Assessments

We have been working on assessments this week. I interviewed my three daughter and this is what they had to say about assessments. All three of them did not understand that there were any other type of assessments or tests beside the basic paper and pencil type of tests. The third grader did understand that tests could also be taken on the computer, but she took the SBAC assessment.

So, do assessments work and which is the best one? The best ones are ones that help the students. This comes in the form of formative assessments. The students don't know that they are assessments but they are the assessments that help them learn the best. They are the assessments that support their learning and provide them with immediate and meaningful feedback.

This means that as teachers we either need to inform our students of the different types of assessments, or give enough summative assessments so they can measure their own learning as the teacher gives them formative assessments to adjust instruction and support the students making adequate growth during the school year.
The truth is that teachers, parents and students rely on the summative assessments for grades. The teachers are unable to keep accurate records of the formative assessments to support the student grades for parents satisfaction that the grades are not subjective but based on actual data.

Using Technology

The funny thing about using technology is the amount of time that it takes to complete projects, that when we just use our paper and pencil we finish in less than a week. But the ways that we can share and publish the work that create using technology is amazing.

I decided that this year I would teach my students computer skills using power point. We created a power point presentation of all of the things that we did during the year. I scanned samples of the students' work so they could attach the pictures and their comments of the work.

In the beginning of the school year, it was a painful process. There were times when I would have the students write their comments themselves on paper and then I would type the words into their power points.

The greatest thing was for the students to share their power point presentations with their parents during open house. The parents loved seeing all of their child's work especially because it included pictures of their work and pictures of them.