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I love the idea of having a digital exit slip. I have used Padlet before, but never in that manner. Poll Everywhere is new to me but sounds like a great dip-sticking tool. I've played with Socrative, but there are so many other tools that I can learn to use.

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I love the idea of having a digital exit slip. I have used Padlet before, but never in that manner. Poll Everywhere is new to me but sounds like a great dip-sticking tool. I've played with Socrative, but there are so many other tools that I can learn to use.

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Things I'm doing already...Things I want to do more...

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Things I'm doing already...Things I want to do more...

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Of the 7 things, I was happy to be reminded of all the ways I use formative assessment: entry/exit polls, Quizlet (made by other teachers), Kahoot, dipsticks, interviews, examining misconceptions, and self assessment. I think some of the tools I am not as familiar with are using art and video to assess student knowledge. I'd also like to explore more of the low stakes testing ideas like Quizz, Plicker, Socrative, etc.

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I agree that sorting exit tickets into 3 piles can be a quick way to use this data. I am going to make myself a quick view ‘cheat sheet’ of all these assessment ideas so I can easily refer to it and use them instead of falling back in the few that I know well.

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I loved the idea of using TAG with students!
T - Tell your peer something they did well
A - ask a thoughtful question
G - give a positive suggestion
I feel like this is a perfect way to help first graders frame their partnership work and a great way to administer an interview survey

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I liked the idea of using post its for students to write down areas that were troublespots for them in an activity or project.

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It was nice to see using visual art as an assessment option, and that there are many options, not one correct way

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It was nice to see using visual art as an assessment option, and that there are many options, not one correct way

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I like the idea regarding students identifying the "muddiest point," or the place where the lesson got confusing. This pushes them to identify exactly where they were getting confused or where they were able to clarify their learning.

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I like the idea of using "misconception checks." The students practice identifying the error(s) and correct them by using prior knowledge.

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I could use this when we get near the end of the year with FUNdations and we are practicing writing sentences with CVC words and trick words. I could give the class a sentence with errors and ask them to find the errors (spelling, letter formation, punctuation, etc.)

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I love the "tell me how" and error analysis ideas! It encourages students to not just rush to get the RIGHT answer but instead share their incredible, individual thinking about a topic! It's always fascinating to see how different people work through different types of problems/situations!

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I like that one of the ideas was for students to incorporate visual art, photography, or videography.

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Great reminder how elementary teachers constantly use formative assessment to inform instruction. I love the idea of incorporating more tech games to change things up!  

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Great reminder how elementary teachers constantly use formative assessment to inform instruction. I love the idea of incorporating more tech games to change things up!  

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The idea of participation cards might encourage more students to share their ideas more comfortably.

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The idea of participation cards might encourage more students to share their ideas more comfortably.

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I liked the idea of sorting exit tickets into three piles - got it, sort of got it, didn't get it. This seems less daunting than grading exit tickets every day for every kid. It sounds much more manageable and would give a teacher the feedback she needs to know where her students are at with their learning.

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Think back to an assessment you took in your elementary years. Do you have it in your mind? If not, that's the problem that needs to be addressed! The assessments you took were not that memorable; you probably didn't have a lasting connection and there was absolutely no impact on you as a learner whatsoever. But do you remember maybe a science fair project? A public speech that you made? A birdhouse or table that you made in shop class? A portfolio of photos that your art teacher let you create? Those are the culminating pieces that you remember! So why can't we do that in a class that [only] allows for traditional assessments? That is what we are going to dive into today.

Currently, we are in such an opportunistic time in education. It can be difficult with the adversity families, learners, teachers, districts and communities are facing. Educators are adapting to different learning models - hybrid, remote, hyflex, and back to face-to-face; but with these different learning models, we cannot forget the learner's voice, choice, and engagement with their learning. Right now, we may have learners that are still engaged and are attending class daily; but we definitely have some learners that are struggling to stay connected to their education due to circumstances that may be outside of their control. As educators, it is our responsibility to see this disconnection and to do what we can to cultivate that relationship again and empower our learners.

One way to do that is to ditch that paper-pencil test! Read that again, ditch that paper-pencil test. There are some skeptics to this idea because it contradicts everything they have done as a teacher, and in their time as a student. Just think of the monotony and repetition of learning a new topic, practice that topic, test, repeat. We are in a personalized digital era where learners are increasing their knowledge of technology at a rapid rate, definitely surpassing the teachers' knowledge. Let's embrace that!

How can we use technology and tap into our learners' interests to make assessments more meaningful? How can we empower our learners and build community at the same time? If you're ready to approach these questions, continue reading!

Tip #1: Ask yourself if you're ready to give up control and make a change
6 questions to ask yourself to see if you're ready to give up control to your learners:

How do I know what a learner knows when I give them a test or essay prompt?

What are the ways a learner has shown me their thinking?

What are some ways that a learner can show me their understanding that I haven't tried yet?

What if I gave my students a choice on how they want to be assessed?

Will the learning objective change?

Is learning the and time the ? Or is learning the constant, and time the variable?

These questions can be uncomfortable to dig into at first for many reasons. It's natural for people to think of the barriers first. Your district probably has common assessments that you have to give to your learners for accountability purposes. Those assessments are designed to capture what that learner knows at that very moment on the topic you just covered for the last couple of weeks.

Sometimes your content or district team might tweak the questions from one year to the next. The school district might be switching from a traditional grading system to a standards-based system, or even to a proficiency-based grading system. You have 35 weeks to complete 19 units, so your time is very tight. These are all very real circumstances and barriers that have made change difficult or assessments inflexible.

The next tip is going to help you transition from inflexibility to innovation. We will dig into questions that may arise when you consider the idea of giving up control to your learners, and making assessments more meaningful.

Tip #2: Build intentional time to ideate [with your learners]

Once you've answered the above questions honestly, your gears may start to turn. I remember when I first answered these questions, I had so many "what if," "will you," or "could I" kind of questions. But I realized that I need to involve my learners in these questions if I want to give them voice and choice in the matter.

Will I provide the options on how I want to assess my learners? I had one or two ways in my mind of how a learner could demonstrate their understanding, I thought they could make a video showing me they could solve a series of math problems that were the toughest in the unit. They could make an infographic on a Google Slide detailing their research, calculations, and linear models on a particular healthy restaurant as a Public Service Announcement. I shared these ideas with my learners, and that's when the ideas started flowing.

I created a prompt on Padlet, and they all posted their ideas. Their excitement and awe that they had a choice in the matter was palpable. This is where the real community building and engagement started. One student loves board games so much she ended up making a chutes and ladders dice game involving simplifying expressions; she glow-forged a piece of wood, produced a bag of game materials, and made the game objective rule sheet, along with other supporting materials. She then filmed herself playing it as a way to prove that she was able to not only create the game but do the math behind it as well. Another student created an iMovie by screencasting his iPad while he narrated a live lesson on solving square root and cube root equations on Notability. These two examples definitely have a math focus, but just think...how could you extend this to Science? Social studies? Art? Music? Literacy?

7 ways you can assess your learner's understanding beyond paper and pencil
Will I develop a rubric or checklist to assess their understanding?
I came from a district that shifted towards standards-based grading, and we had common assessments with a rubric at the top of each test. When we shifted towards proficiency-based, the language changed towards what a student is able to do at that particular grade level, and what are the next steps or supporting steps. So I sat down with my learners and asked them, "What have we covered so far in this unit? What was a struggle for you? What has challenged you? What have you conquered in this unit?" Those are the items that we put into a rubric that we developed . With this conversation, I not only asked their opinion, but I involved them in the decision making process. Their voice was heard, acknowledged, and implemented. We are building a community of learners, together! The parts that were on the original rubric of the test were on there, but in a completely different way: applicable and personalized.
How much time will I allow for this?
I wasn't sure about this one. We were at the end of one unit, and I asked my two classes if they would be interested in doing an alternative summative project rather than a paper-pencil test. You'll get the students who just want to take a test, and you'll get the learners who are hesitant, and the kids who absolutely hate tests and will do anything but test. All three categories create wonderful opportunities to dig deeper. You could pose statements or ask questions such as, "tell me more," "how do you know if you've never done it before," "what's been your experience with a test [or project]?"

We decided that in the last week of the unit, we would start to allow class time and encourage time outside of class to start creating their project. At this point, some learners opted out and continued down the traditional path of reviewing and taking the paper-pencil test. However, some students opted in and started to develop their iMovie, board game, memory matching game, etc. Some students only needed 2-3 days, others needed 3 school days and the weekend to complete it. We would provide meeting times throughout the week to check the status of the project and give suggestions. I can't tell you how long it should take because every teacher, student, class, content area, school, and district is different. You have to ask yourself, what's more important- the test and its results or creating life-long learners who are now committing to their learning out of choice?
What if this fails?
This is a question. How do you define failure? A student doesn't complete the project on time, if at all? You can give them the test. (This was an agreement I made with the students beforehand.) What if the student doesn't do well on this project? What a wonderful opportunity to confer with your learner to discuss their process! Teachers can be their own worst critic, but to know that you have tried and continue to try to involve learners in the assessment process, provide meaningful opportunities for them to share their voice and perspective, not to mention their creativity and identity! What if it's a success because the aforementioned was a byproduct?

Tip #3: Reflect!

Whenever you try something new or add a new layer to your pedagogy, always reflect. If you're challenging yourself to release control to your learners and make your assessment process more meaningful and applicable to your learners, then why not reflect with them?

What was something you appreciated the most about this project?

Given more time, what would you add to your project?

If you did this again, what would you change?

How is this different to you from a traditional test/essay?

You could ask these questions on a Google Form, a Padlet, Jamboard, or even on a virtual call with breakout spaces. You could ask this in a community circle style within your classroom. You could choose to have the learners who opted out of the alternative project to be a part of the discussion in hopes to pique their interest. The opportunities are endless!

When I first started offering alternative assessments, I started with one unit, in one class, with a small group of students who were interested. It then grew to a second class to more students that were interested. I wasn't quite ready to dive in and release control to too many students. But once I did, I didn't regret it. They were asking me if their ideas were acceptable, and asking to use their extra work time to work on their project.

When the projects were turned in I conferred with them using the rubric or gave them feedback on the rubric in Google Classroom. Some students really took advantage of this opportunity and blew me away with their creativity. A smaller group of students definitely under performed; this opened up the doors to a great discussion and making next steps. Whether the project was a success or a "failure," I always counted it as a win because I let go of the control, I invited the learners to own the assessment process, and the intentional time for feedback and conferring was invaluable.

I'll always remember the following words, time is the variable, and learning is the constant. When my grad school professor stated those words, it shook me. If we're worried about Day 50's lesson not going into Day 51, we are leaving kids behind. If we have to give this test to this one kid on this day no matter what, we're leaving that kid behind. If you have a student that has a hard time writing their thinking and that's the only way you're assessing that student is through writing, you're leaving that student behind. Once you start to release control to the learners and what they want, you find yourself doing it more and more. The learning becomes the constant; the learning becomes more meaningful; the learning becomes fun. The more we lead with this in mind, the deeper your connections and trust will be with your learners, and your learning community will be just that - a community of learners with a shared purpose and sense of responsibility for each other's learning.

If you have any tips, suggestions, or want to share your experience, please comment below.

Bryn Grosskopf is a secondary math teacher in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Bryn earned her Masters of Education at Carroll University focusing on Personalized Learning and Teacher Leadership. She has worked at the Waukesha STEM Academy for eight years, developing a community of empowered learners and pushing her colleagues to do the same. Teacher leader, innovator, and a learner-centered educator are just a few ways to describe how Bryn pushes the envelope on implementing personalized learning strategies and creating life-long learners.

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Rethinking Summative Assessment: Giving Students Voice and Choice

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Think back to an assessment you took in your elementary years. Do you have it in your mind? If not, that's the problem that needs to be addressed! The assessments you took were not that memorable; you probably didn't have a lasting connection and there was absolutely no impact on you as a learner whatsoever.

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Formative assessment-discovering what students know while they're still in the process of learning it-can be tricky. Designing just the right assessment can feel high stakes-for teachers, not students-because we're using it to figure out what comes next. Are we ready to move on? Do our students need a different path into the concepts? Or, more likely, which students are ready to move on and which need a different path?

When it comes to figuring out what our students really know, we have to look at more than one kind of information. A single data point-no matter how well designed the quiz, presentation, or problem behind it-isn't enough information to help us plan the next step in our instruction.

Add to that the fact that different learning tasks are best measured in different ways, and we can see why we need a variety of formative assessment tools we can deploy quickly, seamlessly, and in a low-stakes way-all while not creating an unmanageable workload. That's why it's important to keep it simple: Formative assessments generally just need to be checked, not graded, as the point is to get a basic read on the progress of individuals, or the class as a whole.

7 Approaches to Formative Assessment

1. Entry and exit slips: Those marginal minutes at the beginning and end of class can provide some great opportunities to find out what kids remember. Start the class off with a quick question about the previous day's work while students are getting settled-you can ask differentiated questions written out on chart paper or projected on the board, for example.

Exit slips can take lots of forms beyond the old-school pencil and scrap paper. Whether you're assessing at the bottom of Bloom's taxonomy or the top, you can use tools like Padlet or Poll Everywhere, or measure progress toward attainment or retention of essential content or standards with tools like Google Classroom's Question tool, Google Forms with Flubaroo, and Edulastic, all of which make seeing what students know a snap.

A quick way to see the big picture if you use paper exit tickets is to sort the papers into three piles: Students got the point; they sort of got it; and they didn't get it. The size of the stacks is your clue about what to do next.

No matter the tool, the key to keeping students engaged in the process of just-walked-in or almost-out-the-door formative assessment is the questions. Ask students to write for one minute on the most meaningful thing they learned. You can try prompts like:

What are three things you learned, two things you're still curious about, and one thing you don't understand?

How would you have done things differently today, if you had the choice?

What I found interesting about this work was...

Right now I'm feeling...

Today was hard because...

Or skip the words completely and have students draw or circle emojis to represent their assessment of their understanding.

2. Low-stakes quizzes and polls: If you want to find out whether your students really know as much as you think they know, polls and quizzes created with Socrative or Quizlet or in-class games and tools like Quizalize, Kahoot, FlipQuiz, Gimkit, Plickers, and Flippity can help you get a better sense of how much they really understand. (Grading quizzes but assigning low point values is a great way to make sure students really try: The quizzes matter, but an individual low score can't kill a student's grade.) Kids in many classes are always logged in to these tools, so formative assessments can be done very quickly. Teachers can see each kid's response, and determine both individually and in aggregate how students are doing.

Because you can design the questions yourself, you determine the level of complexity. Ask questions at the bottom of Bloom's taxonomy and you'll get insight into what facts, vocabulary terms, or processes kids remember. Ask more complicated questions ("What advice do you think Katniss Everdeen would offer Scout Finch if the two of them were talking at the end of chapter 3?"), and you'll get more sophisticated insights.

3. Dipsticks: So-called alternative formative assessments are meant to be as easy and quick as checking the oil in your car, so they're sometimes referred to as dipsticks. These can be things like asking students to:

write a letter explaining a key idea to a friend,

draw a sketch to visually represent new knowledge, or

do a think, pair, share exercise with a partner.

Your own observations of students at work in class can provide valuable data as well, but they can be tricky to keep track of. Taking quick notes on a tablet or smartphone, or using a copy of your roster, is one approach. A focused observation form is more formal and can help you narrow your note-taking focus as you watch students work.

4. Interview assessments: If you want to dig a little deeper into students' understanding of content, try discussion-based assessment methods. Casual chats with students in the classroom can help them feel at ease even as you get a sense of what they know, and you may find that five-minute interview assessments work really well. Five minutes per student would take quite a bit of time, but you don't have to talk to every student about every project or lesson.

You can also shift some of this work to students using a peer-feedback process called TAG feedback (Tell your peer something they did well, Ask a thoughtful question, Give a positive suggestion). When you have students share the feedback they have for a peer, you gain insight into both students' learning.

For more introverted students-or for more private assessments-use Flipgrid, Explain Everything, or Seesaw to have students record their answers to prompts and demonstrate what they can do.

5. Methods that incorporate art: Consider using visual art or photography or videography as an assessment tool. Whether students draw, create a collage, or sculpt, you may find that the assessment helps them synthesize their learning. Or think beyond the visual and have kids act out their understanding of the content. They can create a dance to model cell mitosis or act out stories like Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" to explore the subtext.

6. Misconceptions and errors: Sometimes it's helpful to see if students understand why something is incorrect or why a concept is hard. Ask students to explain the " muddiest point" in the lesson-the place where things got confusing or particularly difficult or where they still lack clarity. Or do a misconception check: Present students with a common misunderstanding and ask them to apply previous knowledge to correct the mistake, or ask them to decide if a statement contains any mistakes at all, and then discuss their answers.

7. Self-assessment: Don't forget to consult the experts-the kids. Often you can give your rubric to your students and have them spot their strengths and weaknesses.

You can use sticky notes to get a quick insight into what areas your kids think they need to work on. Ask them to pick their own trouble spot from three or four areas where you think the class as a whole needs work, and write those areas in separate columns on a whiteboard. Have you students answer on a sticky note and then put the note in the correct column-you can see the results at a glance.

Several self-assessments let the teacher see what every kid thinks very quickly. For example, you can use colored stacking cups that allow kids to flag that they're all set (green cup), working through some confusion (yellow), or really confused and in need of help (red).

Similar strategies involve using participation cards for discussions (each student has three cards-"I agree," "I disagree," and "I don't know how to respond") and thumbs-up responses (instead of raising a hand, students hold a fist at their belly and put their thumb up when they're ready to contribute). Students can instead use six hand gestures to silently signal that they agree, disagree, have something to add, and more. All of these strategies give teachers an unobtrusive way to see what students are thinking.

No matter which tools you select, make time to do your own reflection to ensure that you're only assessing the content and not getting lost in the assessment fog. If a tool is too complicated, is not reliable or accessible, or takes up a disproportionate amount of time, it's OK to put it aside and try something different.

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7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment

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Formative assessment-discovering what students know while they're still in the process of learning it-can be tricky. Designing just the right assessment can feel high stakes-for teachers, not students-because we're using it to figure out what comes next. Are we ready to move on? Do our students need a different path into the concepts?

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The education landscape continues to shift with teachers and students starting to slowly return to the classroom as COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the country, and educators are facing yet another change to their teaching environment. As we've experienced over the past year, each shift presents new challenges, and many educators are feeling unsure about whether they are effectively meeting students' needs.

Formative assessment is perhaps the most powerful tool teachers have to understand where students are in their learning and what they need to continue moving learning forward. The first step in using formative assessment effectively is to articulate clear learning goals or objectives. That way, teachers can use the data collected during formative assessments to understand students' progress, identify gaps, and work to close those gaps.

Assessing Prior Knowledge

Assessing prior knowledge helps teachers to design learning experiences that effectively meet student needs. Where are they beginning this learning journey? What do they already know or think they know about a topic, concept, or issue?

Strategies designed to assess prior knowledge include:

Asynchronous online discussions. Engage students in a video-based or text-based discussion that challenges them to access and share their prior knowledge. Asynchronous discussions give students the time to consider a question, craft a response, and read and reply to their peers without the pressures that come with a real-time, rapid-fire conversation. Teachers can use the discussion functionality inside their learning management system, such as PowerSchool's Schoology Learning, to facilitate these conversations.

Carousel brainstorm. Ask students to participate in a carousel brainstorm in class or online sharing what they know about a collection of topics, vocabulary words, types of problems, moments in history, scientific phenomenon, mathematical processes, etc.

Word association game. Play a word association game by presenting students with a word or phrase -- such as "democracy", "photosynthesis", "symbolism" -- and asking them to share three things that come to mind when they hear that word or phrase. Teachers can use a tool, like Mentimeter, to generate a real-time word cloud that surfaces the most commonly shared words.

Brain dump. Challenge students to share everything they know about a topic or subject in a 90-second quick write. Remind students that the goal is to generate as much writing as possible in the allotted time, not to edit or self-censor.

Teachers who understand where students are beginning in their learning journeys are more effective in making connections between that prior knowledge and the new learning. These connections between existing and new knowledge improve learning outcomes for students. It is also impossible to measure progress toward learning objectives if teachers do not know where students began in terms of their prior knowledge.

Checking for understanding

As students move through a learning cycle, teachers should check for understanding to identify misconceptions and gaps. This can be as simple as listening to a small group discussion or observing students as they work through a problem or task. Online learning has made collecting formative assessment data more challenging but I encourage teachers to use technology to check for understanding and capture quick data they can analyze after class.

Strategies designed to check for understanding include:

Quick polls. Use your LMS to send your students a quick poll to gauge their understanding.

Tell me how. Present students with a problem, task, or question and challenge them to articulate how they would solve this problem, complete this task, or answer this question. The goal is not to produce an "answer" but rather to surface their thinking.

Error analysis. Give students work containing errors and ask them to work with a partner or in a small group to identify and correct the errors present. Examples of this include math problems, writing sample, labeled flowchart or map.

3-2-1 check-in. Ask students to identify three things they learned, two connections they made, and one question they have. Teachers can create a short exit ticket using the 3-2-1 format to gather quick data at the end of a class.

Formative assessment should be a consistent part of a teachers' practice and provide useful information they can use to make adjustments and improve learning experiences for students. The more formative assessment data the teacher collects, the more effective they will be at identifying and closing gaps by providing differentiated instruction, practice, models, supports, and scaffolds to meet individual or small groups of learners where they are in their progress toward learning objectives.

Formative assessment should help teachers feel more effective in meeting the diverse needs in a class and designing learning experiences to support learners in their progress toward mastering specific concepts and skills, regardless of the learning landscape.
Dr. Catlin Tucker is an experienced educator, bestselling author, international trainer, and keynote speaker. Catlin has published several books on blended learning, including Balance with Blended Learning. She has designed self-paced courses to support teachers in developing their skills teaching in blended learning and online learning environments. Catlin is active on Twitter @Catlin_Tucker and blogs at CatlinTucker.com. Like this article? Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief's education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.
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Formative assessment for any learning landscape

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The education landscape continues to shift with teachers and students starting to slowly return to the classroom as COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the country, and educators are facing yet another change to their teaching environment.