inFormative Assessment: When It's Not About a Grade

Use assessment as a powerful tool to inform instruction and learning! With practical, informed assessment techniques, you can increase your instructional effectiveness and demonstrate improvements in student learning. This research-based book, part of the In A Nutshell series, provides a succinct yet substantive discussion about formative assessments and how they impact the teaching/learning cycle. The authors present results-oriented methods, offer invaluable tips, and examine three types of inFormative assessments: Routine inFormative Assessments to weave into everyday instruction Reflective inFormative Assessments to foster self-assessment for students and teachers Rigorous inFormative Assessments to provide continuous tools that inform teaching practices and student learning

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Opening Quote Introduction Part I: Purpose/Goals Part II: "A Suite of Assessments" Part III: Background/Research Part IV: Overview of the Book and Chapter Format 1. Routine Formative Assessments: All Day, Everyday-Flow Teachings Scene of Scenario (for Reader′s Theater Activity) Define, Describe, and Give Real-World Examples Tools Responders/"2Know!" Lap Boards Traffic Light Cards Color-Coded Multiple Choice Cards Tongue Depressors Name Cards Mr. Parnes′ Questions Mr. Pete′s Questions Techniques Questioning Procedures Pose Question Allow Wait Time Choose a Respondent Using a Random Method Provide Some "Save Face" Option HOT Questions Delving Woven Questions Rhetorical Questions Hands Up Only to Ask a Question Policy Cooperative Learning (Informal) TTYPA Shoulder Elbow TESA Wait Time Equal Opportunity to Respond Unpacking the Language of Standards/Tests/Instructions Tasks Tips 2. Reflective Informative Assessments: Many Days-Conversations Teachings Scene or Scenario (for Reader′s Theater) Define, Describe, and Give Real-World Examples Tools Agree/Disagree People Search Human Graph Rubrics/Checklists (Criteria in Kid-Friendly Terms) Journals Little Book of Reflective Tools Step Book Cooperative Learning Roles and Responsibilities Peer Tutors PMI Traffic Light Indicators Student Portfolios Blogs Tear Share Magic Book Mrs. Potters′ Questions Ms. Poindexter′s Questions Techniques Range Finding Questions (Prior Knowledge) Hinge Point Questions (During Instruction) Rubric Development With the Class Use of Benchmark Papers Descriptive Feedback Reflective Questions (Metacognition) Peer Assessment (Peer Editing) Cooperative Learning Interactive Conversations Teacher - Student/Student - Teacher Student - Student Student - Self Email Buddies Comments That Reference Criteria, Instead of Grades "There Are _ Wrong. Find Which Ones." Focused Marking (One Aspect of Element) Grading: Omit Zeros, Omit Averages, Require Students to Do Missing Assignments Tasks Tips 3. Rigorous Informative Assessments: Some Days - Philosophical Shift Teachings Scene or Scenario (for Reader′s Theater) Define, Describe, and Give Real-World Examples Tools Performance Tasks Performance Checklists Performance Rubrics Grading Practices Informative Grading Informative Grade Book Gray Area About Grade Books Standards-Based Grade Books Color-Coded Grade Books Electronic Grade Book Electronic Test Creation Software Techniques HOT Inductive Deductive Performance Based Tests, Test Questions, Test Analysis Ungraded Practice Test Developing Test Questions Test Questions: Fat/Skinny (or Whale/Minnow) Questions Test and Work Analysis: Examining Student Work Summative Assessment as Informative Assessment Philosophical Shift, Between Formative and Summative Assessments How Can You Use a Summative Assessment in a Formative Manner? Data Item Analysis Robust Distractors Tasks Application Activity Tips 4. Closure Attribution Theory (Dweck, 2007) Afterword Tomlinson Summary Points References Index