Efcient Ways to Check for

Understanding
What strategy can double student learning gains? According to 250 empirical studies, the answer
is formative assessment, defined by Bill Younglove as the fre!uent, interactive chec"ing of student
progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs and ad#ust teaching appropriately$
%nli"e summative assessment, which evaluates student learning according to a benchmar",
formative assessment monitors student understanding so that "ids are always aware of their academic
strengths and learning gaps$ &eanwhile, teachers can improve the effectiveness of their instruction,
re'teaching if necessary$ When the coo" tastes the soup, writes (obert )$ *ta"e, that+s formative,
when the guests taste the soup, that+s summative$ -ormative assessment can be administered as an
e.am$ But if the assessment is not a traditional !ui/, it falls within the category of alternative
assessment$
Alternative formative assessment 0A-A1 strategies can be as simple 0and important1 as chec"ing the
oil in your car '' hence the name dipstic"s$ 2hey+re especially effective when students are given
tactical feedbac", immediately followed by time to practice the s"ill$ &y favorite techni!ues are those
with simple directions, li"e 2he 30 *econd 4aper, which as"s students to describe the most important
thing they learned and identify any areas of confusion in under a minute$ You can find another 55 ways
to chec" for understanding toward the end of this post, also available as a downloadable document$
6n the sections below, we+ll discuss things to consider when implementing A-As$
Observation: A Key Practice in Alternative Formative Assessment
A fundamental element of most A-As is observation$ 6n her )dutopia post, (ebecca Alber says there
is much to learn by ta"ing observational notes as students wor" in groups$ 7owever, she clarifies, if
it is !uiet during this tal" time, and they are watching you watch them, they are most li"ely lost$
Another )dutopia blogger, )lena Aguilar witnessed a fantastic first grade *heltered )nglish teacher
who directed his students to respond to a story by ma"ing hand gestures and holding up picture cards$
6n this way, the teacher was able to immediately see who was struggling with the concepts and
provide corrective feedbac"$
By methodically watching and recording student performance with a focused observation form, you
can learn a lot about students+ levels of understanding in #ust a few moments$ -or e.ample, on
the 2each 8i"e a 9hampion blog, watch how math teacher 2aryn 4ritchard uses an observation sheet,
and note her description of how she pre'plans to assess students+ mastery levels in only ten seconds$
4re'planning methodical observations allow instructors to efficiently and effectively intervene when it
counts most '' the instant students start down the wrong path$
New to Alternative Formative Assessment? Start Slow
2he :ational 9apital 8anguage (esource 9enter recommends the following when introducing
alternative assessment for the first time;
6ntegrate alternative assessments gradually, while still using the traditional assessments$
Wal" students through the rubrics and discuss e.pectations when you introduce assignments$
8earn to score alternative assessments yourself, and then gradually introduce students to self'
evaluation$
2each students how to thoughtfully give each other feedbac" as you introduce them to peer'
response$
A Simple Way to Gain Information from Yor St!ents: As" #$em
When preservice teachers are confused as to why their students performed poorly on an assignment, 6
gently say, <id you as" them why? After all, having learners use their own vernacular to articulate
why they are stuc" can be profoundly useful for identifying where to target support$
According to the American 6nstitute of :ondestructive 2esting, the simplest tool to encourage student
self'assessment is evaluative prompts;
7ow much time and effort did you put into this?
What do you thin" your strengths and wea"nesses were in this assignment?
7ow could you improve your assignment?
What are the most valuable things you learned from this assignment?
8earners can respond to those prompts using 4adlet, a virtual cor"board where many computer users
can simultaneously post their responses, followed by a focused whole'class discussion of students+
answers$ 2he instructor doesn+t always have to develop prompts '' students can invent and submit one
or more potential e.am !uestions and answers on relevant content$ 2ell them that you+ll include the
best contributions on a forthcoming !ui/$
4ortfolios are a more comple. form of ongoing self'assessment that can be featured during student'
led conferences$ =ames &ule, principal of *t$ Amelia )lementary *chool in :ew Yor", describes how
children benefit from the student'led conferences that occur at his institution; With the student in
charge and the teacher acting as a facilitator, the authentic assessment gives students practice in self'
evaluation and boosts accountability, self'confidence, and self'esteem$ 4ernille (ipp+s Blogging
2hrough the -ourth <imension provides all the handouts needed$
2he biggest benefit of integrating A-As into your practice is that students will internali/e the habit of
monitoring their understanding and ad#usting accordingly$
We created the following list as a downloadable reminder to post by your computer$ 6n the comments
section of this post, tell us which of these 55 ways you+ve used for chec"ing on students>
understanding '' or recommend other A-As we should "now about$
%& Ways to '$ec" for (n!erstan!in)
?$ *ummary 4oem Activity
8ist ten "ey words from an assigned te.t$
<o a free verse poem with the words you highlighted$
Write a summary of the reading based on these words$
2$ 6nvent the @ui/
Write ten higher'order te.t !uestions related to the content$ 4ic" two and answer one
of them in half a page$
5$ 2he A??
<escribe the author>s ob#ective$
A$ Bpinion 9hart
8ist opinions about the content in the left column of a 2'chart, and support your
opinions in the right column$
5$ *o What? =ournal
6dentify the main idea of the lesson$ Why is it important?
3$ (ate %nderstanding
C$ 9lic"ers 0(esponse *ystem1
D$ 2eacher Bbservation 9hec"list
E$ ).plaining
).plain the main idea using an analogy$
?0$ )valuate
What is the author+s main point? What are the arguments for and against this idea?
??$ <escribe
What are the important characteristics or features of the main concept or idea of the
reading?
?2$ <efine
4ic" out an important word or phrase that the author of a te.t introduces$ What does it
mean?
?5$ 9ompare and 9ontrast
6dentify the theory or idea the author is advancing$ 2hen identify an opposite theory$
What are the similarities and differences between these ideas?
?A$ @uestion *tems
6 believe that FFFFFFFF because FFFFFFF$
6 was most confused by FFFFFFF$
?5$ &ind &ap
9reate a mind map that represents a concept using a diagram'ma"ing tool 0li"e Gliffy1$
4rovide your teacherHclassmates with the lin" to your mind map$
?3$ 6ntrigue =ournal
8ist the five most interesting, controversial, or resonant ideas you found in the
readings$ 6nclude page numbers and a short rationale 0?00 words1 for your selection$
?C$ Advertisement
9reate an ad, with visuals and te.t, for the newly learned concept$
?D$ 5 Words
What five words would you use to describe FFFFFF? ).plain and #ustify your choices$
?E$ &uddy &oment
What frustrates and confuses you about the te.t? Why?
20$ 9ollage
9reate a collage around the lesson+s themes$ ).plain your choices in one paragraph$
2?$ 8etter
).plain FFFFFFF in a letter to your best friend$
22$ 2al" *how 4anel
7ave a cast of e.perts debate the finer points of FFFFFFF$
25$ *tudy Guide
What are the main topics, supporting details, important person+s contributions, terms,
and definitions?
2A$ 6llustration
<raw a picture that illustrates a relationship between terms in the te.t$ ).plain in one
paragraph your visual representation$
25$ IW8 9hart
What do you "now, what do you want to "now, and what have you learned?
23$ *tic"y :otes Annotation
%se stic"y notes to describe "ey passages that are notable or that you have !uestions
about$
2C$ 5'2'?
2hree things you found out$
2wo interesting things$
Bne !uestion you still have$
2D$ Butline
(epresent the organi/ation of FFFFFFF by outlining it$
2E$ Anticipation Guide
)stablish a purpose for reading and create post'reading reflections and discussion$
50$ *imile
What we learned today is li"e FFFFFFF$
5?$ 2he &inute 4aper
6n one minute, describe the most meaningful thing you+ve learned$
52$ 6nterview You
You>re the guest e.pert on 60 Minutes$ Answer;
?$ What are component parts of FFFFFFF?
2$ Why does this topic matter?
55$ <ouble )ntry :oteboo"
9reate a two'column table$ %se the left column to write down 5'D important
!uotations$ %se the right column to record reactions to the !uotations$
5A$ 9omic Boo"
%se a comic boo" creation tool li"e Bitstrips to represent understanding$
55$ 2ag.edo
What are "ey words that e.press the main ideas? Be ready to discuss and e.plain$
53$ 9lassroom 2)< 2al"
5C$ 4odcast
4lay the part of a content e.pert and discuss content'related issues on a podcast,
using the free )asypodcast$
5D$ 9reate a &ultimedia 4oster with Glogster
5E$ 2witter 4ost
<efine FFFFFFF in under ?A0 characters$
A0$ ).plain Your *olution
<escribe how you solved an academic problem, step by step$
A?$ <ramatic 6nterpretation
<ramati/e a critical scene from a comple. narrative$
A2$ Ballad
*ummari/e a narrative that employs a poem or song structure using short stan/as$
A5$ 4amphlet
<escribe the "ey features of FFFFFFF in a visually and te.tually compelling pamphlet$
AA$ *tudy Guide
9reate a study guide that outlines main ideas$
A5$ Bio 4oem
2o describe a character or person, write a poem that includes;
08ine ?1 -irst name
08ine 21 5'A ad#ectives that describe the person
08ine 51 6mportant relationship
08ine A1 2'5 things, people, or ideas the person loved
08ine 51 2hree feelings the person e.perienced
08ine 31 2hree fears the person e.perienced
08ine C1 Accomplishments
08ine D1 2'5 things the person wanted to see happen or wanted to e.perience
08ine E1 7is or her residence
08ine ?01 8ast name
2. *"etch
Jisually represent new "nowledge$
3. 2op 2en 8ist
What are the most important ta"eaways, written with humor?
4. 9olor 9ards
(ed K *top, 6 need help$
Green K Ieep going, 6 understand$
Yellow K 6+m a little confused$
5. @uic"write
Without stopping, write what most confuses you$
6. 9onference
A short, focused discussion between the teacher and student$
7. <ebrief
(eflect immediately after an activity$
8. ).it *lip
7ave students reflect on lessons learned during class$
9. &isconception 9hec"
Given a common misconception about a topic, students e.plain why they agree or
disagree with it$
Ot$er Assessment *esorces
6n )dutopia+s 2he 4ower of 9omprehensive Assessment, Bob 8en/ describes how to create a
balanced assessment system$
2he American -ederation of 2eachers 0A-21 describes do/ens of -ormative Assessment *trategies$
2he Assessment and (ubrics page of Iathy *chroc"+s Guide to )verything website hosts many
e.cellent assessment rubrics$
&ore (ubrics for Assessment are provided by the %niversity of Wisconsin'*tout$
=on &ueller+s Authentic 2as"s and (ubrics is a must see'resource in his Authentic Assessment
2oolbo. website$
TODD FINLEY' S PROFILE