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1: ABC Brainstorming

Using the ABC brainstorming strategy with students midway through a unit provides you with information about what students have learned about a particular topic. Working individually, in pairs, in small groups, or as a class, students brainstorm words or phrases that begin with each letter of the alphabet and are related to the current unit of study. Midway through a unit on fire safety, students may write “meeting place” next to the “M” and “stop, drop, and roll” next to the letter “S.” A glance through the brainstormed lists helps you determine what information is lacking and provides direction for planning opportunities that focus on these gaps in your students’ learning. A graphic organizer that can be used with the ABC brainstorming assessment strategy is available at Student Handouts.

2: Analogies

A useful formative assessment strategy is to ask students to create an analogy between something they are familiar with and the new information they have learned. When asked to create an analogy for an atom, students may come up with an atom being like a community. The nucleus of the atom is like your immediate family. The electrons that fly around the nucleus are like members of the community that you may or may not interact with on a regular basis. Asking students to explain their analogies will show the depth of their understanding about a topic.

3: Checklists

Class checklists are a great tool for collecting data about students during a unit of study. Before beginning a new unit, make a list of all the skills students will need to demonstrate mastery of the unit’s outcome(s). On a chart, list the students names down the left hand side and the skills across the top. Clip the chart to a clipboard and position it in an easily accessible place. As students are participating in various learning opportunities, observe the students and check off the skills you see students demonstrating with proficiency.

4: Choral Response

If you need a quick assessment of student understanding, ask students to respond to a series of questions “as a class.” If you listen carefully to the number and content of responses, you will get a good idea of whether or not the students are clear on what you are presenting. Choral response encourages all students to be actively engaged in the assessment process.

5: Call Out

After a lesson ask the student to reflect on their level of understanding of a given concept. Ask them to identify a number 1 - 10, 1o being the "Totally Get This" level and 1 being the "I Don't Get It At All" level. Allow them time to think silently. On the count of 3, have student shout their level of understanding. You'll be amazed at how well you can distinguish the voices and get a good understanding of the class's level of performance and individuals you can identify by voice.

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6: Concept Maps

Concept maps are a type of web that provides a visual representation of student understanding about a particular topic being studied. Google “concept maps graphic organizers” for a variety of printable concept maps that your students can use. Students print the topic or main idea in the oval in the center of the page. They then write supporting details in the spaces surrounding the center oval. Depending on the age and ability of the students, they can also group similar supporting details together. Using concept maps is a skill that must be taught to students. Once students are familiar with concept maps, they can be used as a formative assessment strategy in any subject area.

7: Double Entry Journals

Journals are a great way to formatively assess students and get a “window” into their thinking. Double entry journals are one form of journaling. A double entry journal has two columns. In the left column, students write key words, ideas, or quotations. They then give their personal response to these words in the right column. Students may include questions that arise out of their responding. By reading the students’ responses, you can assess students’ knowledge and understanding of the topic you are studying. For example, when studying flight provide students with the phrases “lift vs. gravity,” “Wright brothers,” and “laws of flight.” Students print these phrases in the left hand column of their journal and then respond to them in the right hand column. Reading over the student responses will provide you with information about student understanding. More information on double entry journals is found at Helpful ESL Links.

8: Exit Cards

Exit cards could be used on a regular basis to formatively assess what your students know, understand, and have learned during a current unit of study. Before students leave at the end of class, ask them a question or pose a problem for them to solve. Give students a problem involving interest to solve during a unit in math or ask students to draw and label the planets when studying the solar system in science class. Ask students why people leave their homeland in social studies and how they would feel if they had to relocate with their family to another country. Students record their responses on a scrap piece of paper, a file card, or a sticky note. Collect the exit cards as the students leave the classroom. Glance through the exit cards to determine if students are generally understanding the topic or whether you need to provide further whole class or small group instruction in a particular area. Separate the exit cards into piles, indicating students who have mastered the outcome or are well on their way to doing so, students who are making steady progress, and students who need additional one-on-one or small group instruction. Exit cards can be used to create groupings for the next day’s lesson and activities can be planned based on the students’ responses.

9: Four Corners

A great way to get students out of their desks and moving is the four corners strategy. Some students learn better when they are moving so this strategy appeals to their learning preference. In each corner of the room, provide a label. Label one corner, “Strongly Agree,” one corner, “Agree,” the third corner, “Disagree,” and the final corner, “Strongly Disagree.” Call out a fact or statement about the current unit of study. Students go and stand in the corner that matches their response. Encourage students to share their reasons for choosing the response. Have one or two students from each corner share their answers with the rest of the class. By listening to the students as they discuss their reasons and share them with the class, you are provided with information that can guide future lessons.

10: Graffiti Wall - The graffiti wall is fun activity for students and gives you a visual representation of what your students have learned during a unit of study. Cover a part of a wall with white paper. Encourage students to write or draw what they have learned about a topic. Students can jot down facts, write personal opinions, connect their learning to other areas of study, etc. Using the graffiti wall activity partway through a unit provides you with information for further planning of instruction. If there appear to be gaps in your students’ learning, you can target those areas and further assess to see if there is indeed a deficit that you need to focus on in future lessons. Students may have made connections that you were not expecting or hadn’t even thought of when planning the unit. The information you collect from the graffiti wall is valuable formative assessment data. Leave the graffiti wall up during the remainder of the unit and students can continue to add comments and drawings. For more information about using a graffiti wall as an assessment strategy please visit Whitley County Consolidated Schools and Grand Island Public Schools.

11: Inside-Outside Circle

The inside-outside circle is a strategy that can provide you with information about student learning. Divide your students into two groups. One group is the inside circle and the other group forms the outside circle. Students pair up with other students in the opposing circle and face one another. The inside circle begins by responding to a question or statement provided by the teacher. After a set amount of time--perhaps a minute or two, students reverse roles and the outside partners respond. While students are responding, circulate around the circles and listen to comments and explanations being shared. This information will help guide further planning.

12: List 10 Things

About midway through a unit of study, instruct students to list ten things they have learned during the unit. Gather these lists and read through them to get an idea of where students are in regard to understanding. Look for gaps in learning or misunderstandings. These gaps and misunderstandings can be addressed in future lessons.

13: Observations

Observing students can provide valuable information about how students are progressing and what strategies they are using to learn. Recording information can take several different forms. You can use sticky notes to jot down your observations. At the end of the day, these sticky notes can be easily filed into individual student file folders or binders. Using a grid that contains all the names of the students in your class is another useful collection device. As you observe different students, you jot down information in their box on the grid. The grid allows you to see, at a glance, the names of the students who have not been observed. These students can then become the focus of your observation during the next class. File cards are another collection device. Notes about individual students can be collected on file cards. At the end of class, file these cards behind each student’s name. When you are ready to analyze your observations, simply pull out all the file cards on a particular student and read the comments you have made during your observations. If observations are taken over a number of classes, you can determine whether there is a pattern to the behaviors you observe.

14: One Minute Essays

The one minute essay is a quick formative assessment strategy that allows you to gauge student understanding of a particular topic. Pose a question to the students have the students respond. Tell the students they have one minute to write down their response. Ensure the question you ask can be answered in one minute. Use questions that cause students to

15: One Sentence Summaries

Asking students to provide you with a one sentence summary of what they have learned provides you with information about what your students know about a topic. Give students time to reflect on their learning and encourage students to think about their response. The depth of the student summaries will indicate their understanding of the topic or unit to date and provide you with direction for future planning of lessons.

16: Peer-Assessments

This process is best with a provided assessment tool. When evaluating peer work with a check list or a rubric, student are responsible for explain why the work being evaluated earned the evaluation that was completed. They must also be able to provide feedback as to how the student could move closer towards fulfilling the work as outlined by the provided standards and exemplar.

17: Quick Writes

Quick writes give teachers a visual of student learning. Provide students with an open-ended question and set an amount of time for having them write--from two to five minutes. Tell students not to worry about the conventions of writing but rather focus on getting their ideas down on paper. When the time is up, ask students to put their pencils down. Look through the quick writes for valuable information regarding the knowledge and understanding

18: Repeat Pre-assessments

Another way to formatively assess your students is to repeat a pre-assessment strategy you used at the beginning of a unit of study. At the start of a unit on ecosystems, you may have asked your students to create a web or write a one-minute essay on ecosystems. Midway through the unit, repeat the strategy you used to collect pre-assessment data. Read through the student responses and compare the depth of understanding to the initial assessment. Most pre-assessment strategies can be repeated to determine what students have learned and to inform your instruction.

19: Self-Assessments - Provide each student with a self-assessment related to your unit of study. Self-assessment involves students reflecting about their own learning in relation to unit goals or outcomes. Checklists or open-ended questions can be used to assist students with their reflections. Include questions that deal with student understanding about the topic and with the identification of areas that need more information or more practice. Students are often able to articulate their learning needs to us. We just need to ask the right questions. Self-assessments is one way of asking students about their learning and the information can then be used to help plan future instruction.

20: Sentence Prompts

Sentence prompts can be used in a variety of ways to informally assess students and gather information to inform instruction. Simple sentence starters such as the following could be used:

• I understand ....
• I don’t understand ....
• I need more information about ...

21: 3-2-1 - The 3-2-1 strategy is a quick way to gain information about all the students in your class and the level of understanding they have about a current unit of study. Ask students to jot down three things they have learned about a topic, make two personal connections to the topic, and one area that is unclear or one question they have about the topic.

DOWNLOAD THE LIST OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IDEAS HERE