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Andy gave us some great insights to the essential means and needs of assessment. He stated that you him, "Assessment is an estimation of something about a student and what they can do." He told us about all the goods that come from assessments and what they can give an educator whether that be in a general education setting or special education. It is nice to see both sides of that because it is hard for general educators to see the specials side of education.

His tip of us to be successful through assessment is to have a process that we establish with our students. Some assessments take a lot out of students, so having a process that they follow is going to help them know that what they are doing and going through is so important to their education and where they are going. Some type of assessment is going to be given throughout our whole lives no matter what we choose to do in our careers.

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Dena did a great job of sharing what she thinks of when she hears the word assessment. Many people think of the paper pencil tests that they had to do when they were students, but not Dena. "Assessments for me are making observations on the day-today things that my students are doing and learning." That is a great way to look at assessment because you are going to have those students that do not perform their best if they know they are being assessed, so having a way to assess they daily without that test or worksheet is going to be so beneficial.

A tip that she gave us that is something I have seen work first hand is having small student groups that come and work with the teacher everyday. This is nice not only for the students, but it gives us as the teacher a chance to see where each student is daily. This can give us the information that we need to have so we can quickly change gears with our instruction, or for us to give those certain students the extra help that they are going to need in order to be successful in our class.

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Talking with TJ, we go to see so many sides of an educator. He allowed us that when it comes to assessment it answers this question, "Can my students apply this knowledge in different ways?" This is so important because like he said, there are going to be times in your instruction that the results are not going to be what you want. This is when you need to take a step back and see what you can do as a teacher to better prepare them for where this information is going to take them.

A tip that TJ gave us is something that many of us do not think of when we are looking at being new teachers. We are so eager to get into our own classroom and start to make a difference for our students, but we need to take things slow. Going through things slowly and allowing our students time to get the information that we are presenting to them is so important. If we take the time to make sure they get it the first time, then we can take time to learn other things and have time to do fun things with our students.

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Talking with Marsha I gained great insight from a teacher of young minds! When asked what her definition of an assessment was, "A tool to determine what my kiddos know and what they are ready to learn next," and that is so true! Assessing students is not to see how smart your students are, but it is to see what they are ready to learn. So many of these mentors have, in a roundabout way, are saying that meeting your students where they are at is the best way to understand where their minds are and what they are ready to learn.

Especially working with little minds, these assessments need to be fast and easy. Another tool that we have to use for these young minds is having things for them to do hands-on. She sets these kids up for success and that is something that is SO important. Giving them the routines and resources for them to be great students is going to take, but in the end it will be completely worth it!

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Talking with Kelly we got her definition of assessment as the following, "When you have a goal or an objective that you want to meet and you have to assess whether or not you've been able to complete that goal." That is a great way to look at assessment because it allows for the true measurement of knowledge to be done on the students. Helping the students know where they are at and where they need to go is so important in their personally learning journey.

The tool that Kelly said is her go to for many things in an educational rubric. Through this class we have seen that time and time again with assignments that we have completed. This does not give you any room to question what went wrong or what went good with what the student is doing. This can also be a tool that makes working with assessments easier. Rubrics give you a straight line of what you are looking for from the student. The one thing that needs to be in play thought is a rubric that is assessing the exact information that we are wanting to see in our students.

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When looking at assessment through the lens of a special educator, assessment becomes your life. Brandi touched on that during her interview with saying that, "The minute I walk in the room I am assessing SOMETHING." That is so true, even for the thinking of a teacher in some ways. These assessments are done through many different records and observations, but that is what special education is.

Brandi gave us some good tips to use when we are going about assessing different aspects of our students. Where we as general educators are not going to be doing the same types of assessments as our coworkers in special education, we can use what is given to us. The resources that are around us are going to be the ones that are the most beneficial to us, and they are going to give us the most reliable information to go forward with. Having the option to have multiple types of assessments is what makes assessing students not such a headache.

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The talk with Christina gave me a new definition for assessment that I am going to use in years to come and that is this, "Seeing what the students are learning, as well as seeing how they feel about what they are doing.  It is not all about the content, but about how they are feeling as well." This speaks volumes to the type of teacher that I hope to be some day, and it show what kind of teacher she is! She is looking for the students to show her what they know when giving assessments and that is going to help in many ways with other aspects of the students learning.

She stated that she enjoys assessing students in a small group setting because she is getting to see the students work up close and personal. This is a great tip because this is your time where you can address the small things that are messing up a student, or even just to give them that sense of "You are doing a great job. Keep doing what you are doing!" It is important for your students to know that they have someone in their corner that is going to meet them where they are at, and is going to be there the whole time to hold their hand if they need it. Be there for your students because they rely on you more than you think.

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Natasha Roseberry defined assessment as, "Getting to know what the kids now and how I'm going to use that information." This is a great explanation because as educators it is our jobs to meet students where they are at and work with them to get them where they need to be. Starting with what they know is going to make their willingness to learn more prevalent with relatable information.

The tips that Natasha gave where very relatable with me having first hand experience in a classroom of young students. Quick assessments are going to be beneficial for you as a teacher because in a way it does not give your students a time to overthink what you are asking of them. A good way to do that is through the exit tickets that she mentioned. She also touched on that she uses the white board assessments as well for her quick assessments. This is a well known assessment that works wonders. Having multiple assessment tools is going to help you as a teacher have alternatives that work well in many different settings.

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Spencer Brown expressed that his personal definition of an assessment is the following, "A procedure for making inferences." He mentions that there are no valid assessment that are used/made, but only valid interpretations that can be made by teachers.

The assessments that he suggested using are some great ones that need to be implemented in all classrooms! The main one that he likes to use is the white board route. This gives teachers a quick look at what the students gained, and it is a way to get everyone engaged in the learning that is being done. Another one that he mentioned is being strategic when it comes to the assessments and conversations that you are having with your students. It is important that the students know you are there for them throughout their learning journey as well as in their daily lives.

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Tabatha defined assessment as, "An accurate picture of where my students are both academically and even emotionally." I love that she touched on the emotional side of this because many people think that the word assessment just means academically. Where that is important, it is also important to know what headspace your students are in so you can provide them with the best environment to learn.

The tip that she gave when it comes to making and giving assessment that really stood out to me was developing a self-regulation in your students so they know and can perform at their greatest level. She explained that this can be done the best through developing systems that your students can rely on. This helps the students develop an independent function where they feel like they are in charge of their learning and their success. That is something so great for students to have because it can also help with developing a relationship with the teacher that is also going to make them feel accomplished. Being intentional with the way you treat and teach your students is going to have a great impact on them that will last throughout their school and long after they graduate.