Resources - Assessment Strategies

               Williams County Schools — Business and Computer Education Course of Study

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

One of the primary goals of assessment is to impact instructional planning.  It is directly linked to decisions about the need to remediate, reinforce, or extend student learning.  Intervention strategies cannot be planned until judgments have been reached about student performance based upon a range of assessments both formal and informal.  Information gained from student assessments, both formal and informal, is evaluated and used to develop strategies to address student needs.  These ongoing classroom assessments are vital in providing needed information for the overall success of students and the program.

While students are engaged in learning activities, the teacher can be engaged in ongoing, informal assessments of student performance.  Student responses, the kinds of student inquiries, the degree of student involvement in learning activities and even the body language of students can provide valuable information with regard to student learning.  Interpreting classroom interactions as they take place is a form of assessment that may cause a teacher to modify an instructional strategy or practice.  For example, if several students show signs of being unable to follow an explanation, the teacher can slow the rate of instruction, write key information on a chalkboard, and demonstrate the information being presented.  When a group or groups of students exhibit difficulty with an assigned activity, the teacher can target the individual groups to provide additional explanations.

After students have engaged in a variety of learning activities, more formal types of assessments may be used.  The choice of assessment methods must take into account the nature of the instructional or performance objectives to be assessed.  Teachers need to examine their instructional objectives carefully to determine the intended focus of each objective.  For example, the focus could be on content, skill development, application, performance, or participation.  Instructional objectives also can lend themselves to one or more assessment measures.  These assessment measures can include oral and written performances, listening and reading comprehension tests, individual and group projects, and student portfolios.  Teachers are encouraged to be innovative in assessing the four skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.