Rigor, data-based decision making may lead teachers to errors in assessing student learning. Find out how to address these issues thoughtfully.

Every day of learning can make a huge impact on a student's life. It's getting them to see this truth that is difficult. Enter authentic assessments!

Whether they're completed on a piece of paper, a tablet, or a whiteboard, exit tickets are a powerful tool to use in your classroom. Exit tickets are formative assessments that provide a quick snapshot about your students' learning and understanding of a topic faster than any other tool in the classroom.

Click on the picture for free download from TpT. I've been thinking a lot about formative assessments lately. Formative assessments are all about gathering information from your students - during instruction - in order to inform your teaching. The most obvious place to gather that information is from student work (click HERE to see a post about that), and it can be a lot of fun. Another place to gather information is also from your students. But now you have to get inside their brains, and find out how they assess their own learning. How in the world are we supposed to do this? And why is it important? Let's tackle the importance question first. Studies show that students who are partners in their own assessment show increased engagement in all subject areas, and are more likely to become life-long learners. Also, students who are taught to analyze their own learning show increased motivation to learn. Well, that's enough to convince me. It just makes sense, and I think we can agree that this is important. So the next question is, how do we do this? Here's the bad news. Most students don't walk into your classroom knowing how to assess themselves. In fact, many adults have trouble with metacognition. Here's the good news. Metacognition can be explicitly taught. In fact, every teacher I know is already doing this (though perhaps we are not always aware of the fact that we are teaching metacognition. haha). We model reading strategies such as activating prior knowledge, summarizing, finding the meaning of a word through context, and stopping and rereading, just to name a few. Click on picture to see Pin. Here's another great Pinterest idea. If you have not invested in a tap light, it is fabulous for modeling reading strategies! Just tap the light on when you stop reading to model what you are thinking. Run to Walmart and get one. You won't be sorry. The only downside is that students will remind you to use it every time you interrupt your read aloud. So if the phone rings in the middle of the book, be prepared for 26 voices to yell, "Turn on the light first!" when you go to pick up the phone. When it comes to math, those of us teaching the Common Core State Standards are modeling the 8 Math Practice Standards (see that post, HERE). These practices are vital to teaching students to monitor their own mathematical thinking. We model ourselves not giving up, even when something is difficult to master (MP1), or looking for a shortcut (MP8), etc. (I have to share this... the other day, one of my students was struggling with a math concept. I asked him if he could find a shortcut to use. He looked up at me and said, "I'm going to use the long cut, because I really want to learn this.") So what about metacognition as it relates to self assessment? Well, we have to model that, too. And here is where it gets fun. We get to model for our students that we make mistakes. All. The. Time. Then we walk them through the thought processes involved in fixing the mistakes. I want my students to see mistakes as something positive - as the poster says, mistakes are proof that you are trying! Here are some ideas: Model mispronouncing a word, catching yourself, and then correcting it. Make a mistake on a math problem. Model how to find the correct answer. Revise something. Decide (out loud) in the middle that it is not quite right. Then fix it. Stop in the middle of a sentence and ask, "What am I doing right now? Am I on task? What is my strategy for learning?" © 2011 woodleywonderworks, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio In the past I have used the idea of Marzano's levels of understanding for the process of self assessment. I gave each student the "stoplight" colors to keep on their desks (red - I need help, yellow - I'm trying, green - I can do this), but I felt as though I needed more than color coded paper. I've also used the number system (A student who holds up one finger needs help, and so on), but I wanted to use them together, with the addition of light bulbs to signify learning. I checked on Teachers Pay Teachers, and there are many excellent versions, but nothing quite matched the picture in my mind. So I made my own. (So here you can see my own version of self assessment posters, a rubric, and cards for students to keep in/on their desks. There's also a notebook page. Click on the picture to take you to my TpT store and see for yourself, if you like.) This process of going from 'not knowing' to 'trying' to 'understanding' to 'explaining' also has to be modeled for students. Here are some ideas: Model those mistakes, and why they are a good thing. Model that it's okay to ask for help. Model that everyone is different, and some people need more practice than others. (I use drawing for this one, because I'm terrible at it, but I still try. And I need lots of practice!) Model that being on #1 is not a bad thing. It just means that you haven't learned something yet. (I use the Spanish language for this example. Sometimes I don't even want to try, because I know I will make mistakes. About half of my third graders are bilingual, and when I mispronounce something, they let me know!) Model the difference between explaining how to do something and simply giving the answer. Thank you for reading along as I think about my thinking (and teaching). I truly believe that writing this blog is helping me to become a better teacher. I'm sure that most of you are light years beyond me in this journey, and I'm humbled by the fact that you choose to read my meanderings. I hope you can use the free posters at the beginning of this post, and I hope you will come back again to read some more. Next time, I'll show you my new KWL charts. And KWHL charts, too. Happy Self Assessment and Metacognition,

I've been reading the book, Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, and just finished chapter 3. It was a real eye-opener. Through all of my years of teaching, I thought I was differentiating by planning and implementing reteaching and enrichment lessons and activities as my class worked through a unit. But in this chapter, I learned how important it is to start the differentiation before the unit even begins! This process begins with the preassessment. So much valuable information can be gathered before you begin teaching a unit. The purpose of the preassessment is to find how much students understand the content before you plan and teach the unit. Do they have a complete understanding of the content? Then they will need enrichment and/or accelerated activities. Do they have a partial understanding of the content? Then you need to make note of the gaps in their learning so you can plan accordingly. Checklists are a great way to keep track of the objectives and student mastery. From this checklist, you will also see students that need to be grouped for instruction. Keep in mind that this grouping will change as students master the objectives. Another insight I gained from this chapter is the different types of assessments used in a classroom. I put together this graphic to sum up the three types of assessment you should be using in your classroom. Click on the image to download the pdf version. You can also download this free packet with three quick and easy formative assessments you can use

What is the difference between Assessment and Evaluation? Assessment tests how learning is going whereas evaluation tests what has been learned. Assessment

Sometimes it feels crazy overwhelming to keep assessing students and know exactly what they do/don’t understand. That’s where these quick and easy formative assessment ideas comes in! M…

Are you looking for some new ideas or ways to use informal assessments in your classroom? This is a complete A to Z list of assessment ideas for you!

So this happened... I was walking through Walmart, minding my own business, and these emoji beanbags threw themselves into my cart. Sort of. First, I saw that they were on clearance for $7 each. How could I resist? This picture shows them sitting in the back of my trusty minivan, waiting for the custodians to finish cleaning my classroom and let me in. (My need to begin setting up my classroom begins about mid-July every summer, because I report back the first week of August.) At first I thought they might be used by my students as actual bean bag chairs. Um, no. The fabric is thin, and the insides are pretty uncomfortable. So the flexible seating idea was out (more on that idea later). These babies are just for show. When I walked into my room, I saw that my old TV had been removed, leaving a very high corner shelf in the front of the room. Perfect. My walls were completely bare this summer, awaiting the installation of a new 70 inch smart TV that will take the place of my projector. So I got to thinking about the really important stuff that would be front and center in my room, our self-assessment rubric, class motto, and rules... and I decided to change them all. Here's the first emoji update: our growth mindset/metacognition posters. This is how I get my kiddos to start thinking about their thinking (for the original post on this subject, click HERE). These posters are free at my Teachers Pay Teacher's store, just click on them to download! The next part of my emoji update is the complete set of self-assessment tools, which you can also find for sale in my TpT store by clicking on the following picture. My new class motto is: GROW your brain (Growth mindset!) SHOW your stamina (Whole Brain Teaching - stamina is being able to do something for a long time, without getting tired or giving up.) KNOW how you're learning (Self-Assessment!) If you want to join me in my new emoji style, I'm working on editable class rules next! Happy teaching,

We all know that some assessments are not optional. Our little kiddos must sit in their desks and show what they know with a pencil and p...

Classroom Freebies Too is more freebies for more teachers!

In this post, you will find 27 Formative Assessment Tools for Your Classroom! Formative assessment is such an essential part of the learning process and student success, and many digital tools can help support this process.This list has a wide variety of features and options to help you solidify your formative assessment strategies! Many of the tools below are great for both formative and summative assessments.

Easily Compare Formative Assessment Tools To make it easier for teachers to choose the best tool for the job, I've created the Formative Assessment Comparison Guide. There are so many great choices for teachers and students when

Teachers do it every day, they do it all the time, and they do it sometimes without even realizing it. What is it they are regularly doing? Teachers are continually evaluating student understanding via formative assessments. Formative assessments are an essential tool for assessing student understanding and building

An assessment that gets students to dig deep into content will result in more rigorous learning, writes author-consultant Barbara Blackburn. Examples included.

Want more teaching time and less monitoring behavior? This Classroom Behavior Management strategy is for you!

The idea of student engagement and assessment from MINUTE ONE of DAY ONE, sounds a bit crazy, right?

Test outside the box.

Have you ever given your students the opportunity to record and listen to themselves read? As teachers, we frequently observe and conference with our students about their oral reading fluency. However, it can be much more meaningful for students to actually hear and evaluate themselves. Last year I started doing fluency self-evaluations as a center and was very pleased with the ownership my students began to take toward achieving their reading goals. My second graders used the free workflow app Showbie to complete their fluency self-evaluations. After practicing their passage several times, they recorded themselves reading it aloud. Once they played back their recording they filled out the rubric, along with their goals for next time, and sent it to me via Showbie. If you don’t have a class set of iPads, you may want to try one of the many free voice recording apps by doing a search in the app store. One of the best and most user-friendly apps I’ve found is Voice Recorder by Tap Media (free). Students simply press the “Record” button and then “Stop” when they are finished. Then they press the “Play” button to hear their recording. There’s even the option to save recordings in folders if you want to keep a record of your students’ progress. You can grab my rubric for free by clicking HERE or on the image below.

Description The Values Assessment is an interactive version of the classic values exploration activity. Select your favorite values from a list (or add...

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is the process of finding out how much progress students have made in their learning and then planning next steps for them. What does successful AfL look like? Strateg…

To some extent, the difference between formative assessment and summative assessment is a matter of context and objectives.

Explore the nuanced differences between assessments and evaluations in training—unveiling their diagnostic vs. judgmental nature and individual vs. broader perspectives.

Are you looking for some new ideas or ways to use informal assessments in your classroom? This is a complete A to Z list of assessment ideas for you!

What is the difference between Formative and Summative Assessment? Formative assessments occur during a learning activity. Summative assessments occur at ..

Establishing consistent accountability when using the workshop approach to teaching and learning may seem daunting at first. After all, your students are producing, and consuming an immense amount of content during workshop on a daily basis…far more than you can (and want) to grade. The good news is, you don’t have to grade every activity. I know what you’re thinking…”If I stop grading every single thing…there won’t be enough accountability.” The reality is, there are other far more efficient ways to establish accountability and boost meaningful student growth. One of these ways is routine student self-reflection. If you’re ready to bring more student reflection to your classroom, these tips can help you establish routines that maintain consistent accountability in your workshop classroom. Creating Rubrics Together A foundational rubric will help you and your students create a common language that can make ongoing assessment more meaningful and fluid in your classroom. Begin by pulling the rubric your district requires you to use, or write a rubric that communicates your parameters for each level of understanding in your classroom. Rewrite this rubric in your own student-friendly language so you can share these parameters with your class. Making a slide or poster for each level on your rubric so it is easier for students to digest may be helpful. Set aside time in your schedule each day to create a one-week series of work sessions when you and your students can rewrite the rubric again as a class using language that is actually produced by your students. You may opt to: Have all slides/posters on display simultaneously while students rotate to stations where they work in groups to make meaning of each level of understanding. Students can then write their interpretations on the slides/posters, which can be aggregated on the final day. Display one slide/poster each day and host a class conversation that facilitates meaning-making for each level of understanding. Record student ideas as you work toward a common, and final definition for each level of understanding. At the end of these series of work sessions, you and your students will have a rubric that is unpacked by them, rewritten by them, and ready to be used by them. Working together as a class to write a final rubric that will be adopted as the foundation makes conversations about assessments more meaningful and productive. Rubric Drawers Once your class rubric is created, you can make it easy for students to consistently reflect on their work by submitting any assignments to “rubric drawers” that are marked with the definitions for each level of understanding. This built-in practice of self-reflection builds students’ intrinsic motivation to reach higher and produce quality work. If you notice your students have a tendency to submit work to the “wrong” drawer, this signals they need a follow up lesson on the type of work quality required to achieve each level of understanding. Using exemplars (examples of each level of understanding from a particular subject area or activity) can help students build a stronger definition for what work quality looks like. As students build their ability to accurately assess themselves, you can also have them attach a short note of justification for their self-scoring. This will provide insight about any misconceptions they may have about their work or the rubric levels your class has written. If you want to track the score students give themselves on an activity, provide a special pen or stamp that allows them to mark their score before placing it in the drawer. In addition, you can have students submit work with the help of a partner. Once an activity is complete, a student can briefly confer with their assigned partner to get feedback, and make a decision about which drawer a piece should be submitted. This provides an additional layer of motivation for students to reach higher, as they know a peer will be reviewing their work quality. Reflection Letters Another routine that can boost student growth through self-assessment is the writing of reflection letters on a routine basis. Students thrive when they know they have an important role in their assessment process, and will be eager to read your response. Begin by creating a prompt that asks students to reflect specifically on different areas of the assignment that will support their goal setting and goal progress. Also direct students to refer to their rubric to self-assess, and provide justification for their assessment as part of their reflection process. This routine will remind students the importance of keeping the rubric in mind as they complete their work each week, which will foster stronger performance. Set aside time to read these reflection letters and write brief responses which may include your own score using the same rubric, and comments that support your scoring. This written dialogue further emphasizes the value you place on student work and growth. If you find the need to differentiate this letter writing process to support the unique needs of students in your classroom. Here are some differentiation ideas: Have students dictate as you record their reflection. Have students circle their score on a rubric and mark evidence with color-coding or sticky notes. Provide sentence frames to scaffold independence. Self Assessment & Reflection In Your Classroom Ready to give self-reflection a try in your own classroom? Here are a few editable tools to help you get started. Once you’ve established student self-reflection routines in your classroom, stop by and share your experience. I look forward to hearing about the growth your students make, and the freedom you feel from teaching in a workshop classroom where accountability and engagement are off the charts.

I am so happy to be back linking up with this fabulous idea. My bright idea is to give you my top 5 EASY ways to implement formative assessment in your classroom. As teachers, we are all usually very good at summative assessment - that is, assessment of learning, where we check to see if our students are reaching certain goal and standards as set by the curriculum. But we need to become better at formative assessment - that is assessment FOR learning, where we are more able to support students through the learning process and make adjustments for each individual. Thanks Classroom Chit Chat for the stick photo. Graphics - Educlips, Krista Wallden Fonts - Kimberley Geswein If you enjoyed this Bright Idea, why not follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or TeachersPayTeachers for more? And for more Bright Ideas from over 100 bloggers, take a look at the link up below! Each idea has a recommended grade level for you :) An InLinkz Link-up

Classroom review is a lot more fun with the Four Corners game! I love using this strategy for test prep, icebreakers, and more.

Teach your students how to give effective, powerful feedback and watch them take ownership of their learning. This download includes everything you need to teach the art of giving feedback to students in grades K-5. - 2 Teaching Posters: Powerful Feedback is... and How Can You Be Specific? - 2 pages of tools so support verbal peer-assessment: Cards with sentence starters, picture checklist for powerful feedback, glow and grow discs to place directly on student work. - 2 pages of tools to support verbal self-assessment: Cards with questions and prompts for the teacher to ask the student (great for K and 1, SpED students and to introduce self-assessment), Glow and Grow Touchpoints for students to use while self-assessing. - Tools for giving written peer feedback in 5 versions (blank boxes, primary lines, and 3 levels of sentence starters). - Tools for giving written self feedback in 5 versions (blank boxes, primary lines, and 3 levels of sentence starters). - 6 pages of "Fix it Up" sheets for students to practice giving written feedback. - 3 pages of feedback exemplars. Happy Teaching!

How do you typically measure learning? Check out the infographic for ideas on how to mix and match assessment techniques for your next training program.

Use these tech tools to boost engagement while also getting great feedback about what your students know.

Authentic learning in Bloom's Taxonomy and online tech tools can help today’s digital students to navigate through its elements collaboratively.