Types of Assessments: Language Arts and reading

Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)

multi-step reading assessment used to gauge a student's oral and silent reading abilities

Continuous Text

Text that uses sentences and paragraphs

Non-continuous texts

include graphs, lists, or images.

Qualitative

data can be observed but not measured

Quantitative

data is measurable.

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)

is a literacy assessment and progress-monitoring tool that allows educators to assess and track the progress of developing readers and identify areas of weakness for students who may need additional support.

Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) 

is given to determine a student's English language arts and reading skill level. Students are ranked from 1-5, with 5 representing the highest level.

• Level 4 & 5 students are working at or above grade level. These students need to be provided with enrichment activities to challenge and engage them.

• Level 3 students might need support. They are working at grade level, but are on the cusp of falling behind or pushing ahead, so they need to be monitored and challenged as needed.

• Level 1 and 2 students need some form of intervention and assistance to meet grade-level expectations. Differentiated, challenging instruction should be provided to bridge the gaps present in grade-level knowledge.

rubric

a scoring guide based on several criteria rather than a single numerical score.

Universal screener

gathers data on all students. Its purpose is typically to organize students into groups, such as intervention groups.

Diagnostic/Pre-Diagnostic assessment

is used to identify students' specific strengths and weaknesses.

Informal assessments

happen throughout instruction. While teachers plan these assessments, they are flexible and can be easily adjusted to fit the lesson's flow.

Formal assessments

can happen both during and after an instructional unit. They are planned in advance and involve established scoring guidelines. They include items such as quizzes, tests, projects, or writing assignments, which are scored using a scale or rubric.

Formative assessments

ongoing evaluations to monitor student progress

Example

• Using exit tickets to check understanding of the day's lesson

Summative assessments

Evaluations at the end of an instructional period. Teachers use them to answer the question, "What did my students learn?" This shows what students know now or what they are able to do.

Norm-referenced assessments

tests that compare an individual's performance/achievement to a group called the "norm group"

Progress Monitoring

Periodic assessments given to keep track of student growth toward a specific goal or objective

Curriculum-Based Assessment

Measures student progress using materials taken directly from the curriculum

Performance-Based Assessment

Students apply knowledge or skills to complete a process or create a product. Assessment that requires students to show mastery of specific skills by demonstrating, producing, or performing something.

Example

• Typically requires high-order thinking

• Typically scored with a rubric or checklist

Portfolio

A collection of student work to show growth over time

• Students often select their own pieces and include self-reflection

• Typically scored with a rubric or checklist

Exit Slip

Short response completed and submitted at the end of a lesson

• Example: Students use a new vocabulary word in a sentence and turn it in before leaving class or transitioning to the next subject.

Rubric

A tool that outlines specific criteria for evaluating or grading work, providing clear expectations and standards for performance

Analytic Rubrics

individually assess each part of the assignment with multiple graded categories.

Holistic rubrics

evaluate the quality of the piece as a whole. The rubric has one score and is very general.

Self-assessment rubrics

To evaluate their own work according to set criteria. They can be analytic or holistic.

English Language Learners (ELLs)

students who are learning the English language, or for whom English is not a first language

Comprehensible Input

information that can be understood despite language barriers; legally required to be provided to all ELL students under statute set by Lau vs. Nichols

Screening

Used to place students in appropriate groups

Example

• Students' reading levels are determined by screening

Comprehensible Input

information that can be understood despite language barriers; legally required to be provided to all ELL students under statute set by Lau vs. Nichols

Criterion-Referenced Tests

tests in which a standard has been set for the test taker to achieve in order to pass the test

Example

• a multiple choice or short answer test on the content of a unit of study in which a 70% is needed to pass

Ongoing Assessment

an assessment that guides the pace and content of instruction

Example

• Ongoing assessments are used to determine student knowledge and dictate whether the class is prepared to move on to a new skill.