How Can We Make Assessments Meaningful?

I think meaningful assessments can come in many shapes and sizes. It fact, to be thoroughly engaging and to draw the best work out of the students, assessments should come in different formats. Thankfully, with the Common Core standards exemplifying the 4Cs: Creati ity and Critical Thinking !through performance"based assessments#, Collaboration, and Communication !in particular through the use of interdisciplinary writing#, we are looking at a more fluid future in testing formats. $s long as the format itself is aligned with real"world skills, a meaningful assessment does not need to be lock step with a particular structure anymore. %hen I think about my own definition of a &meaningful assessment,& I think the test must meet certain re'uirements. The assessment must ha e alue other than &because it(s on the test.& It has alue to the indi idual student who is taking it. It must intend to impact the world beyond the student &self,& whether it is on the school site, the outlying community, the state, country, world, etc. $nd finally, the assessment should incorporate skills that students need for their future. That is, the test must assess skills other than the mere content. It must also test how elo'uent the students communicate their content.

Criteria for a Meaningful Classroom Assessment

To address these re'uirements, I ask myself the following guided 'uestions:
1. Does the assessment involve project-based learning? 2. Does it allow for student choice of topics? 3. Is it inquir based? !. Does it as" that students use some level of internet literac to find their answers? #. Does it involve independent problem solving? $. Does it incorporate the !%s? &. Do the students need to communicate their "nowledge via writing in some wa ? '. Does the final draft or project require other modalities in its presentation? (visual) oral) data) etc...*

Clearly not all assessments achie e e ery single characteristic listed abo e. )ut in our attempt to address some of these elements, we will ha e made our classroom assessments so much more meaningful.

)ecause it(s ital that a student connect with the alue of their assessments. $fter all, if a student trusts that the assessment is meaningful and will help them later on, it helps with both their achie ement and with your own classroom management.

Transparency in Why It's Important

That re'uires taking the effort to inform the students why the assessment has alue. *ome teachers still balk at this +ob, as if students should +ust trust that what we do in school has alue to what happens outside of school. ,owe er, kids are smart these days. They know that bubbling with a -. pencil is anti'uated. They know that much of the content we teach them can be found ia /oogle if they were so inclined. )ut as sa y as students are, they don(t know e erything about communicating their content, and we owe it to them to make sure that not only are our tests aligned with skills they must know for their future, but to make sure that we( e been transparent in our rationale. *o how can high"stakes assessments be meaningful to students0 1or one thing, high"stakes tests shouldn(t be so high"stakes. It(s inauthentic. They should and still can be a mere snapshot of ability. $dditionally, those occasional assessments need to take a back seat to the real learning and achie ement going on in e ery day assessments obser ed by the teacher. The key here, howe er, is to assess e eryday. 2ot in boring, multiple"choice daily 'uizzes, but in informal, engaging assessments that take more than +ust a snapshot of a student(s knowledge at one moment in time. )ut frankly, any assessment that sounds cool can still be made meaningless. It(s how the students interact with the test that makes it meaningful. 3emember the 4 Cs and ask this: does the assessment allow for: Creativity $re they students creating or +ust regurgitating0 $re they being gi en credit for presenting something other than what was described0 Collaboration ,a e they spent some time working with others to formulate their thoughts, brainstorm, or seek feedback from peers0 Critical Thinking $re the students doing more work than the teacher in seeking out information and problem sol ing0 Communication 4oes the assessment emphasize the need to communicate the content well0 Is there writing in ol ed as well as other modalities0 If asked to teach the content to other students, what methods will the student use to communicate the information and help embed it more deeply0

Rubric on Meaningful Assessments

*o as an acti ity for myself, I created a rubric to look at whene er I was wondering if an assessment was going to be a waste of time or was going to connect with the students. !Click the chart to download the 541.#
+nother wa to ensure that an assessment is meaningful) of course) is to simpl as" the students what the thought. Design a surve after each major unit or assessment. ,r) better et) if ou want to encourage students to reall focus on the requirements on a rubric) add a row that-s onl for them to fill out for ou. .hat wa ) the rubric-s feedbac" is more of a give-and-ta"e) and ou get feedbac" on the assessment-s level of meaningfulness as soon as possible.

4ownload the example !left# of a 'uick rubric I designed for a general writing assessment. I included a row that the participants could fill out that actually ga e me 'uick feedback on how meaningful or helpful they belie ed the assessment was towards their own learning. $s an instructor and lesson designer, I want a 'uick turnaround between when I assign an assessment and if I need to ad+ust the assessment to meet the needs of future learners. )y also gi ing them a space to fill out, they own the rubric e en more, and will pay more attention to what I fill out knowing that I ga e them an opportunity to also gi e me feedback. It(s one way the students and I can learn reciprocally. *o how do you ensure that your classroom assessments are meaningful0

Why Formative Assessments Matter

/ebecca +lber 0dutopia %onsulting ,nline 0ditor

*ummati e assessments, or high stakes tests and pro+ects, are what the eagle eye of our profession is fixated on right now, so teachers often find themsel es in the tough position of racing, racing, racing through curriculum. )ut what about informal or formati e assessments0 $re we putting enough effort into these0

What Are They?

Informal, or formati e assessments are about checking for understanding in an effecti e way in order to guide instruction. They are used during instruction rather than at the end of a unit or course of study. $nd if we use them correctly, and often, yes, there is a chance instruction will slow when we disco er we need to re"teach or re iew material the students wholly &did not get& "" and that(s okay. )ecause sometimes we ha e to slow down in order to go 'uickly. %hat this means is that if we are about getting to the end, we may lose our audience, the students. If you are not routinely checking for understanding then you are not in touch with your students( learning. 5erhaps they are already far, far behind. %e are all guilty of this one "" the ultimate teacher copout: &$re there any 'uestions, students0& Pause for three seconds. Silence. &2o0 6kay, let(s mo e on.& 7 er assign the big pro+ect, test, or report at the end of a unit and find yourself shocked with the results, and not in a good way0 I ha e. The reason for the crummy results is not the students, but a lack of formati e assessments along the way and disco ering when, where, and how certain information needed to be re"taught or re iewed.

To Inform, Not Punish

If you find yourself wanting to spring a &gotcha& 'uiz on your students, ask yourself if it is really meant to collect important data or to freak them out and maybe &get them more serious about paying attention&0 )elie e me, I( e been there: wanting to punish the lazy, the cocky, the nonchalant. *ometimes we +ust want to see that hint of panic as they number 8 to 89 on their half sheets of paper !afterall, many of us experienced the &gotcha& 'uiz as students:# If you feel tempted to do this, +ust say no; it(s a mistake.

When an !o"?
1ormati e assessments are not about gotcha-ing students but about guiding where instruction needs to go next. %e should use them fre'uently, and while or after kids learn a new idea, concept, or process. %hen you are on your way to the )ig 7nd 5ro+ect !or summati e assessment# and students ha e +ust learned a piece or a step toward the end, check to see if they( e got it. $nd to a oid using the tired old 'uiz, here(s a few ways you can check for understanding:

Exit Slips
These can be fun and not daunting, for students or teacher. /i e students a 'uestion to answer that targets the big idea of the lesson, and ha e them write a sentence or two. *tand by the door and collect them as they lea e. *it at your desk and thumb through them all, making three stacks: they get it, kind of get it, and don(t get it all. The size of the stacks will tell you what to do next.

Student Checklist
/i e your students a checklist and ha e them self"assess. Collect the checklists with each, or e ery other, new idea during a unit of study. <ake sure they write a sentence or two explaining how they know they( e got it, or why they think they are still struggling.

The Three-Minute Paper

This is more in ol ed than the exit slip and often times, I(d gi e the kids more than three minutes. I don(t use the word &essay& or they get too ner ous. I might say, &Take out a piece of paper, and tell me what you ha e learned so far about ============.& 6ften they will basically write an essay !something they usually labor o er in drafts and on their own:# I assess these the same way as the exit slip, by making the three stacks.

One-Sentence Summary
$sk students to write a summary sentence that answers the &who, what where, when, why, how& 'uestions about the topic.

Misconception Check
5ro ide students with common or predictable misconceptions about a specific principle, process, or concept. $sk them whether they agree or disagree and explain why. $lso, to sa e time, you can present a misconception check in the form of multiple"choice or true>false.

Watch, #oo$, #isten

*imply obser ing the actions, beha iors, and words of students can pro ide a wealth of aluable data and ser e as a formati e assessment. ?ou can take notes as they conference with one another, pair and share, or engage in collaborati e learning groups !lab pro+ects, literature circles, etc.#. %hat to look for0 If there are small group con ersations happening, and they are successfully applying the new learning, not +ust one student is talking; they are talking o er each other, and they are animated with body, hands and eyes. 6n the other hand, if it is 'uiet during this talk time, and they are watching you watch them, they are most likely lost. ?our note taking can be as easy as making a check"plus mark after each child(s name who shares something of alue and on"target>topic with their group. !5ut a check by each child you hear share so you can see how many you heard ersus how many get it.# If I ha e 8@ names with checks after them, but only four check"plus marks, it(s time to re iew or re"teach. How do you check for understanding with your students? What are some formative assessments that you find fun, engaging, and effective? Please share with us your thoughts, ideas and expertise