No Need to Be So Formal...

Tired of the same ol' assessments that don't give you enough information? Or so much information that it's impossible to trudge through it all?

The purpose of a formative assessment is to give you information on learning, skill acquisition and achievement at the end of a unit of study, concept or project. It can help determine areas of strength and those that need further concentration.

In this way, we can adjust our teaching accordingly. And yes, be more flexible!

With that in mind, assessments do not have to be paper/pencil. They do not have to be boring and repetitious or come in the form of a quiz or test. That's far too formal, don't you think?

Imagine assessing your students in a way that was meaningful to them? In a way that kept them engaged? In a way that reflected what they truly have learned?

It's possible, of course, but you must get "out of the box". Not all of your students live there.

So try some of these fun, formative assessments next time you want to gather information on strengths and those areas that need a bit more focus.

• Thought Bubbles

  • Students can create their own thought bubble to capture what they have learned in writing, using drawings or online photos and images.

• Visualize It

  • Read a piece of text without showing the illustration. Have students draw a picture or find an image onlinUe that represents what you read.

• Three Things You Need to Know

  • Students write 3 learned details of a topic from an article or other passage on an index card or stickie note. Activity: As music plays, students walk around room. When music stops, students share their details learned with a partner. Continue 3-4 times until students have shared with multiple others.

• Technology-based Assessment Activities

  • Create questions on Kahoot to determine knowledge. It's free!

  • Use Padlet (or other online board) to collaborate and share knowledge and provide feedback).

  • Use Flubaroo to create self-marking quizzes that students can use to check for their own understanding.

There are hundreds of different ways to formatively assess learning and skill acquisition. Since formative assessments are done frequently, mix it up and have FUN with it!

Leave the day to day formality to the others. Your students will thank you.

For more information about innovative assessments and ways to reach every child in your school community through inclusive practices, CLICK HERE