6. Literacy assessments must be instructionally relevant
As we all understand, the pressure is on when it comes to students performing well on high-stakes assessments. We must be careful in using a single test (such as the high-stakes tests) to evaluate student achievement, progress, and need. As Morrow and Gambrell (2011) suggest, we must make sure that the assessments we use are reflecting an authentic, comprehensive literacy framework. Differentiated instruction also involves assessing differences among students. Without appropriate assessments, we cannot provide appropriate instruction. Assessments should...
Successful, ongoing classroom assessments enable us to see where our students are academically, their areas of strength and weakness, the effectiveness of our instruction, and what we need to design and implement next to best meet their individual needs. This school year is the first that the STAR reading assessment and Discovery Education assessments have been made available to my school. Prior to this year, I struggled to locate any kind of assessments to help me track my students progress. I also use the Qualitative Reading Inventory 5 (thanks to a past graduate course here at ECU!), along with other assessments to monitor my students progress in whatever area is needed. I feel much more confident this year since I have been equipped with additional assessment tools to use to help me design targeted, differentiated instruction for my students.
Morrow, L. M., & Gambrell, L. B. (Eds.). (2011). Best practices in literacy instruction (4th ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
- describe the characteristics of student readers in diverse classrooms - characteristics that can influence their reading achievement
- help us identify teachable moments for each student
- give us the detail we need to effectively teach to students' needs
- show us the important outcomes of effective reading instruction
Successful, ongoing classroom assessments enable us to see where our students are academically, their areas of strength and weakness, the effectiveness of our instruction, and what we need to design and implement next to best meet their individual needs. This school year is the first that the STAR reading assessment and Discovery Education assessments have been made available to my school. Prior to this year, I struggled to locate any kind of assessments to help me track my students progress. I also use the Qualitative Reading Inventory 5 (thanks to a past graduate course here at ECU!), along with other assessments to monitor my students progress in whatever area is needed. I feel much more confident this year since I have been equipped with additional assessment tools to use to help me design targeted, differentiated instruction for my students.
Morrow, L. M., & Gambrell, L. B. (Eds.). (2011). Best practices in literacy instruction (4th ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
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