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1.     Diagnostic

a.     Used for finding out.

i.      Measure of Academic Progress

ii.      Pre-test

iii.      Observation

iv.      Self-Evaluation

v.      Interview

b.    Diagnostic assessments don’t affect grades. They’re just a way to see what someone already knows before starting a new lesson or unit. They help you figure out a student’s strengths and areas where they might need more help. Teachers use these results to adjust lessons so they’re not reteaching things you already understand. If the assessment shows you’re missing important background knowledge, like certain vocabulary, teachers can review it with you before moving on to new material.

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Understanding the Role of Assessment in Learning

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Understanding the Role of Assessment in Learning

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Assessment and Learning

Assessment plays an important role in the process of learning and motivation. The types of assessment tasks that we ask our students to do determine how students will approach the learning task and what study behaviours they will use. In the words of higher education scholar John Biggs, "What and how students learn depends to a major extent on how they think they will be assessed." (1999, p. 141).

Given the importance of assessment for student learning, it is important to consider how to best measure the learning that you want your students to achieve. Assessment should integrate grading, learning, and motivation for your students. Well-designed assessment methods provide valuable information about student learning. They tell us what students learned, how well they learned it, and where they struggled. Good assessments allow you to answer the question,

What was it that my students learned in my course?

Assessment then becomes a lens for understanding student learning, identifying invisible barriers, and helping us to improve our teaching approaches.

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Understanding the Role of Assessment in Learning

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Assessment plays an important role in the process of learning and motivation. The types of assessment tasks that we ask our students to do determine how students will approach the learning task and what study behaviours they will use.

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1.     Formative Assessments

a.     Used for keeping track.

i.      In-class activities

ii.      Practice work

iii.      Reflective journals

iv.      Question and answer

v.      Peer-evaluation

vi.      Teacher feedback

b.    When creating a lesson plan, teachers include formative assessments to check understanding at different points, like after a class, an activity, or a part of a unit. These assessments help teachers see how students are doing overall and individually. If most students are struggling with a concept, the teacher might teach it differently. If one student is falling behind, they can get extra help.

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CAS - Central Authentication Service Login

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Bloom's Taxonomy categorizes learning into six cognitive levels: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Each level defines specific skills, such as recalling facts, applying knowledge, analyzing patterns, creating new ideas, and evaluating information, with question cues to guide learning and assessment.

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1.     Summative Assessments

a.     Used for making sure.

i.      Unit test

ii.      Final/midterm

iii.      Product/exhibit

iv.      Portfolio

.      Performance

b.    Summative assessments evaluate if students have met the learning goals of a unit. To be effective, align them with objectives and use various formats to support all learners, such as discussions for students with test anxiety. While often graded, summative assessments focus on growth. Encourage students to review mistakes, find correct answers, and retake assessments to improve, emphasizing that learning is about progress, not just grades.

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Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DoK) categorizes learning into four levels—Recall, Application, Strategic Thinking, and Extended Critical Thinking—each requiring progressively deeper cognitive engagement. Teachers can use targeted questions, diverse activities, and flexible strategies to foster distinct thinking levels, create engaging lessons, and address students’ unique learning needs.

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Effective assessments not only evaluate student mastery but also guide instruction by aligning objectives with activities and incorporating frequent, non-biased, and engaging methods like games and projects. Clear communication, creative assessment strategies, and timely feedback help foster student engagement and address learning needs while informing teaching effectiveness.

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By Melissa Maypole
Assessments are no longer simply tests that students fret about or neglect to study for. As you may well know, today's environment of heightened accountability for educators has made assessments stressful for not only students, but for teachers as well. Not to worry, though. Assessments can actually be powerful (and even fun!) tools to evaluate how well your students are mastering the material you're covering in class and how well you're doing covering said material. Just follow these 6 simple tips:

1) Begin with the end in mind.

For years, teachers have planned their lessons in a linear fashion. First, we create daily lessons aligned with objectives followed by tests to assess the objectives each lesson addresses. Logical, right? Sure, but this traditional method of teaching and assessing learning may not necessarily be the most effective way to go about things. Instead, try creating an objectives-based assessment first, and then plan activities that target the learning goals the assessment evaluates. This not only ensures that the assessment aligns to your students' learning objectives, but it also allows the assessment to help drive your instruction, meaning you'll know for sure that you've actually taught the material and skills that require mastery.

2) Communicate your purpose.

The purpose of a traditional pencil and paper test may be fairly cut and dry to your students-I answer a bunch of questions and it tells the teacher if I've learned the material-but this may not be the case for a more open-ended assessment such as a project or essay that a student may see as busy work. In order to get the outcome you want from your students, it's important to let them know why they are doing something, including what skills and knowledge you're expecting them to demonstrate mastery of. One of the best ways to do this is to create a clear rubric and give your students a copy prior to beginning work on the assignment. This way, there will be no question as to what you expect your students to demonstrate, and it may even motivate many to perform.

3) Blend assessments into your teaching.

Highly effective educators use assessments to adapt and enhance instruction. Instead of treating assessments as intimidating bookends to curriculum units, successful teachers assess learning more frequently and less formally with the intention of using the results of the assessment as an arrow toward the next steps in the learning process. Create opportunities for non-threatening, formative checkpoints in your instruction. Give deliberate and targeted mini-quizzes that allow you to assess common misconceptions and truly know in real-time where your students are tracking. Craft your quiz by following assessment-writing best practices outlined in this article.

4) Identify and avoid bias.

Since assessments are such an important tool in your teaching toolbox, it's important to ensure that they are as authentic and targeted as possible. This means making an intentional effort to check for any biases that may affect students' performance or invalidate your results. An assessment should be designed in parts that specifically test single, targeted skills, and unintended bias will quickly invalidate your efforts. Although it may seem impossible to create an assessment with zero bias, we can still do our due diligence to identify and remove bias.

The most common types of bias in assessments are those that inadvertently assume knowledge other than the specific skill being tested. This bias can be blatant such as assuming knowledge of a certain cultural group, for instance, or it could be hidden. Hidden biases are often found in the language of the assessment. Teachers must be especially careful not to create written assessments that are on a higher reading level than their students, so that a mathematics assessment, for example, doesn't unintentionally assess how well the student can read the problem as well as the specific skills.

5) Consider non-traditional assessments.

Nothing crushes classroom morale faster than announcing a pop quiz or traditional paper and pencil test. In order to incorporate some fun into your assessment repertoire and keep your students engaged in their learning, you'll need to think outside of the box. Create a game or activity based on specific learning objectives to mix things up while bringing out the very best in your students. Or consider tying in a cross-curricular semester-long project that connects the material together and forces a higher level application of skills. You can pepper in traditional mini-assessments throughout the span of the project to determine where your students are, but the journey here is much more fun.

We all know that assessments provide feedback to us teachers-they let us know which material students have mastered and which material they still need to work on. They also tell us how well we're delivering the necessary information and facilitating learning in our classrooms. Don't forget, though, that assessments can and should provide vital feedback for your students as well. After all, if we want them to be in charge of their learning (and we do!), then we must give them the necessary information to make and reach their learning goals. Reviewing the results of a quiz or test has the potential to help students realize their deficits and detect meaningful patterns in their errors. These are discoveries that are crucial to correcting misconceptions and directing future learning. When planning a review or follow-up on an assessment, keep in mind that sooner is always better. The quicker you provide learners with feedback on their performance, the more meaningful this information will be.

When crafted carefully, assessments can be incredibly powerful tools for learning. Well-planned assessments provide teachers and students with the necessary information to gauge progress and plan the next steps in the learning process. When we assess learning clearly, frequently and without bias, we get a better picture of how well we're doing with instruction and how to best serve our students in the future.

For more, see:

Melissa Maypole is an English Teacher with a Master's of Science in Education, and is a contributor at .
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6 Tips for Creating Powerful Assessments for Your Students

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By Melissa Maypole - Today's heightened accountability for educators has made assessments stressful for teachers. Here's how to do them right.

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This quick visual guide can help teachers ensure that their daily lessons align with their learning goals and assessments.

Teaching at our best is like anything else we pursue; it's part science and part art. It's a learned skill that requires time and patience to hone. Teachers, therefore, become frustrated when our self-efficacy is threatened by questionable policies and relentless new initiatives, particularly during a pandemic. But having a set of trusted pedagogical strategies can help us keep it together-even under extreme pressure.

In coaching schools, part of the initial work is to engage leadership in learning walks to see what's happening in classrooms before investing time and resources to design professional development (PD). Classrooms will always be the incubator for what's needed in education.

It's challenging for administrators to keep their fingers on the pulse of what's happening in their schools if they're not interacting with teachers in classrooms or listening to them. These visits also allow school leaders to recommend appropriate tools and practices for empowering teachers.

Flow and Alignment

Through no fault of their own, I have found that many classroom teachers don't always see how assessment drives instruction or the alignment between summative assessment, learning goals, formative assessment, and teaching strategies/scaffolds. For example, a career switcher who didn't participate in a preservice program or a teacher whose preservice program included very little instructional modeling may not have a set of pedagogical strategies at their disposal for planning and facilitating instruction.

There isn't only one way to teach. But daily lessons must have flow and alignment.

Classroom teachers need to have fluidity and a reservoir of trusted strategies they know when to use. These strategies must be part of methods for attacking daily instructional problems with flexibility to address unforeseen occurrences. A planning tool and framework for mapping instruction backward can be helpful in maintaining alignment no matter what we encounter in the instructional day.

To help support teachers, I've adapted the tool during lesson/project ideation sessions. It's been helpful for teachers who may not understand how to rewrite standards into learning goals or for those who may need a refresher on scaffolding and creating instructional alignment. Some of the schools I work with have even added the tool into their lesson and performance task templates. See a template and completed example here.

The tool originates from PBLWorks and is inspired by backward design methodology by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins but does not replace McTighe's Understanding by Design resources through ASCD. Instead, the tool is a simple table with four columns, easily allowing educators to map their instruction in alignment with summative assessment and daily learning goals.

Aligning Instruction in 4 Steps

Column one: Determine summative assessment. Well-designed summative assessments drive instruction when they align to standard(s) or a benchmark. The tool should be used to align instruction for summative assessments in the form of products, demonstration of a performance task(s), or literary composition.

For example, a particular unit or project plan can call students to create written, technology-based, or constructed products (e.g., reports, PSAs, model prototypes, etc.). Once we determine what we want our kids to do and make by the end of a specified time, that goes into column one.

Column two: Compose learning goals. Developing learning goals for lessons and projects is a critical practice often neglected in PD and, therefore, is often excluded or not well thought out in curriculum unit design. Derived from academic standards and learning frameworks, learning goals are vital to teaching and observing learning and are the backbone of lessons.

Good learning goals drive what students will understand and what they will be able to accomplish following a lesson or project. They need to go beyond objectives on our whiteboard or lesson plan and should be unpacked during mini-lessons as the focal point of the academic conversation between teachers and students.

I can explain how human activity affects the health of bodies of water and the ecosystems they support.

I can collect and analyze data to inform my decisions and design better solutions to real-world problems.

I can present my conclusions to an audience using multimedia tools that more effectively convey my message.

I use learning targets (LTs) to capture learning goals as statements about what students can do regarding completing the product or task in column one of the planning tool. Here are some examples of what can go in column two:

Column three: Develop formative assessments. Each learning goal in column two will need formative assessment to check students' understanding. Teachers can decide on both informal and formal formative assessments. I find conducting two formal checks (quizzes, essays, etc.) for each summative assessment good practice for determining where students need help, remediation, and challenge.

Informal checks can be used daily between our interactions with students to determine their instructional needs. Here are some we can use as quick checks for understanding.

Column four: Utilize instructional strategies and scaffolds. Instructional strategies and scaffolds are what we reach for to teach a particular lesson-or, in this case, the learning goal(s) in column two. Learning goals require us to explain, clarify, and model. Regardless, students will need time to practice-moving from guided (teacher-led) to independent.

Gleaning insights from formative assessment helps us put the appropriate scaffolds and interventions in place by updating column four. For example, to help students with their coding skills, I like using the workshop model to structure station rotations allowing them to move between working independently and working with the teacher or their peers. Both content and elective teachers can also use it for differentiating and choosing scaffolds that work best for their kids.

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A Simple Tool for Aligning Instruction and Assessment

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This quick visual guide can help teachers ensure that their daily lessons align with their learning goals and assessments.

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This page will help you understand the purpose, components, and implementation of RTI and MTSS frameworks, highlighting their role in supporting student success through tiered interventions, evidence-based practices, and continuous progress monitoring.

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Response to Intervention (RTI) is a system of supports that schools put in place to provide high-quality education to students with disabilities. It was originally developed as an overall framework for prediction, remediation and prevention of negative outcomes common for students with disabilities. It derives from the foundational components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including nondiscriminatory evaluation, appropriate education and procedural due process.

RTI is designed to aid in the identification of learning disabilities and other learning and behavior problems and learning disabilities, improve instructional quality, and provide students with academic opportunities. It calls for the implementation of a differentiated curriculum with different instructional methods and tiers of increasingly intensive, scientific, research-based interventions.

"When RTI is implemented on a consistent, ongoing basis, students with disabilities thrive, as do other students [who] have no label but who may hit some bumps in the roads along the way. RTI puts into place a system that is sensitive to the learning needs, growth and progress of all students," says Don Deshler, the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Special Education who has served as the director of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas.

The high-quality instruction for which RTI is designed is characterized by cultural and linguistic responsiveness, assessment, and evidence-based intervention. RTI has four components:
1) Universal Screening
Universal screening is used to understand how each student is performing on critical academic tasks in the core curriculum. Teachers provide a universal probe which assesses the student's understanding of essential skills and content. Once complete, a better understanding emerges of which students are succeeding and which are struggling, providing a baseline for educators.
2) Teaching With Evidence-Based Practices & Curriculum
Instructional methods for students engaged with RTI are based on those which have been shown to work with students in the past. If educators use established, evidence-supported methods, they can have reasonable confidence that students should respond to their instruction.
3) Monitoring
Periodically, educators reassess their students, in a manner similar to the initial screening, to see if they are absorbing the content that is being taught to them. This provides a cue to teachers to look more closely at any students that are still having difficulties and make adjustments or minor modifications to their educational plan.
4) Tiered Interventions
If minor adjustments fail to make a difference, educators may need to consider more intensive delivered instruction. RTI creates a tiered framework in which the number of tiers can depend on the specific way in which RTI is being implemented in a given educational system. Typically, though, they can be generalized into three levels:

Tier 1 - Level of instruction found in general education classrooms

Tier 2 - More deliberate, direct and explicit in how students are taught and how feedback is modeled and details provided

Tier 3 - Intensive instruction, including the introduction of a specialist with specific expertise to weigh in on the situation

Depending on your state, RTI may be called different names and different acronyms, but the important and consistent element across all of these programs is the idea of tier-based support. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a specific implementation of RTI that has been designed for all students, not just those with disabilities.

MTSS supports four core beliefs:

1) Every child learns and achieves to high standards.
2) Learning includes both academic and social competencies.
3) Every member of the education community continues to grow, learn and reflect.
4) All leaders at all levels are responsible for every student.

According to KansasMTSS.org, "When implemented fully, an effective MTSS results in a self-correcting feedback loop that uses universal screening assessment data to not only intervene at the student level but also to continuously refine the system by analyzing grade, building and district level data for the purpose of school improvement." ¹

To learn more about RTI and MTSS, visit the resources below:
RTI http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/rti01-overview/ MTSS
If you would like to learn more about how to implement these crucial tools for student success in your classroom, consider a master's degree, graduate certificate or licensure endorsement in a special education discipline from the #1 special education graduate program in the country at the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences. ²

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Understanding Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

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Explore Response to Intervention (RTI) & Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) protocols for providing quality education to students with disabilities.

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Feel free to skip this section if you're familiar with the definition of RTI.

If you aren't familiar or want a refresher, RTI focuses on early and continuous identification, assessment and assistance of students who have learning and behaviour needs.

Although the term is widely used across North America, other regions have similar approaches and standards under different names.

Regardless, the intervention process should be ingrained in each classroom management plan. That's because it starts with you delivering high-quality instruction and monitoring how each student processes it.

Those who perform poorly or display concerning classroom habits are candidates for small-group or individual interventions. These are typically aimed at addressing trouble spots and building underdeveloped prerequisite skills to accelerate learning.

Depending on the intensity of intervention, and your school's resources, special educators and dedicated interventionists may involve themselves. You may also have to inform a student's parents in extreme cases, offering updates about progress and the methods you're using.

There isn't a universal RTI process, but most schools and districts divide it into three stages. You can learn about these stages below, or skip to tier-based strategies.

The Three RTI Tiers

Tier 1: High-Quality Instruction and Proactive Assessment

Think of the first RTI tier as everyday teaching. It's consistently delivering differentiated and scientifically-based instruction. This helps ensure that student struggles aren't a result of improper teaching methods. If you don't already use them, some popular practices include:

In the context of RTI, high-quality instruction also involves providing supplemental learning opportunities based on assessment results.

Let's say you finish marking a math quiz, and notice several students struggle to multiply decimals. In class, give a task related to decimals and multiplication, discussing and modeling key steps and concepts with those students beforehand.

This is just one approach you can take.

Regardless, you shouldn't spend more than two months providing extra instruction to help a student enhance the same skillset. If he or she doesn't show measureable improvement, it may be time for the second RTI tier.

Tier 2: Targeted Intervention

Maintaining the first tier's style of classroom instruction, the next stage uses rigorous supplementary exercises and lessons targeted to a student's specific needs.

Normally, you would deliver these exercises and lessons in small-group settings outside of core class time. This allows students with common issues to work together, contextualizing and reinforcing concepts while building prerequisite skills.
You can objectively identify candidates for targeted intervention through:

Mid-Unit Evaluations: At the middle of each unit, deliver a surprise quiz or in-class task that covers all core skills and concepts you've covered thus far.

Formal Evaluations: After marking tests and assignments, it'll be clear who's struggling. Your school may have specific criteria, but targeted intervention candidates are typically students who receive failing grades or come close.

After class or during recess, work with students who need help. Focused on clarifying lingering issues or building underdeveloped skills, provide exercises that require they work together and individually.

For example, students could work as a team to solve interactive challenges on a math website. Then, they could each complete a worksheet that reinforces the skills they practiced on the website. You would support students by offering clarification and filling knowledge gaps.

Nuances aside, you should match targeted intervention to student needs by adjusting the:

The second stage intervention should take longer than the first. But if you can't see clear progress after a month or two, you may need to move the student into the third RTI tier.

Tier 3: Intensive Intervention and Evaluation

Working one-on-one with you or a dedicated interventionist, students in the final tier receive intensive lessons that target their unique trouble spots and knowledge gaps.

In the United States, 5% of children need this kind of help, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

Based on the student's learning style and needs, as well as underdeveloped skills, third-tier intervention sessions can include:

Talking with the child about his or her specific issues, discussing strategies to overcome them

Sharing positive and corrective feedback whenever possible

Providing diverse media to help process content

Revisiting lessons from past units or years

Setting achievement plans and goals

Modeling problem-solving steps

The educator who runs these sessions must record as much data as possible about the student's improvement or lack thereof. Are prerequisite skills starting to meet standards? Are there jumps in in-class performance?

If the student doesn't make marked progress, you -- depending on school or district policy -- may have to recommend him or her for a special education evaluation.

Teaching Strategies for Each RTI Tier

RTI probably seems like a daunting process.

It can be. But there are many ways you can help and empower students to succeed in each stage. Consider using some of these 15 intervention strategies, many of which are interchangeable between tiers:

Tier 1 Strategies

1. Watch for Impostor Syndrome

It's easy for a student to nod his or her head, then bury it in a book without asking questions to create an illusion of comprehension. That's why you have to watch for impostor syndrome.

Proactively looking for students who feign understanding, filling their knowledge gaps, can prevent disappointing surprises when marking tests or assignments. You can spot imposter syndrome by regularly:

Asking Students for Their Own Words -- Instead of repeating concepts verbatim, ask students to explain specific ideas using their own words. This will not only help them process content, but reveal how well they understand it.

Using Exit Tickets -- Save 10 minutes at the end of class, allowing students to write about what they learned. They'll prepare for tomorrow's lesson, whereas you'll see who's grasping content.

Adopting a proactive approach can set an example to follow, too. Students may pose more questions and not hesitate to ask for help, since they know you'll likely approach or call on them anyway. 2. Give Only Two Marks for Informal AssessmentsRecall a time you saw a big F in red ink on your work. You were likely upset, too demoralised to review mistakes and feedback.

So, on informal assessments throughout a unit, just state if a student did or did not meet expectations.

Then, provide struggling students with a clear path to improve. For example, pair classmates who didn't meet expectations with those who did, giving them a review and practice activity. When strugglers are confident they understand key concepts, encourage them to tell you. Provide a new assessment, allowing them to prove their competency.

This should partially prevent students from being unprepared for tests and assignments.

3. Have Private Mid-Unit Conversations

Like the last strategy, use this one to identify if and how students are struggling before formal evaluations.

At the middle of each unit, run a fun classwide activity that doesn't introduce key skills or concepts. This gives you a chance to pull each student away for a few minutes to:

Review results

Note trouble spots

Receive input about questions and problems

In doing so, each student can gauge his or her own understanding. Plus, it helps you determine if certain issues are isolated or widespread, informing how you'll deal with them.

4. Switch Between Solo, Small- and Large-Group Learning

Differentiated instruction is a hallmark of RTI's first tier. And an easy, yet effective, way to differentiate is by alternating between individual and group activities.

This is because diverse settings provide distinct learning scenarios.

For example, running literature circles in small groups encourages students to shape and inform each other's understandings of readings, helping auditory and participatory learners retain more information. On the other hand, solo reflection exercises may appeal to those who don't gain as much from discussion as independent thinking.

Plus, varying your lessons this way helps keep engagement levels high.

5. Assign Open-Ended Projects

Giving choices for projects is another differentiation strategy that fits into the first intervention tier.

Instead of assigning an inflexible project, provide a list of ideas. This allows students to choose one that lets them best demonstrate their knowledge. Be sure to include a rubric for each project, setting clear expectations.
By enticing and challenging students, this approach encourages them to:

Work and learn at their own paces

Process content in ways that appeal to them

Showcase their knowledge and skill mastery as effectively as possible

This strategy not only benefits students, but helps you see their unique work and learning styles.

Tier 2 Strategies

6. Set Measurable Goals

Setting clearly-defined objectives will define an explicit route to graduate from intervention.

Addressing a given student's challenges and trouble spots, objectives should take the form of learning and behaviour goals.

Learning goals focus on the student understanding concepts and developing skills. For example, "I, student's name, will complete 10 additional questions about fractions, as provided by my math teacher, each weeknight for the next two weeks."

Behaviour goals require the student to concentrate and work efficiently. For example, "I, student's name, will not interrupt any of my teachers while they're speaking. Instead, I will raise my hand to ask questions."

Notice how the goals are measureable? If the student interrupts a teacher even once or only completes nine questions each night, he or she doesn't meet them.

To reinforce the importance of these goals, review progress at each targeted intervention session.

7. Add a Twist to Mixed-Ability Groups

Grouping high performers with struggling classmates for in-class activities is common, but needs a twist as a second tier intervention strategy.

That's because underperforming students sometimes don't actively participate in these groups. Instead, they rely on group members.

Here's the twist: Run activities that require students to write down their thoughts or findings, but give each student a different colour pen.

You'll likely notice the struggling students don't write down as much. If this is the case, tell them they'll present their group's thoughts or findings to the class. This way, they must process the content to prepare.

Improved understanding of content, better presentation skills.

8. Use EdTech that Adjusts to Each Student

Some educational technologies use adaptive learning principles, detecting student trouble spots and helping them build skills to overcome them.

For example, Prodigy is a fun and engaging math game that adjusts content to help students address skill deficits and knowledge gaps. It also offers feedback to help them solve specific mistakes, as they answer questions that use words, charts, pictures and numbers. Currently used by over two million teachers, the game is aligned with curricula across Canada, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and India.
Create and sign into your free teacher account now!
9. Model Everything and Use Role-Plays

To supplement explanations, demonstrating proper practices will give struggling students clear examples and reference points.

Let's say you're running a think-pair-share activity. To clarify, this involves students individually thinking about a problem, pairing together to discuss their answers and presenting their ideas to the class.
After giving instructions, you could act out a:

Partner conversation, reaching conclusions by asking each other questions

Brief presentation about answers, modeling what students should say about their ideas and problem-solving processes

This strategy helps intervention students participate to the best of their abilities, enjoying the activity itself.

10. Preach Four-Step Problem Solving

Teaching problem-solving skills in targeted interventions can give students the confidence to answer challenging problems, reaching comprehensive answers.

This is especially important for those who understand a topic's underlying concepts, but struggle to apply or articulate them.

One of the most popular resources is A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. The authors describe four steps you should encourage students to follow, which work for most subjects.
The steps are:

Understanding the Problem -- Students should rewrite it in their own words, noting helpful information it reveals and indicates a need for.

Devising a Plan -- Students should use information they gleaned to make notes, tables, diagrams, equations and anything else that creates a path to solving the problem.

Carrying out the Plan -- Students should follow this path, reviewing each step along the way and making changes as needed.

Looking Back -- Students should double-check each step after reaching their answers. Then, it's best to look at the "big picture." Does the solution make sense when applied to the original problem? Is there a different, logical way of reaching the same solution? If not, they should re-visit their approaches.

Armed with these steps, tough questions shouldn't look as daunting.

Tier 3 Strategies

11. Gamify a Personal Learning Plan

Motivating students in the final RTI tier is typically a challenge in of itself. Gamifying learning plans can engage and incentivize them, empowering them to move back in the middle tier.

Whether you're in charge of this intervention stage or not, you can still apply video game elements in your classroom for these and other students.
Consider gamification strategies such as:

Adjusting Your Scoring System -- Give traditional scores and experience points (XP) on tests and assignments, setting a goal for the student to reach a certain amount of XP per unit. For example, if a student scores 60% on a quiz, give him or her 6,000 XP. You can also award XP for completing extra assignments, participating in class or anything else that shows effort to learn.

Using Stages -- Call topics and units stages. These terms have clear connotations for you, but students may not see how they fit together. If they're gamers, they'll understand that reaching the next stage requires overcoming precursory challenges. Emphasize this by framing certain tasks as prerequisites to reach that next learning stage.

If these tips work especially well, you should see similar results by using them in the first two tiers.

12. Gather Data to Spot Trends

Use data at your disposal to pinpoint where and when a student's issues arose.

In doing so, you can tailor intensive instruction that addresses specific needs.

Let's say you determine that a student's performance didn't start to sink when he or she entered your classroom. Rather, it went downhill in the middle of last year's math class. It's now clear you must revisit that content, helping the student build skills taught in that class. You can then move onto this year's topics.

Depending on school or district resources, you may not be tasked with delving into this information. But if you are, look at resources that contain student performance across:

Past years

Previous units

Current classes

Different subjects

Invariably, an effective RTI approach is rooted in such data.

13. Consider Peer Teaching

Pairing struggling students with top-performers can yield benefits, according to peer teaching studies.

For example, "students generally identify more easily with peer helpers than with adult authority figures," according to an influential study. This means they may be more willing to ask questions and for feedback. What's more, an Ohio University pilot study determined that students who read and discuss story passages with peers recall more content and score higher on assessments.
Peer tutoring is a nuanced pedagogy in its own right, but easy-to-run activities include:

Think-pair-share exercises, which were discussed in the section about second-tier strategies

Peer editing exercises, which rely on tutors giving targeted feedback about a tutee's written work

Jigsaw exercises, which involve dividing an ambitious task into subtopics and having tutor-tutee pair research the same subtopic together

If you use this strategy, just be sure to teach tutors about giving help and feedback.

14. Reverse the Standard Peer Teaching Model

Peer teaching strategies typically see high-performing students tutor struggling classmates, but occasionally reversing the roles can have advantages.

When at-risk students help others in a controlled environment, research from the National Association of Secondary School Principals shows their confidence and communication abilities improve. This, in turn, can help them through the RTI process.

You and your students can reap these benefits through reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT). This involves partners taking turns as the tutor, and:

Guiding the tutee through the problem-solving process

Giving the tutee praise and feedback while working through exercises

Reviewing content together, asking each other questions and finding answers

If struggling students don't rise to their new responsibilities, just revert to traditional peer teaching.

15. Seek Help

You're not alone. Each school and district has a different makeup, but you shouldn't have to handle the intervention process yourself.
To ease the rigours of intensive instruction and evaluation, communicate with:

Fellow teachers for insight about the students you're helping

Consider how to incorporate student assessments into report card comments

Learning support specialists for tips and to share responsibilities

Administrators and your principal to provide updates and access data, especially if it seems a student needs special education services and parent involvement is required

The adage it takes a village to raise a child can easily apply to RTI. So, welcome help.

RTI Infographic

Created by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning-- an online resource for teaching tools and ideas -- below is an infographic based on this article:

Final Thoughts About RTI

These strategies support specific RTI stages, but you can also use many to reduce the need for intervention.

Remember, the first tier is rooted in consistently delivering differentiated and scientifically-based instruction.

By using aforementioned first-tier tactics -- as well as researching and incorporating similar ones -- you should prevent many intervention cases. And serious issues may come to light faster, as you identify students who aren't receptive to diverse, credible instruction practices.

So, continue to be proactive. That's a core RTI strategy across tiers.

Create or log into your teacher account on Prodigy - a fun and engaging adaptive math game used for lesson supplementation and response to intervention (RTI). It's used by more than two million teachers and 100 million students.

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The Teacher's Response to Intervention (RTI) Guide: Tiers, Strategies and More

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Feel free to skip this section if you're familiar with the definition of RTI. If you aren't familiar or want a refresher, RTI focuses on early and continuous identification, assessment and assistance of students who have learning and behaviour needs. Although the term is widely used across North America, other regions have similar approaches and standards under different names.

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This guide helps teachers implement Game-Based Learning (GBL) by outlining steps to select, evaluate, and integrate games into lessons, while tracking student progress and addressing stakeholder expectations. It includes practical examples of digital, adapted, and original games to enhance engagement and meet learning goals.

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All Posts

Many teachers struggle to smoothly incorporate games into lessons due to time and logistical issues, yet see game-based learning (GBL) as a way to engage students and appeal to diverse learning styles.

Research has continuously shown such advantages. For example, video games stimulate an increase in midbrain dopamine to help store and recall information, according to a 2014 article in the journal of Learning, Media and Technology.

But when admins and teachers don't seamlessly introduce a game, students may be slow to adopt it and reap these benefits.

Here are five steps to integrating game-based learning into your classroom:

1. Determine the Purpose of Game-Based Learning

Deciding how you'll use a game will narrow your search, helping you find an appropriate one.
Before researching, determine if you want to use a game for:

Intervention -- If a student is struggling to demonstrate understanding of core material, you may consider using a game to address his or her trouble spots. The game you choose should therefore deliver content that adjusts itself to player knowledge and learning style. This should help the student gain a better understanding of difficult material.

Enrichment -- As students master core material, you may want a game that presents content through different media. For example, it may give questions through text, audio, images and more. This should encourage students to challenge themselves as they explore new ways to process the content.

Reinforcement -- Instead of using games to teach and engage individual students, entire classes can play to reinforce curriculum content. This can also make game-based learning a group activity. Some games have multiplayer features and students may naturally compete against each other to earn higher scores.

Keeping these factors in mind will likely hasten the process of finding a game that meets both teacher and student needs.

2. Play the Game Yourself, Making Sure It Is Aligned with Learning Goals

Playing the game in question will help you determine if it's aligned with learning goals you've set.
After finding a game you think is appropriate, play it and make note of:

Teacher Control -- Many educational games offer teachers the ability to control content and adjust settings for individual students. For example, some let you match questions to in-class material, delivering them to specific players.

Intuitiveness -- Whether it's a physical or video game, it should be easy to use. Students should challenge themselves by processing and demonstrating knowledge of the content -- not by stressing over how the game works.

Engagement -- Based on the content and how it's presented, determine if students will enjoy the game. If it's engaging, students should inherently want to play and, as a result, learn.

Content Types -- To accommodate diverse learning styles, the game should offer different types of content. For example, an educational math video game may present questions as graphs, numbers and word problems.

Content Levels -- To address diverse trouble spots and aptitudes, the game should use differentiated instruction principles to adapt content to each player. For example, a language video game may focus more on pronouns with one student than another.

Paying attention to these criteria while playing should help you decide if the game properly supports learning goals.

3. Ensure It Meets Expectations from Parents

Getting buy-in from other teachers or admins may be needed before finalizing your game selection, but parents should also know about your game-based learning plans.

This opens the door to parent participation which, according to oft-cited research from the National Committee for Citizens in Education, is one of the most accurate predictors of student success:

What's more, you probably don't want kids telling unaware parents they played an hour of games in class. They may not think of games with educational value.

Sending a letter home, explaining the game's benefits and possibly providing your email address, may alleviate these concerns. Here's a letter that Prodigy offers to teachers who sign up for our math game.

Providing this sort of clear communication should smooth the implementation process from both a teacher and administrative perspective.

4. Dedicate Time to Consistent In-Class Play

Sporadic game-based learning may not allow students to reach learning goals as effectively as consistent, scheduled play time. What's more, it may not be as engaging as possible.

For example, a study published in the journal of Educational Technology and Societyfound a positive correlation between a structured 40-minute period of educational game play and not only faster recall processes, but improved problem-solving skills. In a classroom with 1:1 device use, make time for game-based learning activities by:

Including game time as a designated activity in your lesson plan, not an afterthought

Using a game as an entry ticket, drawing student attention to the lesson's topic

Using a game as an exit ticket, allowing students to reflect

In a classroom with limited device use, make time for game-based learning activities by:

Focusing more on non-digital games, such as board games with educational value

Creating learning stations, one of which is playing a device-based game

Playing team games, letting students play in pairs or groups

These options should make it easier to designate time for educational play, seamlessly incorporating game-based instruction into class.

5. Assess Progress Throughout Play, Informing Instruction

Collecting data from the games you implement can uncover student trouble spots and aptitudes, helping you shape in-class instruction.

Data collection will vary depending on the purpose and nature of a game in question.
Usually, it involves a following method:

In-Game Reports -- Some educational video games feature in-game reports for teachers, which record student performance. For example, charts will contain each player's marks for a series of questions, letting you click to see more details.

Self-Reports -- For physical games, or video games without reporting features, you can encourage students to take ownership of their progress through self-reporting. Create a Google Forms spreadsheet for each student. Then, ask them to provide updates.

Class Discussions -- After playing team games, conducting a class-wide discussion allows each group to share difficulties, progress and accomplishments.

This final step of incorporating game-based learning will give you the information needed to adjust lessons and activities, addressing trouble spots and building on new knowledge.

Infographic

Created by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, here's an infographic that summarizes the five steps to introducing and using game-based learning in your class:

Examples of Game-Based Learning Options for Your Classroom

1. Video Games

As devices become more readily accessible throughout classrooms, many video games offer comprehensive game-based learning experiences.

Students can play some through downloadable programs, whereas others are accessible online.

For example, Prodigy is a fun online math game that's curriculum-aligned for grades 1 to 8. You can change the focus of questions to supplement lessons and homework, and view automated reports to examine each student's progress.

As well as adjusting questions to address student trouble spots, the game generates math problems that use words, charts, pictures and numbers.

Create and sign into your free teacher account!

2. Adaptations of Common Games

Preparation time varies, but you can create spins on popular games to supplement lessons and units.

For example, you can transform tic-tac-toe into a math game. Start by dividing a sheet into squares -- three vertical by three horizontal. Instead of leaving them blank, put an equation or word problem in each that tests a different ability.

Similarly, you can create your own version of a game that asks fact-based questions, such as Trivial Pursuit.

Introducing this sort of game-based learning in the classroom not only engages students, but doesn't force you to rely on computers and other digital devices.

3. Original Games

You're not limited to adaptations and video games. You can create original, interactive content.

This is possible by crafting quiz-, board- and team-based games, as well as using software such as QuoDeck to design and customize simple digital games.
Doing so allows you to completely customize the game-based learning experience.
Game-Based Learning vs. Gamification

As you work to smoothly implement games into your teaching strategy, it helps to understand the differences between gamification and game-based learning.
This is because they are often confused, and each require a separate approach to introduce. Here are the main differences:

Whereas games have defined rules and objectives, gamification may just be a series of tasks with rewards such as points

There is a chance of losing in a game but, to motivate students, gamification may not present this possibility

Although playing a game may be inherently rewarding, gamification may not offer intrinsic rewards

Whereas building a game can be hard and expensive, gamification is usually easier and cheaper

Content is typically morphed to fit the story and scenes of a game, but you can add game-like features to your content without making changes to it

Keeping these points in mind should ensure your approach falls in the realm of game-based learning.

Final Thoughts About Introducing Game-Based Learning in the Classroom

Along with the examples and discussion about gamification, use this step-by-step guide to smoothly implement game-based learning in the classroom.

Students should be quick to adopt a given game, and enjoy its benefits as they work to meet learning goals.

Look forward to a more engaged classroom as a result.
Create or log into your teacher account on Prodigy - a fun game-based learning platform that automatically adjusts questions to accommodate player trouble spots and learning speeds. Engaging and curriculum-aligned, it's used by more than 2.5 million teachers and 100 million students.

Learn more

The family makes critical contributions to student achievement, from earliest childhood through high school ... When schools engage parents and students, there are significant effects. When parents are involved at school, not just at home, children do better in school and they stay in school longer.

Create and sign into your free teacher account!

Prodigy creates fun and effective game-based learning experiences

Discover how we design, build and deliver incredibly engaging learning experiences for students, teachers and parents.
Learn more

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5 Steps to Implementing Game-Based Learning in the Classroom [+ Game Examples]

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All Posts Many teachers struggle to smoothly incorporate games into lessons due to time and logistical issues, yet see game-based learning (GBL) as a way to engage students and appeal to diverse learning styles. Research has continuously shown such advantages.

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This page will help you implement effective cooperative learning strategies in your classroom by providing actionable techniques for fostering collaboration, accountability, and teamwork among students. It outlines practical methods for formal, informal, and long-term base groups to maximize student engagement and achievement.

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The Guide to Cooperative Learning: Principles and Strategies for Each Type

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What is cooperative learning, and how do you use it effectively in the classroom? Get tips for your classroom and use small group learning to boost student success!

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This page will help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of problem-based learning (PBL) and guide you through designing effective PBL activities, complete with practical steps and resources to enhance student engagement and skill development.

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All Posts

Used since the 1960s, many teachers express concerns about the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in certain classroom settings.

Whether you introduce the student-centred pedagogy as a one-time activity or mainstay exercise, grouping students together to solve open-ended problems can present pros and cons.
Below are five advantages and disadvantages of problem-based learning to help you determine if it can work in your classroom.
If you decide to introduce an activity, there are also design creation steps and a downloadable guide to keep at your desk for easy reference.

Advantages of Problem-Based Learning

1. Development of Long-Term Knowledge Retention

Students who participate in problem-based learning activities can improve their abilities to retain and recall information, according to a literature review of studies about the pedagogy.

The literature review states "elaboration of knowledge at the time of learning" -- by sharing facts and ideas through discussion and answering questions -- "enhances subsequent retrieval." This form of elaborating reinforces understanding of subject matter, making it easier to remember.

Small-group discussion can be especially beneficial -- ideally, each student will get chances to participate.

But regardless of group size, problem-based learning promotes long-term knowledge retention by encouraging students to discuss -- and answer questions about -- new concepts as they're learning them.

2. Use of Diverse Instruction Types

You can use problem-based learning activities to the meet the diverse learning needs and styles of your students, effectively engaging a diverse classroom in the process. In general, grouping students together for problem-based learning will allow them to:

Address real-life issues that require real-life solutions, appealing to students who struggle to grasp abstract concepts

Participate in small-group and large-group learning, helping students who don't excel during solo work grasp new material

Talk about their ideas and challenge each other in a constructive manner, giving participatory learners an avenue to excel

Tackle a problem using a range of content you provide -- such as videos, audio recordings, news articles and other applicable material -- allowing the lesson to appeal to distinct learning styles

Since running a problem-based learning scenario will give you a way to use these differentiated instruction approaches, it can be especially worthwhile if your students don't have similar learning preferences.

3. Continuous Engagement

Providing a problem-based learning challenge can engage students by acting as a break from normal lessons and common exercises.

It's not hard to see the potential for engagement, as kids collaborate to solve real-world problems that directly affect or heavily interest them.

Although conducted with post-secondary students, a study published by the Association for the Study of Medical Education reported increased student attendance to -- and better attitudes towards -- courses that feature problem-based learning.

These activities may lose some inherent engagement if you repeat them too often, but can certainly inject excitement into class.

4. Development of Transferable Skills

Problem-based learning can help students develop skills they can transfer to real-world scenarios, according to a 2015 book that outlines theories and characteristics of the pedagogy.

The tangible contexts and consequences presented in a problem-based learning activity "allow learning to become more profound and durable." As you present lessons through these real-life scenarios, students should be able to apply learnings if they eventually face similar issues.

For example, if they work together to address a dispute within the school, they may develop lifelong skills related to negotiation and communicating their thoughts with others.

As long as the problem's context applies to out-of-class scenarios, students should be able to build skills they can use again.

5. Improvement of Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills

Successful completion of a problem-based learning challenge hinges on interaction and communication, meaning students should also build transferable skills based on teamwork and collaboration. Instead of memorizing facts, they get chances to present their ideas to a group, defending and revising them when needed.

What's more, this should help them understand a group dynamic. Depending on a given student, this can involve developing listening skills and a sense of responsibility when completing one's tasks. Such skills and knowledge should serve your students well when they enter higher education levels and, eventually, the working world.

Disadvantages of Problem-Based Learning

1. Potentially Poorer Performance on Tests

Devoting too much time to problem-based learning can cause issues when students take standardized tests, as they may not have the breadth of knowledge needed to achieve high scores. Whereas problem-based learners develop skills related to collaboration and justifying their reasoning, many tests reward fact-based learning with multiple choice and short answer questions. Despite offering many advantages, you could spot this problem develop if you run problem-based learning activities too regularly.

2. Student Unpreparedness

Problem-based learning exercises can engage many of your kids, but others may feel disengaged as a result of not being ready to handle this type of exercise for a number of reasons. On a class-by-class and activity-by-activity basis, participation may be hindered due to:

Immaturity -- Some students may not display enough maturity to effectively work in a group, not fulfilling expectations and distracting other students.

Unfamiliarity -- Some kids may struggle to grasp the concept of an open problem, since they can't rely on you for answers.

Lack of Prerequisite Knowledge -- Although the activity should address a relevant and tangible problem, students may require new or abstract information to create an effective solution.

You can partially mitigate these issues by actively monitoring the classroom and distributing helpful resources, such as guiding questions and articles to read. This should keep students focused and help them overcome knowledge gaps. But if you foresee facing these challenges too frequently, you may decide to avoid or seldom introduce problem-based learning exercises.

3. Teacher Unpreparedness

If supervising a problem-based learning activity is a new experience, you may have to prepare to adjust some teaching habits. For example, overtly correcting students who make flawed assumptions or statements can prevent them from thinking through difficult concepts and questions. Similarly, you shouldn't teach to promote the fast recall of facts. Instead, you should concentrate on:

Giving hints to help fix improper reasoning

Questioning student logic and ideas in a constructive manner

Distributing content for research and to reinforce new concepts

Asking targeted questions to a group or the class, focusing their attention on a specific aspect of the problem

Depending on your teaching style, it may take time to prepare yourself to successfully run a problem-based learning lesson.

4. Time-Consuming Assessment

If you choose to give marks, assessing a student's performance throughout a problem-based learning exercise demands constant monitoring and note-taking. You must take factors into account such as:

Completed tasks

The quality of those tasks

The group's overall work and solution

Communication among team members

Anything you outlined on the activity's rubric

Monitoring these criteria is required for each student, making it time-consuming to give and justify a mark for everyone.

5. Varying Degrees of Relevancy and Applicability

It can be difficult to identify a tangible problem that students can solve with content they're studying and skills they're mastering. This introduces two clear issues. First, if it is easy for students to divert from the challenge's objectives, they may miss pertinent information. Second, you could veer off the problem's focus and purpose as students run into unanticipated obstacles. Overcoming obstacles has benefits, but may compromise the planning you did. It can also make it hard to get back on track once the activity is complete. Because of the difficulty associated with keeping activities relevant and applicable, you may see problem-based learning as too taxing.

Steps to Designing Problem-Based Learning Activities

If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages -- or you just want to give problem-based learning a shot -- follow these steps:

1. Identify an Applicable Real-Life Problem

Find a tangible problem that's relevant to your students, allowing them to easily contextualize it and hopefully apply it to future challenges. To identify an appropriate real-world problem, look at issues related to your:

School

Community

Students' shared interests

You must also ensure that students understand the problem and the information around it. So, not all problems are appropriate for all grade levels.

2. Determine the Overarching Purpose of the Activity

Depending on the problem you choose, determine what you want to accomplish by running the challenge. For example, you may intend to help your students improve skills related to:

A more precise example, you may prioritize collaboration skills by assigning specific tasks to pairs of students within each team. In doing so, students will continuously develop communication and collaboration abilities by working as a couple and part of a small group. By defining a clear purpose, you'll also have an easier time following the next step.

3. Create and Distribute Helpful Material

Handouts and other content not only act as a set of resources, but help students stay focused on the activity and its purpose. For example, if you want them to improve a certain math skill, you should make material that highlights the mathematical aspects of the problem. You may decide to provide items such as:

Data that helps quantify and add context to the problem

Videos, presentations and other audio-visual material

A list of preliminary questions to investigate

Providing a range of resources can be especially important for elementary students and struggling students in higher grades, who may not have self-direction skills to work without them.

4. Set Goals and Expectations for Your Students

Along with the aforementioned materials, give students a guide or rubric that details goals and expectations. It will allow you to further highlight the purpose of the problem-based learning exercise, as you can explain what you're looking for in terms of collaboration, the final product and anything else. It should also help students stay on track by acting as a reference throughout the activity.

5. Participate

Although explicitly correcting students may be discouraged, you can still help them and ask questions to dig into their thought processes. When you see an opportunity, consider if it's worthwhile to:

Fill gaps in knowledge

Provide hints, not answers

Question a student's conclusion or logic regarding a certain point, helping them think through tough spots

By participating in these ways, you can provide insight when students need it most, encouraging them to effectively analyze the problem.

6. Have Students Present Ideas and Findings

If you divided them into small groups, requiring students to present their thoughts and results in front the class adds a large-group learning component to the lesson. Encourage other students to ask questions, allowing the presenting group to elaborate and provide evidence for their thoughts. This wraps up the activity and gives your class a final chance to find solutions to the problem.

Wrapping Up

The effectiveness of problem-based learning may differ between classrooms and individual students, depending on how significant specific advantages and disadvantages are to you. Evaluative research consistently shows value in giving students a question and letting them take control of their learning. But the extent of this value can depend on the difficulties you face.It may be wise to try a problem-based learning activity, and go forward based on results.

Create or log into your teacher account on Prodigy -- an adaptive math game that adjusts content to accommodate player trouble spots and learning speeds. Aligned to US and Canadian curricula, it's used by more than 350,000 teachers and 10 million students.It may be wise to try a problem-based learning activity, and go forward based on results.

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5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Problem-Based Learning [+ Activity Design Steps]

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All Posts Used since the 1960s, many teachers express concerns about the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in certain classroom settings. Whether you introduce the student-centred pedagogy as a one-time activity or mainstay exercise, grouping students together to solve open-ended problems can present pros and cons.

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Here are three data collection sheets that I created to aid me in documenting student progress. As you can see there are 4 rows to put the objectives on. I typically type the main goal on top and put the benchmark on the rows. If I don't need all 4, I delete what I don't need so that I can have more space to write comments if I need to. I typically input everything on the form electronically and print the sheets as needed for each session.

This data aids in supporting your progress notes and helps with remembering what happened when with the comments you write. This is also vital at IEP meetings or meetings with parents. They want to know how their child is doing and to be able to share this information with them and their classroom teachers is invaluable.

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Data Sheets for Tracking IEP Goals - Paths to Literacy

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Here are three data collection sheets that I created to aid me in documenting student progress. As you can see there are 4 rows to put the objectives on. I typically type the main goal on top and put the benchmark on the rows.

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This page will help you understand how to use diagnostic assessment to identify students' prior knowledge and misconceptions, enabling you to plan targeted and effective teaching strategies.

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National Foundation for Educational Research

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In this ‘Ask the expert’, Emily Jones, Research Director at NFER, answers some FAQs on diagnostic assessment.

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This page provides strategies for implementing and using benchmark assessments effectively, including best practices for test preparation, student engagement, data interpretation, and collaboration with parents, helping you to tailor instruction and drive student growth.

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Benchmark assessments, also frequently called interim assessments, are intended to be something between formative and summative assessments. They are fixed assessments, evaluating students against specific grade-level standards and learning goals rather than simply taking a quick pulse of understanding.

However, unlike summative assessments, the purpose of benchmarking is not to determine content mastery. Instead, the goal of benchmarking is to identify students' academic strengths and weaknesses and use that information to guide future instruction, and support success on later summative and high-stakes tests.

With that definition of benchmark assessment in mind, it's easier to see the potential value, especially at the start of the school year. You already know the curriculum that you're expected to help your students master throughout the year; benchmarking can help you lesson plan strategically from the start, and tackle that curriculum in the most efficient way to make sure that all of your students are on pace.

Take it a step further by administering additional benchmark assessments at one or two more intervals throughout the school year, and coupled with data from your more informal day-to-day formative assessments, you can feel confident about identifying your students' needs and adjusting your instructional approach as necessary to meet them.

How to Implement a Benchmark Assessment Strategy

What's the best way to implement a benchmark assessment strategy? Here are some suggestions:

1. Keep It Small

Testing is inherently stressful for many students-help your students avoid feeling overwhelmed by breaking up your benchmarking into several phases. Whether you're teaching all subjects at the elementary level or a specific subject at the secondary level, testing your students on one topic at a time will help them to focus their energy and feel more in control. In addition, educators know that students are bound to lose interest with any long test. Administering benchmark exams in a manageable, single-subject format can help provide a more accurate measure of what knowledge students have already mastered and where they have real gaps in the given subject area.

2. Use Your Data

​​​By leveraging data that you've already collected on your students, you can group them accordingly and reteach the areas that need more focus prior to administering benchmark tests. Past data can show you what subject areas students may be struggling in along with what has already been mastered. Using your data to break up your students into smaller groups helps personalize instruction and keep students engaged with the right material for them. ​​​​

3. Help Your Students Prepare in Advance

Even for beginning-of-the-year benchmarking, it's important to dedicate some class time to review before administering any assessments. Provide a couple of fun, low-stress refresher lessons to prepare your students for what material will be on the benchmark exam and reactivate their prior knowledge. Make sure that they are actively learning, but having fun in the process. Engage your students with hands-on, interactive review work in small or large groups, and create games around the subject you are preparing to test on.

4. Teach Effective Exam Strategies

Knowing the right test-taking practices can make a huge difference for students once they have their benchmark assessment in front of them. Take some class time to review effective test taking strategies with your students, like starting with the questions that they feel most comfortable with (even if that means answering questions out of order), not spending too much time on any single question, and skipping questions that if they don't know the answer. Remind students that test-taking isn't a race, and unanswered questions can always be returned to once they are done with the rest of the test.

5. Provide Adequate Time

Before you administer your benchmark assessment, it's critical to have a realistic idea of how much time students will need to complete the exam. Be sure to provide your students with enough time (err on the side of caution) to take the assessment without feeling rushed. If students do feel rushed, they will be more likely to struggle on the exam due to stress and anxiety. Remind your students of effective time management strategies and encourage them to aim for saving some time at the end of the exam to review their answers.

What To Do With Benchmark Assessment Results

Like any assessment, midyear benchmarks are only as valuable as the strategies you employ using that data. Here are four ways to make the results of these assessments a truly valuable exercise for you and your students.

1. Keep Students Informed

No assessment should be undertaken without treating the students like the stakeholders they are. Even elementary students should be able to employ the testing strategies that work best for them, as well as interpret the data that come from such testing.

Although you have probably been conducting formative assessments throughout the year, your students will be able to tell that midyear benchmarks are a step up-as well they should. Any chance to demonstrate their growth deserves to be taken seriously.

Once testing is complete, spend some time showing students how to gauge their growth using previous data and how to formulate a plan to prepare themselves for the rest of testing season.

2. Provide a view of success

Data study should be far more than just going over the correct answers from the test and showing students graphs of their progress. You should be detailed in explaining the test's expectations to your students. And, because students just took the test, the memories of what they did will be fresh in their minds, making it easy for them to compare their performance with the objectives.

3. Give students another opportunity for input

Midyear benchmarks are intended to help you make adjustments to instruction-whether in curriculum, grouping, or time allotted for certain skills.

Another way to provide students with some agency in what happens in the classroom is to have them formulate ideas for steps that should be taken based on the new data. They now know where their skills lie and how far they have to go, so it's only logical to at least hear their ideas for strategies.

This practice generates guaranteed buy-in and engagement with an end-of-the-year push that is stressful for everyone involved.

4. Use assessment season as conference season

The busiest times for parent conferences are at the beginning and end of the school year. Both are valuable, but if those are the only times you meet with parents, you're missing out on an opportunity to truly affect student growth.

Reach out to parents with data from your midyear benchmarks, explain their student's growth and the plan moving forward, and provide them with ideas on how they can help. Even if this is done through email or online rather than in person, it enlists another ally in the test-prep process and keeps parents informed during a busy time in the school year.

With these strategies, midyear benchmarks can become an engine for growth, engagement, and partnership that ensure a successful push toward high-stakes testing and the end of the school year.

Learn how Edmentum's online programs can support your benchmarking efforts with Study Island Benchmark Assessments.

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4 best practices for benchmark assessments, also called interim assessments.

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This page helps you understand how norm-referenced tests work, the types of scores they provide (percentiles, standard scores, scaled scores, etc.), and how to interpret these results. It will assist you in analyzing student performance in relation to others, which is valuable for making informed instructional decisions, understanding your students' strengths and weaknesses, and identifying areas for targeted improvement.

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This page will help you understand what an IQ test is, its types, uses, and the potential impacts of IQ testing. It provides valuable information on interpreting your IQ score, the factors that can influence it, and the limitations and pitfalls of IQ testing. It also explores the history of IQ tests and highlights the controversy around their use. This page emphasizes the importance of considering IQ as just one measure of intelligence, alongside other factors like emotional intelligence, adaptability, and personal experiences, when assessing someone's overall capabilities.

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An IQ test is an assessment that measures a range of cognitive abilities and provides a score that is intended to serve as a measure of an individual's intellectual abilities and potential. IQ tests are among the most administered psychological tests.

To understand what these scores really mean, it is essential to look at exactly how these test scores are calculated. Today, many IQ tests are standardized, and scores are derived by comparing individual performance against the norm for people in that age group.

While many tests utilize similar methods to derive their scores, it is also important to note that each IQ test is different. Additionally, scoring methods may not be the same from one test to another.

Types of IQ Tests

There are several different intelligence tests in existence and their content can vary considerably. Some are used for adults, but many are specifically designed to be administered to children.

Some commonly used intelligence tests include:

Which IQ test is best or more accurate? Unfortunately, there is no consensus on this. Instead, some suggest that each test measures a different notion of intelligence, thus IQ test scores can vary depending on what is being measured and the test being taken.

Uses of IQ Tests

IQ tests can be used for a wide range of purposes, including:

Educational assessment and placement

Assessment and diagnosis of intellectual disability

Cognitive research

Job candidate evaluation

Assessing cognitive abilities including memory, speed, and attention

Impact of IQ Testing

IQ can have an impact on different areas of life, including school and work. High scores are often associated with higher achievement in school, while lower scores may be linked to some form of intellectual disability.

The following is a rough breakdown of various IQ score ranges. Some tests present scores differently and with differing interpretations of what those scores might mean.

These classifications come from the Wechsler series of IQ tests for children and adults.

Intelligence test scores typically follow what is known as a normal distribution, or a bell-shaped curve in which most scores lie near or around the average IQ test score. For example, the majority of scores (about 68%) on the Wechsler IQ tests tend to lie between plus 15 or minus 15 points from the average score of 100.

This means that approximately 68% of people who take this IQ test will score somewhere between 85 and 115. As you look further toward the extreme ends of the distribution, scores tend to become less common.

In many cases, an IQ test score that falls below 70 is considered low IQ, while a score of above 140 indicates high IQ. In the past, scores below 70 were used as a marker to identify intellectual disabilities. Today, test scores alone are not enough to diagnose an intellectual disability as diagnosticians also consider factors such as the age of onset and adaptive skills.

How common are very high IQ test scores?

Very few individuals (approximately 0.2%) receive a score of more than 145 (indicating a very high IQ) or less than 55 (indicating a very low IQ) on an IQ test.

How to Interpret Your IQ Test Score

To understand what your IQ test score really means, it can be helpful to know how these tests are designed and how your score compares to others. Your score on an IQ test can tell you how you compare to others in your peer group regarding:

Language skills

Mathematical abilities

Memory

Processing speed

Reasoning abilities

Visual-spatial processing

To adequately assess and interpret IQ test scores, scientists who develop these tests use a process known as standardization. This involves administering the test to a representative sample of the population that will eventually take the test.

This initial sample represents the total population as accurately as possible and reflects many of the things that are present in the general population. This allows IQ test developers to establish norms or standards by which individual scores can be compared.

Potential Pitfalls of IQ Tests

IQ testing has been controversial throughout history for a few reasons, including:

Discrimination: IQ tests have been used to justify eugenicist movements and discrimination against minority groups and disabled individuals.

Validity: Not all experts agree on a standard definition of intelligence, so not all IQ tests measure the same things.

Reliability: There is also the question of how reliable these tests are. Reliable IQ tests should provide consistent results. Put another way, people should score roughly the same each time they take the test.

While higher IQ test scores are linked to increased health, academic performance, and overall well-being, these scores do not necessarily predict an individual's success in life. It is important to remember that IQ tests are only one measure of intelligence.

Factors Affecting IQ Test Scores

Many factors can influence IQ and scores can change over time. Some of the factors that can impact a person's IQ test score include:

Educational access and background

Nutrition

Culture

Environment

Overall health and medical conditions

Many experts believe that other important elements contribute to intelligence, including social and emotional factors. Some experts even suggest that these social and emotional skills actually matter more than IQ when it comes to determining success in life.

History of IQ Tests

French psychologist Alfred Binet was the first to develop a formal test of intelligence and a form of his original IQ test is still in use today as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test. Later, psychologist Charles Spearman developed a concept of general intelligence, or general mental ability to perform a wide variety of cognitive tasks.

Psychologist Robert Yerkes developed IQ tests for the U.S. Army during World War I to test army recruits. During the 1950s, David Wechsler developed IQ tests for use with children and adults. These tests remain popular today.

Where to Find an IQ Test

If you want to take a formal IQ test, a licensed psychologist can provide this service for you. This mental health professional is trained to administer and supervise IQ tests, also ensuring that the test used is valid and reliable.

Several online sites also offer free IQ tests if you're more interested in knowing how you score but don't need a formal test. When selecting a free IQ test provider, it can be helpful to choose an organization that is reputable in the field of intelligence. For example, Mensa International offers a free online IQ test.

A Word From Verywell

While IQ test scores can reveal information about an individual's abilities in certain domains, it is important to remember that other factors-including such things as adaptive skills, emotional intelligence, and task performance-are also important indicators of an individual's capabilities.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Additional Reading

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An IQ test is an assessment that measures a range of cognitive abilities and provides a score that is intended to serve as a measure of an individual's intellectual abilities and potential. IQ tests are among the most administered psychological tests.

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This page explains the Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses (PSW) model for identifying specific learning disabilities by focusing on cognitive strengths and weaknesses rather than just IQ scores, offering methods for more accurate assessments and interventions.

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What is a Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses? - Psyched Services

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Key considerations for districts moving toward a pattern of strengths and weaknesses model for assessment of learning disabilities.

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Intellectual Functioning

Intellectual functioning-also called intelligence-refers to general mental capacity, such as learning, reasoning, problem solving, and so on.

One way to measure intellectual functioning is an IQ test. Generally, an IQ test score of around 70 or as high as 75 indicates a significant limitation in intellectual functioning.

Adaptive Behavior

Adaptive behavior is the collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that are learned and performed by people in their everyday lives.

Conceptual skills-language and literacy; money, time, and number concepts; and self-direction.
Social skills-interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naïveté (i.e., wariness), social problem solving, and the ability to follow rules/obey laws and to avoid being victimized.

Practical skills-activities of daily living (personal care), occupational skills, healthcare, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, safety, use of money, use of the telephone.

Standardized tests can also determine limitations in adaptive behavior.

Age of Onset

The condition originates during the developmental period, which is defined as before the age of 22. Intellectual disability is one of several conditions known collectively as developmental disabilities.

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Intellectual functioning-also called intelligence-refers to general mental capacity, such as learning, reasoning, problem solving, and so on. One way to measure intellectual functioning is an IQ test. Generally, an IQ test score of around 70 or as high as 75 indicates a significant limitation in intellectual functioning.