The Practicalities of Preassessment

1. The Practicalities of Preassessment New type glass measuring cups have easy-to-read markings. The quart measuring cup shown here makes simple the job of preparing baby's formula or cooking recipes, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, 1943. Adapted from: Arlington Public Schools Social Studies In-Service August, 2008 Patricia B. Carlson

2. “…if real success is to attend the effort to bring a man to a definite position, one must first of all take pains to find him where he is and begin there.…to be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and in the way he understands it….” Soren Kierkegaard, The Journals, 1854

3. Boxing What else do I know? Draw a Picture, Diagram, or Graphic Organizer demonstrating your experience with preassessment. What does this have to do with ____ ? How does it fit? In words, summarize the above.

4. Why Do It? • One purpose of preassessment is to document the need for differentiated instruction. Preassessment makes differentiation strategies defensible. • It is a necessary step if instruction is to be meaningful and motivating to students. • Preassessment is critical to determine students’ starting points for new information.

5. Our Students Interests Individual Curricular Emotions / Feelings Learning Styles How they like to work Ways they like to demonstrate learning Past Experiences With content, specific topics, skills sets First Week of School Letter about self and subject Interest Inventory Multiple Intelligence Inventory Personal “Life in a Box” Skill Demonstration Informational Index Cards Find out at the start… What is the value of “checking in” with your students at different points throughout the school year?

6. Begin at the end to determine content knowledge and skills… • Preassess at the end of a unit, at the end of the previous day’s lesson or several weeks before a new unit to accurately identify students’ content knowledge and skill levels, build enthusiasm, anticipation, and goal setting, and most importantly to give yourself TIME to prepare for differentiated instruction. Time to find and adapt materials, design tiered assignments or independent learning activities, plan for differentiated products or determine flexible grouping.

7. Identify Starting Points • Use end of unit assessments up front, or use a pretest 2 or 3 weeks prior, incorporating several levels of spiraling questions for accurate assessment. • Open-ended Writing Prompt – make three piles • 5 –Toughest Questions allowing students to demonstrate knowledge and skills in order to “test out”

8. The Quick and Dirty • Teacher Observation / Anecdotal Assessment • Mind Maps • KWR (R=What I will Read or Research) to signal about students ’interests and awareness of resources • Ponder-Pass – Tell students upcoming topic. Then pass a notepad around the class and challenge students to write notes about what they know, skills they need, facts they want to know and questions related to the topic. • Response Cards – to inform teacher and practice student metacognition regarding knowledge base, feelings, attitudes, likes/dislikes, facts learned, and identify misconceptions • Yes/No Cards - Yes, Got It!; No, No Clue! Students respond to teacher question with yes or no. If yes, they are required to elaborate; teacher takes notes about what was known, misinformation, and what needs to be emphasized or skipped in instruction.

9. Show and Tell (tell it, draw it, write it, create a sample to display) • 5 Toughest Questions • Take a Stand, Agree-Disagree • 1 Minute Paper • Ticket Out the Door • Likert Scale on issues or statements related to content • Concept and Vocabulary Tasks • Process Letter – students write a letter explaining a process or solving a problem • PMI – students indicate the pluses, minuses, and interesting ideas / concepts related to a topic • Relationships - ask students to depict or describe the relationships between concepts (this requires them to organize and relate their background knowledge)

10. Grade / SubjectSmall Group Activity • Determine a lesson or unit of study and generate “5 toughest questions” for that lesson/unit. • Consider what you will do with this preassessment information. • For students who have content and/or skill gaps • For students who “test out” • For grade level students

11. Preassessment Toolkit Ideas • Keep Informational Index Cards on your students about personal and curricular interests, learning styles and goals for school year. Use these for instructional purposes (grouping, product preferences, etc.), and update periodically. • Make laminated Response Cards with 2 choices (Yes/No), (True, False), or 3 or 4 choices (No Clue, Almost There, Got It!) for students to use in response to teacher questions. Colored popsicle sticks and white boards can be used for the same purpose. • Use student interest inventories, content surveys, and pretests (based on existing assessments). • Incorporate “double duty” preassessment into your homework assignments, interactive notebook previews, instructional activities, or exit cards to accomplish multiple instructional goals.

12. Carol Ann Tomlinson tells us, “Instruction begins where students are, not at the front of the curriculum guide.” How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed- Ability Classrooms (2001)

13. Peer Assessment Activity • Develop at least 2 pre-assessments for your unit • Make sure each reflects all the learning goals of the unit. • Choose someone on or near your grade level. • Peer assess each other’s pre- assessments • Make the necessary changes.