessments in orger to gauge student readiness. We also really liked the example of how an evaluation is just a snapshot and that it takes a photo album to really show what students have learned.