Assessment

The basic purpose of Assessment is to check student understanding and determine the degree to which they have mastered learning goals or objectives.  Teachers assess students in a variety of ways, such as answering oral questions; completing quizzes, experiments, graphic organizers, and charts; and/or creating models and illustrations.  Teachers also should include frequent learning probes (e.g., asking for brief student responses) to produce a real time, authentic view of how students are progressing.  In general, the more teachers conduct assessments and learning probes, the more students engage and achieve. 

Teachers often change the type of assessment; however, there are a few fundamental tasks that they should address routinely during this stage:

• Review work from previous stages (e.g., Presentation, Learning Together, Just For Me).
• Have groups answer the Challenge Question.
• Gather data and evaluate progress of individuals, small groups, and/or the entire class toward reaching the instructional objectives, group learning and behavior goals, and/or individualized learning targets.
• Evaluate use and effectiveness of IEP accommodations and assistive technology (AT) tools for students with disabilities, when appropriate.
• Use technology to boost accessibility and productivity as students complete assessments.