Last month we reviewed the two criteria related to student assessments: Criterion 1a: Designing Assessments and Criterion 3a: Using Assessments in Instruction. The
critical attributes
document outlines details for each criterion, including the element rubrics that define details of each criterion in practice, and includes possible examples.
For Criterion 1e, there are several indicators of lessons planned for well-designed, strategic use of assessments. They include:
- Lesson plans that indicate correspondence between assessments and instructional goals
- Assessment types suitable to the style of the instructional goal
- A variety of performance opportunities for students
- Assessments that are modified for individual students as needed
- Expectations that are clearly written with descriptors for each level of performance
Indicators for Criterion 3e are related to those for Criterion 1e. If a teacher is developing a strong plan for instruction using assessment smartly, then we’d be likely to see effective use of assessment in instruction. The indicators for using student assessments include:
- Teacher pays close attention to evidence of student learning
- Students are fully aware of the criteria and performance standards to be used in all assessments
- The teacher poses specifically created questions to elicit evidence of student understanding
- Students effectively use feedback to correct and/or revise their work
- Students assess their own work against established criteria
Well-designed assessments (1e) support the effective use of assessments in instruction (3e). See below for resources teachers can use when considering using assessments in their classroom.