Types of Assessments

 

Assessment Types

• Formal Assessments - generally just need to be checked to get a basic read on how a student is performing in class and if she / he is understanding the material. (Example: Entry / Exit tickets, quiz, end of unit test)
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• Informal Assessments -
• • Quizzes: A quick-fire method of evaluating what students know about a subject.
  • Projects: A creative task that requires students to use their knowledge from the classroom and engagement with the real world in answering complex questions.
  • Portfolio: As learning progresses, the instructor may require students to build up a portfolio.
  • Observation
  • Oral Presentation
  • Spot quiz: During a lecture, the professor asks questions about key concepts to make sure students are listening.
  • Exit slips: At the end of a unit, the teacher distributes exit slips so students can write down their thoughts on the unit or identify three things they learned.
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• Alternative Assessments - 

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  • Plotting a family tree to highlight relationships and connections between individuals.
  • Conducting an interview.
  • Creating an infographic.
  • Writing a how-to manual.
  • Taking a virtual shopping trip.
  • Using two modalities.
  • Making an ABC book.
  • Fashioning a mobile.
  • Using open-ended questions, written compositions, oral presentations, projects, experiments, and portfolios of student work.
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• Standardized Assessments - 
• • Require all test-takers to answer the same questions or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions.
  • Are scored in a consistent manner, allowing for fair comparisons between individuals or groups.
  • Consistent Answers
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• Observational Assessments - Observational assessments are a great way to gather information about what students currently understand because observational assessments feel more like a conversation and less like a formal test. This encourages students to talk more about their thinking. When you observe students and ask them questions, you learn the errors they are making and misconceptions they have and why students are making those errors. You can spend less time worrying about formal assessments and more time focusing on what’s important, which is how to help each individual student broaden and deepen their understanding.

• Authentic Assessments - can also be referred to as alternative assessments or performance-based assessments. All of these assessments are considered “alternatives” to traditional high-stakes tests or research papers and are based on the constructivist theory where students actively construct new meaning and knowledge.

• Portfolio Assessments - -  is a form of assessment that involves collecting evidence of student learning in the form of artifacts, such as essays, projects, and other work. This evidence is then used to evaluate the student's knowledge and performance.

• Environmental Assessments - - (EAs) are conducted to assess the environmental impact of a policy, program, or project during the consideration and approval stages. The term “environmental impact assessment” (EIA) is often used when describing the projects undertaken by individuals or companies.

• Performance Assessments - defined as something that measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills and abilities to authentic problems. 
• Primary Level Assessments - Primary (K-2) Assessment | TPSP (texaspsp.org)