Formal Assessment Project Presentation

Exploring types, relevance, and application in education

Formal Assessments in the Literacy Classroom

Reflection on the importance of using a combonation of formal assessment

Relevance to the Five Pillars of Literacy and Reflection

References

Introduction

Types of Formal Assessment

index

Introduction to formal assessments

Applications in Literacy Classroom

Knowledge of the difference between criterion and norm-referenced assessments

Defining formal assessmentsFormal assesment refers to structured evaluation processess used to measure students' learning, skills, or knowledge accurately. These assessments are standardized and often involve systematic procedures to collect data on student performance. Significance in the educational settingFormal assessments are critical in informaing instructional strategies and shaping curriculum development. They provide reliable data to identify student strengths and weaknesses, facilitating target interventions for diverse learning needs. Introduction to the 5 piliars of literacy and they mean.

Formal Assessment

Universal Screening Assessment

Progress Monitoring Assessment

Types of Formal Assessment

Diagnostic Assessment

Outcome Evaluation

Criterion-referenced assessments evaluate a student's proficiency agains a specific standard or criterion, reflecting mastery of particular skills. In contrast , norm-referenced assessments compare a student's performance to a national sample, indicating performance relative compared to their peers.

Knowledge of the difference between the differenct criterion and norm-referenced assessments regarding classroom use

How assessments align with the five pillars of literacy

The five pillars of literacy include, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awarness, and phonics. Understanding how formal assessments align with the five pillars of literacy helps to reveal their vital tole in fostering fundermental reading skills. By aligning assessments with the five pillars of literacy, educators can gain a comprehensive understanding of student literacy development. This alignment informs targeted instruction, intervention strategies, and progress monitoring, ultimately enhancing students’ overall literacy skills.ostering fundermental reading skills.

Connection to phonemic awarnessFormal assessments significantly enhance phonemic awareness by identying students' ability to hear, manipulate phonmes in spoken words. using an assessment can help to quickly gauge profeciency allowing for targeted interventions..

Connection to PhonicsPhonics instruction benefits from formal assessments that measure understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds. Diagnostic assessments can pinpoint specific phics skills students struggle with, leading to tailored instructional approaches that foster literacy skills.

Connection to FluencyFluency is measured through formal assessments that evaluate reading speed and accuracy. Progress monitoring assessment can help teachers track fluency development ensuring that students maintain pace and expression in their reading.

Connection to VocabularyVocabulary development is assessed to identify gaps and strengths. Tools such as vocab quizzes, comprehensive assessments help inform instruction, guiding the experiences in the classroom.

Connection to ComprehensionComprehension relies heavily on effective formal assessments that evaluate for students' understanding of texts. Outcome evaluations, such as standardized tests and comprehension inventories help show the students ability to make inferences and grasp key ideas from reading material.

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Importance of Diverse AssessmentUtlizing a variety of formal assessments enriches literacy instruction, providing comprehensive inssights into students' skills and areas for improvement. These assessments ensure that instruction is tailored to meet diverse learning needs and maximize student potential. This approach not only enhances literacy skills but also nurtures a supportive and responsive learning environment where all students can thrive. Ultimately, the integration of diverse assessments enriches the educational experience and contributes to lifelong literacy success.

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Primary Purpose

Key Characteristics

Universal Screening Assesment

The primary purpose is identfy students at risk for literacy difficulties early. It serves as a proactive strategy ensuring timely interventions for struggling students to enhance overall literacy outcomes.

Universal screening is a structured approach usually given to all students within a set period. It often utilizes standardized assessments that provide consistent information about literacy skills.

Typical Methods and Tools

Common tools that are concidered universal are assessments such as DIBLES now known as Acadience Reading k-12, AIMSweb, and MAP, core and Basal programs, (2020)

When and how to administer a Universal screening assessment

Administered typically at the begining, middle and end of the academic year, greoup setting are often used for efficiency. Results help identify students needing further evaluation or intervention and to help aid in determining the level of intervention that is needed.

(2020). In M. C. Hougen & S. M. Smartt (Eds.), Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction & Assessment, Pre-K-6. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Challenges of Universal Screening

Applications in the calssroom

Progress monitoring is tyipcally done bi-weekly or monthly, it is also done at the end of each grading period. The teacher should establish clear and measurable literacy goals for each student based on grade-level expectations and individual needs, ensure that the students understand what is expected, once complete the data can be anaylized to Determine which students are meeting, exceeding, or falling short of their literacy goals

Primary Purpose

Key Characteristics

Progress Monitoring Assessment

The primary purpose is to evaluate student progress over time toward specific literacy goals, enabling data driven instructional adjustments. This ongoing assessment promotes accountaability in teaching practices.

Progress monitoring assessments are generally concise, frequent, and based on data. Progress monitoring should align with specific academic goals and standards to effectively track student growth in literacy.

Typical Methods and Tools

Common methods can include curriculum based measurment and quick assessment like fluency checks. Tools such as the AIMSweb and easyCBM are used to assess students literacy progress. Teacher can also use self made assesments such as worksheet or daily classroom assignments.

When and how to administer Progress Monitoring

(2020). In

Applications in the calssroom

Challenges of Universal Screening

Diagnostic assessments focus on identifying students' prior knowledge and skills, pinpointing learning gaps, and informing future instruction. Research highlights that diagnosis aims to reveal individual strengths and, crucially, weaknesses in areas not yet mastered (Fan, T., Song, J. & Guan, Z., 2021). The purpose is not to grade students or compare them but to understand each as a unique learner. By utilizing these assessments, teachers can provide tailored support at the right time, making learning more effective and enjoyable, and helping students reach their full potential.

Primary Purpose

Key Characteristics

Diagnostic Assesment

Teachers use diagnostic assessments to figure out what students already know and what they need before kicking off a new unit or course. This helps them plan lessons that play to students' strengths while tackling their needs. These assessments can also reveal misunderstandings and spots where students might need a little extra help. The reasoning for doing these types of assessments is to identify reading difficulties, literacy levels, and specific areas of weakness in reading. Examples: Phonics assessments, fluency assessments, reading comprehension assessments, and decoding assessments.

Typical Methods and Tools

Self-assessments, teacher observations, and pre test are just a few of the different methods that can be used. More specific tools in the Literacy clasroom are things like word list reading (e.g., Dolch, Fry, curriculum sight word lists)Analysis of student work (e.g., classroom assignments, work samples, tests)

When and how to administer a Universal screening assessment

A diagnostic assessment must happen at the beginning of a learning experience such as a new semester or lesson unit. It should focus on understanding a student's current knowledge base. A diagnostic assessment must identify the strengths and areas of improvement for the student.

https://www.taotesting.com/blog/diagnostic-assessment-in-education-3-examples-from-a-teacher/#:~:text=What%20are%20Diagnostic%20Assessments?,to%20know%2C%20Learned)%20charts.

Applications in the calssroom

Challenges of Diagnostic Assessment

Outcome evaluations should be used as a post-assessment to evaluate overall student growth in literacy skills and inform future teaching practices, as well as in regular intervals through out the year, teachers should also complete these types of evaluation at the begining of new units, before transitions, and mid year.

Primary Purpose

Key Characteristics

Outcome Evaluation

Outcome evaluation refers to the process of assessing the effectiveness of literacy instruction and interventions based on student performance and achievement outcomes. The primary purpose is monitor student progress over time to understand trends and patterns in literacy development, informing future instructional decisions.

A few characterisitcs of outcome evaluations is that it is often goal orineted, data driven, mostly student centered. Evaluations often involve comparing pre- and post-instruction data to assess the effectiveness of specific teaching methods or interventions.

Typical Methods and Tools

Peer and Self-Assessments, observational checklists. Often reading assessments will use multiple-choice questions, short answers, or retellings that assess comprehension skills. Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System provides standardized measures of student literacy skills and progress.

When and how to Outcome Evaluations

Applications in the calssroom

"Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right – Using It Well" by Rick Stiggins, Judith Arter, Jan Chappuis, and Doug Chappuis

Challenges of Outcome evaluation

Lhttps://www.evalcommunity.com/career-center/outcome-evaluation/

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/rti02/cresource/q2/p04/#content

reference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WDfT46nijA

https://www.taotesting.com/blog/diagnostic-assessment-in-education-3-examples-from-a-teacher

Together, these five pillars create a comprehensive framework for literacy development, helping students become skilled readers and effective communicators. Phonemic Awareness: This essential skill allows learners to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. It is foundational for young children, as it helps them understand how sounds combine to form words, which is crucial for reading and spelling development. Phonics: Phonics teaches the relationship between letters and their sounds. It helps students decode words by sounding them out, enhancing their reading skills and boosting their confidence as independent readers.Fluency: Fluency is the ability to read text smoothly and accurately at a proper speed. It enables students to focus on understanding content instead of struggling with individual words, enhancing their overall reading experience.Vocabulary: Vocabulary includes the words individuals know and use. A strong vocabulary is crucial for reading comprehension, as it helps readers understand texts. Teaching vocabulary involves introducing new words and encouraging their use in different contexts.Comprehension: Comprehension is the goal of reading, involving the understanding and interpretation of text meaning. Effective strategies include summarizing, questioning, and connecting content to prior knowledge, which enhance a reader's engagement with the material.

Universal screening informs instructional planning and resource allocation, enabling educators to tailor interventions. It helps in monitoring student progress and adjusting teaching stategies as required. Universal screen can also be helpful in determining who might be at risk for displaying disruptive behavior. Universal screening is typically performed 3 times a year. It can include things like standized testing, DIBLES, AIMSweb.

IRIS page 2 Universal Screening

Applications in the Classroom

Universal screening can be benificial however it does come with its fair share of challenges such as not providing sensitivity for diverse learners, resulting in false positives or negatives. Resoource limitations can also hinder implementation and follow-up assessments.

Challenges of Universal Screening

There are many challeges when it comes to administering progress monitoring but by recognizing these challenges, educators can develop strategies to address them and enhance the effectiveness of progress monitoring in the classroom. Some of the challenges include, time constrants, prioritizing short term goals rather than long term gains, external factors such as home life can have an impact on progress monitoring, motivation of the student, teacher training, and limited resources, inconsistent Implementation.

Challenges of Progress Monitoring

Applications of progress monitoring in the classroom are to assist with identifying student needs, informing instruction, setting goals for individual students, evaluating effectiveness, this allows the teacher to determine if adjustments need to be made to the instruction. Progress monitoring allows for tracking growth of students, and help facilitate data driven instruction.

IRIS page 4:Tier 1

Applications in the Classroom

Using diagnostic assessments in a literacy classroom can be tricky. You've got to watch out for misinterpreting results, running into time constraints for giving and analyzing the data, and making sure the assessments really hit on the specific learning gaps. Plus, tailoring interventions to meet individual needs is a must. Don't forget about potential biases in the assessment design, and it's super important that everything lines up with the curriculum and learning objectives. If these things aren't handled right, they can really get in the way of effective teaching.

Challenges of Diagnostic Assessment

Common uses of diagnostic assessment encompass various methods, including the unit pretest, which evaluates the knowledge and skills that a student possesses before they begin a particular unit of instruction. This assessment is crucial as it helps educators understand where each student stands before the teaching process starts. Additionally, individualized assessment is often conducted prior to one-on-one instruction, allowing teachers to tailor their approach to meet the specific needs of each learner.

https://ereader.perlego.com/1/book/1658430/13?page_number=38

Applications in the Classroom

https://www.epi.org/publication/bp278

One of the biggest challenges in my opinon is many assessment are not always culturally responsive, potentially disadvantaging students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Test anxiety, teacher training, limited resources are big issues as well. Interpreting data correctly, and potential pressure to focus solely on quantitative data at the expense of qualitative insights; all while navigating the need to adapt assessments to different student needs. These types of test are often narrow measures of what students know and can do, relying largely on multiple-choice items that do not evaluate students’ communication skills, depth of knowledge and understanding, or critical thinking and performance abilities.

Challenges of Outcome evaluation

Using outcome evaluations can allow teachers to recognize and celebrate student achievements based on assessment results, fostering a positive classroom environment that values growth and effort, modify the literacy curriculum, identify gaps, helps students to set personal goals, and also allows the teacher and the intervention team an oppoutunity to share outcome evaluation results with parents during conferences or through progress reports. Provide suggestions for supporting literacy development at home.

https://www.evalcommunity.com/career-center/outcome-evaluation/

Applications in the Classroom