In this session, read the chapter on PreAssessment from the book Teacher’s Survival Guide: Gifted Education. Although many of us do preassessment, this is a very basic way of finding out where your students are and not “wasting” your time teaching something they already understand. This is a gifted strategy; however it can be used for almost any student to find out where they are before you begin a unit of study. It can also guide you as you plan a unit to move through things quickly or slowly. Odyssey, on of our computer programs at RCE will assist some preassesment, especially in the subject of math.
Some great sites to give you support and materials on preassessment include: Ian Byrd - http://www.byrdseed.com/differentiating-within-a-gifted-classroom/ a great blog about gifted education, NAGT site (http://www.nagc.org ) has lots of information to use, an on-line interest survey: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/ , and some documents that will make preassessment easier: http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/preassessment Pre-assessment can help you out in many ways.
Assignment for Session 8:
Reflect on the following questions on the blog: What units that you currently teaching that lend themselves to a pre-assessment? How could taking a pre-assessment increase student participation or learning? Are there some quick ways to do a pre-assessment as you are working with your students?
Using Google docs for a quick questioning survey is a great way to check in on students. Using the voting buttons with your activeboard also allows you to take quick snapshots of what your students already know. Post on the wiki site some ways that you could quickly pre-assess your students before a unit. If you know of other web 2.0 tools that would work. Please post these as well.
JB- A unit that I currently teach is grammar. By preassessing students it would help me know what the students have already mastered and what I need to focus on so that they do master it. For example conjunctions are always a hard concept for kids to master. Some pick it up right away and others need more time. Preassessing would help narrow down who needs more help.
ReplyDeleteTaking a pre-assessment could increase participation and learning because I think it would introduce a topic to students and get them excited about the topic before you dive head first into it.
Quick pre-assessments could be creating a set of questions that you popcorn out to the class and observe groups as they discuss the questions. Jot down who is leading the talks and listen in to their group and see if they are on the right track.
My keyboard unit would easily lend itself to pre-assessment. Pre-assessment would quickly show me the students who have no piano background; those who are at the beginning stages; and those students who are more accomplished pianists. Student participation increases when he/she doesn't have to start at the basics - jump in at their present mastery level and continue advancement. Thumbs up/thumbs down would be a quick pre-assessment for keyboard knowledge. On a class list, I would - those who have no keyboard background; + those who are at beginning level; and * star those who are more advanced.
ReplyDeleteWe use preassessment in math all the time. I can see the use of a preassessment in science and grammar as well. Assessing prior knowledge may allow you to skip some material, or at the very least identify a small group needing some remediation. The rest of the group stays engaged because they're not repeating material they already know.
ReplyDeleteYou could have a quick few questions about a topic for the kids to answer in their journals, or a flip chart with ActiVotes...only a few pages would be needed to determine knowledge.
KS. I personally think that every unit and concept couLd use pre assessment! In early childhood pre assessment looks like KWL charts, brainstorming, picture books and many other strategies that help to cultivate vocabulary and helps kids to understand the topic or concept. Often times this helps children to hook their learning to other concepts. As a teacher, this helps me determine appropriate groups and know exactly where we are going and where we don't have to go!
ReplyDeleteJS I think I will only be getting partial credit for this class! So much doesn't apply to the library. Although I can see how using pre-assessment tools could help in assessing where students knowledge lies in technology. Before starting to teach students something new, have them brainstorm what they know first. Then you can divide and conquer and not spend a lot of time teaching what they already know.
ReplyDeleteAW - Preassessment is used in many units in Math. We use it in place value and measurement in the Navigators programs (similar to 5 Most Difficult Questions). Preassessment could increase student learning by enabling us to go deeper in a unit and focus on more complex concepts. This would also enable me to use the concept in complex problem solving situations. Some quick ways to do a preassessment would be the KWL or TWH chart on a specific topic in math. Also the 5 Most Difficult Questions enable me to see if a student knows at least 80% of the content (Navigators).
ReplyDeleteddm - Pre-assessments work for math, geography, and grammar because they have a 'right' answer. I think this could increase student participation because it would give us a chance to do grouping according to interest, knowledge, and/or learning style. The obvious quick ways to pre-assess would be to give a math problem and see if it is solved accurately.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I see is making the time to create a proper pretest. If it is done properly, it needs to show varying levels of knowledge to create groups accordingly. You'll need to create a pretest that gives you what you need for grouping. If your intent is just to find who knows it and who doesn't, you'll still find varying levels of performance within that concept. Are you working to go deeper into the objective, move the child on to the next objective, or let the child sway off and do something totally different?
There is a lot to consider when toying with the idea of pre-assessment.
We have 3 major assessment times in kindergarten (beginning of the year, mid- year and end of the year).... However in kindergarten we are constatntly assessing our children in small groups so that our instruction is always on target with each child's needs. We see so much growth in kindergarten...it is an awesome thing to watch your students grow and change as you assess them throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteOur small group instruction is assessment driven. We assess kids three times a year, but we often do it more to see where the kids are. Their needs change all the time and therefore, the groups are constantly evolving. It would be pointless for some children to work on letter names when they are a reader. We get kids that do not know letters, know letters but not sounds, beginning to read, and fluent readers. If we didn't assess and use that to drive the instruction, our ship would be sunk.
ReplyDeleteHB. In 1 st grade, we assess our children throughout the school year. Our children are then able to move easily from one small group instruction to another. The assessments that are given during the year drive our instruction. My small groups are not limited to my classroom walls. We are a team.
ReplyDeleteAssessments are very important to help dictate your lesson plans for that unit. It helps to organize your group lesson topics and gives you direction for one on one time during workstation time. Prek has several assessments and it is amazing to see how quickly they absorb what they are presented and how their assessments change. KML
ReplyDeleteThroughout the school year I am consistently evaluating/assessing my students. Good record keeping, quick anecdotal records, and assessments keep teachers well informed of where thei students are at any given time. It not only helps you find avenues to keep challenging the higher level students but it also helps you form groups for the children that need remediation and/ or reteaching. This process also allows teachers to move students' in and out of certain groups according to their knowledge, confidence, and skill level in any given subject area(s). Annie Pooh
ReplyDeleteLD - Just about every unit we teach can have some form of preassessment. I used the pretests from our math series to assess students' abilities with different math concepts regularly this past year. It was easy to see who needed more support and who already knew those concepts. From there the kids worked on Odyssey and menu activities, and also in small groups with me. That's a pretest that's already in place. The ones mentioned in the chapter require a little work, but not much. I like the Punnett Square. I can see myself using that one with other content areas, especially science and social studies that deal with so much vocabulary. Our study of economics is one unit in particular that stands out. Also, geometry in math. Kids get stuck on the names of shapes, even though they've seen them for years.
ReplyDeletePre-assessment is a wonderful way to start new learnings! Teachers are walking, talking, and jotting pre-assessments machines!
ReplyDeleteWe do this at the beginning of the year with the Spelling Survey and the DRA. We also do it before, sometimes during and definitely after a unit has been taught. From there, we pull small groups that need further teaching.. Then, the cycle starts again!
I think that the district has done a wonderful job providing us with pre assessments and one of the easiest forms is using a KWL chart. It is amazing what kids know and what they want to learn.
Odyssey also provides us with a quick visual of where kids are. They same process could be easily done with the Activ Board (providing that the voting eggs actually worked). Personally, I enjoy conversations (go figure - right?) with the kids to see how in-depth they actually understand.
I think per assessment is one of the strongest tools we have as a teacher. This is especially important since we seem to always have more and more to teach every year, with the same amount of time. It allows us to determine exactly where are students are so that we can begin instruction at that point, and not waste anytime with what they already know. Or rewind instruction with some valuable review when we realize they are not where we hoped they would be...still saving time from teaching above skill level to find out you have to start over when they are staring blankly at you! For kindergarten, the district assessments are really great. We can design our whole group and small group instruction based on those outcomes.
ReplyDeleteSome ways I tend to pretest:
ReplyDeleteUsing the math adoption series of pretests
Making quick pretests from Access for math
Spelling inventory is a way to group spellers and is a pre-assessment
I could pretest in many other areas as well. One example is our 3rd grade states test. I could give them the end of the year test and if they do well, encourage them to study the regions and capitals as well as landforms in those regions.
I think the T-W-H seems a little difficult for young students, but I like the idea of using some of what they want to learn to drive instruction. This will increase their participation and therefore their learning too. I also like Pre-assessing Learning Styles, but it seems difficult as a teacher to organize this. If I at least tried it in the beginning for a few units and not all, then I can group students by readiness and by the ways they enjoy learning. KE
I currently preassess in spelling, states and capitals, and grammar. You can always take a student deeper in a content area and not waste time reviewing or introducing material they already know.
ReplyDeleteI plan to preassess in vocabulary this year. You can really introduce a whole new list of words if you find that students are already familiar with them. This will be so beneficial to them in middle school. BD
Math is a great place to use preassessmrnts. Why should a student have to learn and study their math facts if they know them well etc. Students can be preassessed on any math concept. There are several ways to do this. Just to name a few...some units in some grade levels have Navigators, teacher observations, active votes, khan Academy and odeysey
ReplyDeletePreassessments are not as straight forward with reading. DRA gives a very limited assessment of a student's reading level in the upper grades. It is, however, one way we can quickly assess which reading group or book club a student should start the year with. Basic comprehension can be preassessed faily easily, but it is not until you get into indepth discussions that a student's true reading "ability" can be assessed. Kids gifted in the language arts often stand out very quickly and benefit from different types of assessements - ones that highlight their often unique and deep understanding of text. JJ
ReplyDeleteLife science is easy and kids have had this for sometimes 7 years by the time I get them. Pre-assessment is huge in this area as it allows me the opportunity to see who needs extra instruction. Another area is the solar system. All are familiar with this and we can cut to the chase if we know where everyone is before I start it. CC
ReplyDeleteMRid- In first grade, I feel that we are pre- assessing students on a day to day basis. We have to constantly be assessing these skills so that we as teachers know that we are on target with instruction. We also do lots of RAN charts with our kids to introduce different topics and use this information to assess what was already learned so that we are not re-teaching a concept that the kids already know. First graders grow leaps and bounds from September to June, and that pre- assessment is actually a very powerful thing to see how far kids have come!
ReplyDeleteIn first grade, we assess our kids throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, this really helps with getting our guided reading groups, word study groups, and math small groups going. As the year progresses, we can make changes to these groups as needed based on our continuous assessments and observations. Often, when we begin a unit we'll do a RAN chart to find out what we already know about the topic. This helps guide our learning. MR1
ReplyDeletePre-assessing goes on daily in the primary classrooms throughout the year. We must assess the students to make sure that we are where we are getting every child where he/she needs to be. There were several times last year that I moved students around based on assessing their progress in reading group. Last year in first grade we began our discussion on a new topic with a RAN chart. I will also be able to make RAN charts in Prek to see where we are and where we need to go. MH
ReplyDeleteCLM-Math units and science units that build on previous knowledge (not new to fourth grade) would lend themselves to preassessment. Flexible instructional groups could be made or individual menus/contracts developed based on the preassessment results.
ReplyDeleteStudents would be more motivated to "learn" the skills they have not mastered previously. They would see their knowledge "valued" and their time used more effectively.
If you give a student a preassessment of math problems representing the material in the current unit, then you would have documentation of those math steps or processes mastered or not mastered. Giving a student a few problems instead of a whole page of the same type of problems also simplifies the process.
Giving students the three or four hardest problems first is motivational if he/she does not have to continue
if those are mastered.
LK-When I was in the classroom, I did a lot of pre-assessment. This knowledge was invaluable as I taught the majority of my math instruction in small groups. The pre-assessment gave me the knowledge I needed to form my groups. One new idea that struck me int he reading was that no only do students need to show what they know, but how they know it and how do they know that what they know is true. To me, this takes understanding to a whole new level
ReplyDeleteRR-Pre-assesment is an important math tool. i agree that it is excellent for forming groups and individualizing instruction. We also use the Navigators program to pre-assess and determine an appropriat level for an idividual student to be working on. It also provides great lessons and activities to stimulate learning.
ReplyDeletePre-assessment is a valuable tool in any subject area. At the beginning of the year, I use DRA data and quickwrites to determine what areas to focus on. I use the knowledged gained from pre-assessing to plan my lessons; however, after reading Byrd's article, I decided that I want to be even more purposeful in pre-assessing, especially in reading and writing conferences. I like the idea of using the T-W-H chart and could use it to better preassess Social Studies topics. I agree with JB-grammar would also be another area where pre-assessment could (and should) play a big role. And spelling. I liked how Byrd uses the same questions for pre-assessment and post-assessment. That would be a useful way to show growth, esp. when explaining to parents.
ReplyDeleteKC - This was my favorite reading so far because I am a huge advocate for pre-assessment and think people should be able to “test-out” of a subject if they can; especially at the high school and college level. I loved the assumption on p. 94 that if a person can get 80% of the five most difficult questions correct, they don’t need to learn the subject like the rest of the class. I totally AGREE! I used to do this with math homework and let the students try the last five computation or word problems on a page. If they got 90% or more correct, they didn’t have to do the rest of the page. That was highly motivating for students to take their time to check their work and helped me figure out who didn’t need the unnecessary repetition and who DID need the extra practice. I also love the idea of the TWH chart described in the article. So clever and I want to figure out how to use that more in my future lessons. The Great Depression Pre-assessment was cool too and I can see how that can be applied to many of the other American History units we cover in 5th grade. We’ve used the pretest strategy to keep kids from having to take all five of the state, capitals and abbreviation quizzes if they can get an A on the final test, and that seems to motivate a lot of kids to re-study what they learned in the previous grades so they get to have free-time while others are taking the weekly quizzes. Our math supplement has great open-ended pretests for each unit and I really want to use them often as long as I have other resources like Odyssey and the programs Trish listed to help move ahead the students who don’t need to sit through the math lessons based on their good pretest scores.
ReplyDeletePre-assessment is a highly beneficial way to use time more affectively. In health fitness we assess continually. We verbally ask questions to set up groups so each student can feel successful in their group. We also use assessments both verbal and visual to keep students moving from one group to another as their assessment gives us up to date information. This type of continuous assessment keeps students motivated as well because they have students with similar talents and experiences in their groups. We also use pre-assessments along with peer teaching and have students self-assess as they learn new skills.
ReplyDeleteDM
As a teacher, I did use some pre-assessment to find the right place to begin with the instructional input. In the long run, it saved some time as it kept the learning on the cutting edge. Along with pre-assessment, I think it would be beneficial to know the strengths of students before we begin instruction. Recently, I visited with the new director of the KIPP program at Landrum MS. He reported that they are surveying their students before the year begins. Each teacher uses the surveys on Authentic Happiness.com. It appears that this is free and students can be listed as part of the teachers registration. He feels it is an important as pre-assessment. NH
ReplyDeletePre-asessment is a tool that teachers feel like they do not have enough time for but it actually saves us time. It is such a waste of time to teach children information that they already know although this probably happens often. We all pre-assess in spelling by giving our children the spelling inventory in the beginning of the year but what if they are still given spelling words that they already know how to spell? Also, kids come to us knowing multiplication and division because their parents taught them at home. It is important that we are aware of this when we start the basic introduction and find a way to challenge them from the beginning because honestly it is so boring to learn something that you already know. Clearly the goal is to motivate . . .and not to bore.(MMS)
ReplyDeleteJL - My lessons begin with student identifying with what they already know about the lesson....building on what they know. By the time I am giving the objective, students are confident that they know many of the bases on which the lesson is built. We take a survey on how many know ........this and that. Think to your self and count how much you already know.
ReplyDeleteI believe pre-assessment is important because it allows the teacher to make the lesson more meaningful and engaging for students. Preassessing and beginning the lesson where student knowledge is lacking is much better for the students learning. If you beginning a lesson/unit/etc without preassessing then not only will us lose your students because they will be "bored" since they already know the information you will waste time that could be used to dig deeper into the topic.
ReplyDelete