Formative Assessments Formative assessments on a daily and weekly level include a multitude of different modes of assessment so that I can adjust instruction, respond to misunderstanding, and work through small group changes. They are both formal and informal, and include the strategies listed below. These assessments are designed to give me fairly instant data so that I can adjust in the moment or for the next day. For these assessments, I can also provide nearly instant feedback to students so that they can correct their work and focus on fixing misunderstandings.
Exit Tickets Exit tickets are designed to be quick-hitting checks for understanding on a daily basis. Students, after each lesson, have a two or three question exit ticket that gauges how they did on the standard for that day. They are not high-stakes, and are designed to give back to students immediately. They are also used to provide updates to our small group reteaches each week. I typically have three groupings of reteaches, which are defined by how students perform on the exit tickets. The grades at the top are in student-friendly language (shown below) so that students understand where they are at and if they will meet their goals. To the side is a sample of a successful exit ticket from a student.
White Board Desks Students absolutely love using our white board desks in my classroom. They do all of their work on the desk directly, taking pictures of their work and uploading it to classroom cloud account so that they can study later. This gives students an opportunity to be silly and "shocking" while writing on desks. This is a great way for me to aggressively monitor student understanding on a daily basis. It is large enough for me to casually glance at as I walk by, as opposed to sitting down and looking through student work on a piece of paper. I can use my own different colored marker to correct work and show students how to do a problem if they struggle. Groupings of students also work well with these, as students can glance at a partner's work to see if they are correct.
Homework/Problem Sets Students receive homework packets each week that have the work for each night when they get home. This is a great way to build student understanding while at home. Problem sets are done in class as either group or independent work. Problem sets are designed in such a way that there are "must do" problems and "Can do" problems. There are also leveled problems, such as "level 1, 2, and 3." These levels increase in rigor, so I can quickly see what students are getting to the advance problems and what students are struggling with level 1. These must do problems (level 1) are ones that must be mastered for each student. They have to get these correct to go onto other work. Must do problems contain an aspect of the standard that is vital to understand before moving forward. This is a great way to differentiate work in class for different levels of students. The work below highlights successful completion of all three levels of rigor from a student. From here, I would know that they mastered the standard.
Checkpoints Checkpoints are administered halfway through each unit, and are designed to "check up" on students before the second half of the unit. These are great ways to allow students to see their growth at the halfway point, and are also a great way for me to see what students need to fix before the summative assessment at the end of the unit. Checkpoints are the most formal of the assessments on this page, but are still not high-stakes. This data can help students goal set before the unit test. It also allows me to create small groups of students for target RTI processes for the second half of the unit. I can hone in on the specific standards that need to be addressed, as well as work in close proximity with students that need the most work before the test. Below is an example of a checkpoint, as well as the data points that I use to determine what standards to reteach and refine with my students.
*Note- we are unable to modify checkpoints (regional policy) other than increasing font text and using read-aloud features for students