Creating a Culture of Learning: Reflections on Assessments

Education has always gone hand in hand with assessments, whether it was Socrates forcing a friend to question a set of underlying premises to test their soundness, or whether it's a math quiz with technology-enhanced items administered and graded digitally on a tablet. It's nearly impossible to think about learning without also thinking about how we measure and understand and track and express what we've learned.

But the ways that educators think about assessments--and put them into practice in the classroom--can vary widely. Here are two thought-provoking articles by Katrina Schwartz from the website Mind/Shift, a blog from NPR and California radio station KQED. Both articles ask probing questions about the purpose of assessments, the current practices, and possible ways of doing things differently.

Take a look at this piece, "More Progressive Ways to Measure Deeper Levels of Learning," which discusses a number of less traditional assessment models.

And be sure to check out this article, too: "The Importance of Low-Stakes Student Feedback," which explores the possibilities that open up when educators make use of frequent formative assessment.

Want Fantastic, Creative, Practical Ideas for Formative Assessments From Other Teachers? Look at Pinterest!

If you're already on Pinterest then you probably know what a great place it can be to find a quick, last-minute recipe for the summer block party this weekend, or inspiration for changing the look of your living room on a budget, or even a list of fun summer beach-reads to take on vacation.

But have you thought to check out Pinterest for classroom ideas? Research has shown that formative assessment practices really work when they're implemented correctly in thoughtful ways. These practices can help teachers pinpoint students' strengths and weakness with precision, in time to make adjustments and give students the instruction and the tools they need.

Formative assessments can of course look like traditional tests, but there is an enormous variety when it comes to assessing students this way--formally and informally. And Pinterest is a great place to search for some of these more informal assessment strategies. You can do a search for "formative assessments" or get started with THESE BOARDS now and see what other teachers are doing!

Ed Tech To Help Support Formative Assessments

By now every educator is familiar with the importance of formative assessments when it comes to understanding and meeting student needs in a flexible, ongoing way. Making good use of formative assessments is a huge part of the the transition to Common Core State Standards (CCSS)--but what are some ways that educators can do this in the midst of busy days and dense lesson plans? Check out this review by ed tech expert Jeff Knutson on graphite.org. He gives a great run-down of ten useful tools and applications that may help support efforts to incorporate formative assessment practices into the classroom--effortlessly!

(Please note that PCG does not endorse or have ties to any of these products).