Assessments and Report Cards

Next Thursday (Feb. 2), it is the end of the grading period. I wanted to talk briefly about the kinds of assessments we use to see where our students are at this time of the year.

In Reading, I meet with each child during our Reading Workshop. We chat about books, I ask questions, and just have a general conversation about the books they are reading. At that time, I take notes about the reading behaviors that I see. I look to see that kids are able to give a general summary of the story, and if they can answer specific questions about the story. Also, I look if they are applying the concepts and skills I have taught in our reading mini-lessons to the books they are reading.

Also, I also ask them to read out loud a selection from this book. This helps me gauge where they are in their actual reading ability. I listen to see what kinds of mistakes they are making and does it affect their understanding of the book. I also check to see if the student reads easily with expression.

In addition to this conference, each student writes me a letter each week about their book. I look to see if they can communicate about their book in writing, and if they are able to answer my questions in their letter.

On top of that, I also give a more "formal" assessment. Students read a short story from our reading series, and take a pencil-and-paper test on the story. This gives them much needed test practice that they will need for the state test, and shows me if they are able to answer a series of set questions about a book.

In Writing, I take a sample of their writing each month and I keep for their portfolio. I am looking for growth over time. I want to see that they are applying the things we are learning, and that as writers they are able are growing and telling more complete and interesting stories. Also, once a grading period, I ask them to write a story based on a prompt that I give them. They must use the entire writing process and produce a story completely independently.

In Math, our new math adoptions has their own assessments that we give the students throughout the year. These are pencil and paper tests where students show they can do math calcualtions. We also give them more involved problems where stduents can use different strategies to find the answer. The assessments are directly aligned to the math concepts and skills that we have been teaching.