The idea of assessment is definitely one that often stresses me out. At North Panola Junior High, we neither create nor are able to view the assessments that we give to the students. They are given to the students every two weeks based on the standards that have recently been on our pacing guide. Up until very recently, the assessments did not even match the standards assigned to our pacing guide, and so our data was completely abysmal because of this. Additionally, it is very difficult to teach to the ELA assessments, especially with very limited resources and guidance. For the last test, our principal allowed us to view the test the day before the bi-weekly assessment, but she showed us at a time in which it would have been impossible to further prepare the students.
I have, however, created my own assessments based on stories that I have selected for the students to read in my feeble attempts to figure out the standards pacing on my own. I am realizing that these tests that I create are probably giving me unnecessary work, but I am always thankful for days when I can just give them a test and can usually have a little bit of a break from talking and managing. There are some classes, though, that simply cannot sit still and refrain from speaking during a test, which not only makes things harder for me but also distracts the students who genuinely want to be paying attention to their assessment. I wish I could control this better. In regards to my own tests, at this point I have figured out how to create a test that my honors students can consistently excel in but the rest struggle. In other words, students who can remain focused and generally retain information have done well. Every time I create a test I try to make changes based on things that students have struggled with in the past. I have noticed that there are some students who will shut down just at the sight of a free response question before even bothering to read it enough to realize that they have answered similar questions if not the same ones during a previous class. Assessments are definitely a challenge as a teacher, and they are things which cause so many of my students to struggle. I would love the situation to change, but it is something that I have very little control over.
Second Year
Perhaps the biggest difference between formal assessments this year and last year is that I have a better idea of what will be on the assessments that the students will be taking, and so I can adjust my teaching accordingly. Last year, we gave students bi-weekly exams on individual standards covered over a two week period, generally from the same program (I-Ready). This year we use the same program, but I am occasionally able to look at the assessments in advance in order to see what kinds of question stems will be used. On these assessments, there are typically passages for the students to read with standard-specific questions for them to answer. The types of questions that are used reflect the format of the questions that will be asked on the state test, so it is good practice and gives them an idea of what to expect.
I still struggle with informal assessment. Lately we have been mandated to give the students daily exit tickets, which would be a good idea in theory of the students answered the questions as thoughtfully as they should. Occasionally I have the students put their heads down and ask them to raise their hands when I am reading off multiple choice answer questions. This has proven to be somewhat effective when I have used it, but some kids often still try to peak and see what the majority of their classmates think is the answer. When I use this method, I call on one of the students who was correct to explain why. I will also sometimes call on a student with a popular wrong answer to explain his or her reasoning.
Finally, I have lately been giving the students vocabulary homework and quizzes. I have made matching quizzes so that the students do not have to memorize too much. So many of the students forget to study every week, even though I remind them daily, but the ones who study and do well have told me that it does not take much effort to study. They also feel very pleased when they know that they have handed to me a quiz that will earn them a 100%, because they knew that they answered every single question correctly. Although the majority of the students do not take this part of my class seriously, I am glad that a handful of them are studying, learning, and applying new words that they will be able to use later on in their lives.