# data[].attributes.body
Blooket was one of the most popular games during my 5 week practicum experience! By offering a wide variety of game modes, Blooket allows for students to have fun while reviewing important content. After each game, the teacher is able to see the overall percentage of correct answers as well as individual student results; allowing for quick, immediate formative assessment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join a game of Blooket to answer questions and compete in a fierce clash to determine who is the best and what Blook will come out victorious.

# data[].attributes.body
The Alberta Assessment Consortium is the holy grail for all things assessment within our curriculum. The link provided will take you to a website full of resources, teaching tools, and more.

NOTE: You will need an account to log in to this website. Check Google Classroom for the login.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Alberta Assessment Consortium is

a not-for-profit registered society, funded by membership

a recognized education partner in the province of Alberta

an independent voice, able to provide an informed response to questions/issues that impact student learning

The work of AAC is guided by four main purposes.

To accomplish this purpose, AAC...

facilitates purposeful connections among jurisdictions working on similar assessment related initiatives;

collaborates with ministry and education partners on projects of mutual interest; and

provides an informed voice, responding to assessment questions and challenges within the Alberta context.

Purpose #2 Contribute to the building of assessment literacy in Alberta through action research and inquiry initiatives.

To accomplish this purpose, AAC...

maintains contact with an international network of assessment authorities; and

intentionally seeks partnerships designed to validate and enhance research based practices within the Alberta context.

To accomplish this purpose, AAC...

develops performance assessments and rubrics, scaffolding tools, and unit plans modeling backward design;

collects samples of student work that demonstrate a range of quality relative to assessment criteria; and

maintains a practical website with links of interest, assessment tools and templates designed for classroom use.

Purpose #4 Enhance teacher/leader assessment capacity by providing opportunities for quality professional learning.

To accomplish this purpose, AAC...

conducts high quality professional learning events that include internationally recognized presenters, as well as Alberta teachers and leaders providing practical application of best practices;

designs professional learning modules for membership use;

creates practical AAC publications for teachers and leaders; and

provides experienced facilitators to offer customized professional learning experiences on a fee for service basis.

Alberta Assessment Consortium... everyday assessment tools to support student learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
a not-for-profit registered society, funded by membership a recognized education partner in the province of Alberta an independent voice, able to provide an informed response to questions/issues that impact student learning To accomplish this purpose, AAC...

# data[].attributes.body
The Online Stopwatch website offers a variety 'randomized group generator' animations. This is a fun way to create homogeneous groups for assessments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to our Random Group Generator Page!
We have a collection of Random Group Generators, Team Pickers, and Group Makers!
Try one of our fun animated designed Random Group Generators today!
Remember: Premium Members can save their groups!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our Random Group Generator Page! With lots of easy to use Random Group Generators, Team Pickers, and more!

# data[].attributes.body
Although Pinterest is seen as your typical social media platform, it is easy to redirect your 'For You' page to be full of teacher related content. As teachers move to more digital platforms, Pinterest becomes a great way to inspire new ideas as well as reach out to other teachers around the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

# data[].attributes.body
Gimkit is quite similar to Blooket or Kahoot in the sense that it is a review game with the 'video game' like twist. This is a great way to assess where students are at in a low stakes situation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gimkit is a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Get started for free!

# data[].attributes.body
This document was one that we discussed in our EDUC 3105 course. This PDF is targeted towards the old gym curriculum but still provides a variety of assessment examples for multiple outcomes and P.E. requirements.

# data[].attributes.body
Edutopia is one of my favourite teacher websites! Attached on this document is the Edutopia assessment tab located on their website. This tab offers a wide selection of assessment ideas as well as tips and tricks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.body
This game I played while teaching my grade 1 practicum about buddy letters (sh, th, ch, etc.). My class loved it! It was a great review game for them and allowed for me to gather quick observational assessment in regards to their pronunciation of their buddy letters.

Attached to this tab is a PDF copy of my lesson plan for ELA. This lesson plan focused upon assessing students understanding and fluency of the SH buddy letters.

# data[].attributes.body
EMAB is prominent in our education system today but how well do we understand it? This article helps to better explain what EMAB looks like in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why the Label 'Exceeds Standard' Doesn't Work

Today's guest post is written by Thomas Guskey, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky.

Educators implementing standards-based approaches to grading and reporting often struggle with how to label different levels of students' performance. Four levels of performance is the most common number identified. Most educators in the U.S. and Canada consider three levels to be insufficient in discriminating important differences in students' performance. When the number of levels climbs to five or six, however, the consistency of teachers' rating diminishes rapidly.

In choosing labels for these levels, many begin by describing level 3 as "Proficient." This level of performance means the student has achieved the learning target and mastered the standard. Level 2 is typically considered "Progressing" or "Approaching" mastery of the standard, and level 1 is deemed "Struggling" or "Needs Improvement." The challenge comes in labeling the highest, level 4. 2

Some educators believe that level 4 should designate a truly exceptional level of achievement - the student whose performance "knocks your socks off." They use this level to recognize students who do something special related to the standard or demonstrate genuinely outstanding performance regarding the standard.

Others believe level 4 should describe performance at a more complex or more advanced level with regard to the standard. They use the label "Exceeds Standard" to indicate the student has gone beyond or above what was expected. In other words, these students have achieved at a higher and more sophisticated level. But while seeming reasonable, serious communication problems often arise when educators try to clarify the meaning of "Exceeds Standard" to students, parents, and fellow educators.

Evidence gathered from parents and families shows that many find the label "Exceeds Standard" to be vague and difficult to interpret. The message it implies to them from educators is: "More than we expect, but we cannot tell you precisely what that is until we see it!" Such imprecision troubles parents, especially those who encourage their child to strive for the highest grade possible in every subject.

From a practical perspective, "Exceeds Standard" presents additional difficulties. In most standards-based environments, mastering a standard means hitting the target. It signifies achieving the goal and learning what was expected. Olympic archers who place their arrows in the center of the bulls-eye from a distance of 70 meters, for example, have "hit the target." They have achieved the goal and accomplished precisely what was expected.

How then could an Olympic archer ever "exceed" the standard? How would the archer achieve at a more advanced or higher level? Maybe we could make the bulls-eye smaller or move the target further away from the archer, making it more difficult to hit the bulls-eye.

The problem with that, however, is it changes the standard. As soon as you make the task more difficult or move the learning expectation to a higher and more advanced level, you have changed the standard and altered the goal. Students who achieve at that level have not really "exceeded the standard." More accurately, they have mastered a different standard. If you want archers to hit smaller bulls-eyes from a greater distance, then that becomes the new standard for archers.

Some argue that "Proficient" can imply placing arrows near the bulls-eye while "Exceeds Standard" means actually hitting the bulls-eye directly. But does "Proficient" then mean "almost" hitting the target? Is "getting close" sufficient? And if it is, then how close is good enough? Who makes that decision?

This interpretation problem also affects educators' who want to equate these distinctions to percent correct on assessments. On an assessment designed to measure students' ability to solve single-digit addition problems, for example, they might designate students who get 80% correct to be "Proficient," while those students who answer correctly 90% or more are rated, "Exceeds Standard." But have students who get 90% correct truly "exceeded" the standard? 3

Others counter that the assessment for this standard should include double-digit addition problems as well. Students who answer the double-digit problems correctly can then accurately be rated as "Exceeds Standard." But again, this miscommunicates what is measured. With the inclusion of double-digit addition problems, the assessment clearly measures a different standard. The same holds true if "Proficient" requires students to "apply" what they have learned, while "Exceeds Standard" involves the higher level skills of "analyzing" or "synthesizing." The point is that you are now measuring a different standard.

The nature of specific standards makes things even more complicated. If the standard relates to students' ability to safely cross a busy street, for example, would anyone consider 80% to be "Proficient"? Or even 90%? What about being honest or telling the truth? And in these examples, how could students ever reach "Exceeds Standard"?

This does not imply that exceptional performance should go unrecognized. Not at all. A grade that denotes truly distinguished performance can be useful in many instances. But if such a grade is included in the grading system, then it must be associated with clear criteria that identify precisely how such a grade can be attained. Those criteria must be clearly communicated to students and parents alike, accompanied by illustrative examples of students' performance or samples of students' work, and agreed upon by fellow teachers.

With these criteria articulated and openly communicated to all stakeholders, labels such as "Distinguished," "Exceptional," or "Exemplary" generally serve intended communication purposes far better than "Exceeds Standard."

Connect with Tom Guskey on Twitter at @tguskey.

Check it out here:

Why the Label 'Exceeds Standard' Doesn't Work | Education Week

PostedOctober 17, 2014 7:30 A M by Peter DeWitt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why the label "Exceeds Standard" doesn't work | Thomas R. Guskey & Associates

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educators implementing standards-based approaches to grading and reporting often struggle with how to label different levels of students' performance. Four levels of performance is the most common number identified. Most educators in the U.S. and Canada consider three levels to be insufficient in discriminating important differences in students' performance.

# data[].attributes.body
Rubrics, when done correctly, are an effective marking tool for teachers. However, it can be easy to create rubrics that skew our assessment results. It is important that our rubrics are intentional and match the outcomes that we are looking to assess. This article further explores the "how?" and "why?" of rubric creation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Advantages and Disadvantages of Rubrics

Do teachers in your school feel like students misunderstand assignments?

Are you worried that some students are graded differently than others?

Do your students (and their parents) often debate grades?

Do your teachers complain about spending way too much time grading?

If you checked "yes" for any (or all) of these questions, your current rubrics might be working against you rather than for you. Let's find out how to make rubrics more effective!

What are Rubrics?

A rubric, at its most basic, is a tool to define the expectations of a particular assignment with ways to indicate different levels of effectiveness in meeting those expectations. It is this last aspect, the gradations of quality, that differentiates a rubric from its simpler counterpart, the checklist. Even within the category of a rubric, there is lots of variety.

General rubrics describe expectations for a skill that can be generalized across assignments. Task-specific rubrics are, as their name suggests, geared toward a particular assignment.

The biggest distinction within rubrics, however, is between holistic and analytic rubrics. Holistic rubrics provide a single score to summarize a student's performance on a given task, whereas analytic rubrics provide several scores for the task, one for each different category being evaluated. See examples of each kind here.

Anatomy of the Rubric

There are four main components of a rubric:

To illustrate, for an assignment from a high school literature classroom:

The task description is a ten-page research paper

The dimensions of the assignment include:

The descriptions outline what a student needs to do to get a certain score for a certain dimension

It is with these components themselves that we already start to see how a rubric could be clear and helpful or murky and frustrating.
SAMPLE RUBRIC

Benefits of Rubrics

What good can rubrics really do? A rubric, after all, is a sheet of paper that is all too easy for students to glance at once and then shove to the bottom of an overstuffed backpack. However, rubrics are more important than they seem.

Every time you make a rubric, you articulate your educational philosophy; you indicate where students are, where they can go, and how they will get there. As English Professor Emeritus Peter Elbow explains, by offering your students a rubric, you're telling them:

"You deserve to know more about my values as a particular reader: Here are the aspects of writing that I believe are most central to my idea of excellence."

- Peter Elbow, Writing Assessment in the 21st Century: Essays in Honor of Edward M. White
HOW DO RUBRICS HELP STUDENTS?
Rubrics have so much potential that even minimal engagement with them can yield great benefits.

As educator Heidi Goodrich Andrade explains, "If I were to simply circle boxes on a rubric and give it back with an assignment, I would still be providing more feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the work than if I had just assigned a letter grade, and it would not have taken me any longer."

The importance of feedback for student learning can not be overstated. In a 2015 study, rubrics that included individual advice on how to improve led to students with "significantly better performance in planning scientific experiments"; these students "perceived themselves as being more competent and were also more accurate in their self-evaluative performance judgments." That's exactly what Marco Learning hopes to achieve by pairing rubric-based scores with personalized, qualitative feedback about each student's areas of strength and areas for growth.

As educator and author Carol Jago points out, "feedback cools quickly." So anything you can do to speed up the availability of feedback for students matters.
METACOGNITION DEVELOPMENT
At their best, rubrics can encourage students to think critically about their own work and scores. It's a fairly common sentiment among students that teachers "give" certain grades rather than students "earning" them. These word choices reveal that students often don't feel involved in the assessing process; they feel as if it is being done to them rather than with them or by them. Having a clear rubric lets students in on the decision making process. Students better understand the criteria of each assignment, so they can begin to look at their assignments with the critical eye of a teacher, allowing them to understand their past mistakes and fix their current ones. One teacher found that students who assessed themselves with a rubric as they worked on a reading comprehension assignment scored higher on a content knowledge quiz afterward than students who did not use a rubric. The metacognition, or awareness of one's own learning strategies, that can result from familiarity with rubrics produces both more insightful learners in the long-term and less frustrated students when report cards come around.

TEACHERS MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
As Professor Timothy Brophy explains, rubrics are also helpful tools for teachers because they encourage "criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced" scoring. In essence, criterion-referenced scoring means that while grading, teachers ask themselves whether a paper meets the criteria of a certain score rather than consciously or unconsciously assigning grades based on the quality relative to the other papers in that class. In a vacuum, norm-referenced scoring might not seem that bad, but it seriously hinders teachers' ability to meaningfully compare scores across their own classes and across classes taught by several teachers. In addition, consistently comparing each paper to a fixed set of standards decreases the chance that a teacher will grade papers differently based on student preference, number of coffees consumed, decision fatigue, or any other factor that shouldn't affect student grades. Lastly, important nationwide tests like the AP English Language and Literature exams use criterion-referenced scoring systems, which should encourage teachers to grade similarly.
STUDENTS ARE TREATED MORE FAIRLY
Rubrics create a common language to speak about academic work, make the learning goal clear, and level the educational playing field. In this era of increasing diversity, this last point is an important one.

Researchers Kenneth Wolf and Ellen Stevens point out that first-generation students, as well as immigrant students and students from minority backgrounds, often don't come into school with the same academic assumptions as their peers. The clearer the learning target for these students, the more likely they are to meet it.

Since unconscious bias can also work against students most dissimilar to their teachers, comprehensive rubrics can also encourage fairness for all students.

Disadvantages of Rubrics

Although rubrics have many potential benefits for both students and teachers, a poorly constructed rubric can do more harm than good. Luckily, there are a number of predictable pitfalls that can be easily avoided if you know what to look out for.
EXTREME SCALES
Although the scale may seem like a fairly straightforward decision to make, there are many different options.

One teacher might use a scale of A-F, another might use the scale 1 through 5, and yet another might choose to use the words excellent, competent, and needs work as the scale. There is no right answer when it comes to using letters, numbers, or words for your scale, but there are a few choices that could lead to unproductive rubrics.

Scales quickly become ineffective when there are too many or too few options. For example, except for very basic assignments, using just a pass/fail scale will not provide you or your students with very much helpful information.

On the other hand, using a scale of 1 to 20 will make it harder to justify small differences, such as giving a student 13 rather than 14. Having three to five possible options on a scale is often effective and four is sometimes considered ideal.

That being said, one of the largest working scales in effect right now is the College Board AP English essay holistic grading scale from 1 to 9. Even so, this scale is still essentially a 5-point scale broken down into pairs: 9/8, 7/6, 5, 4/3, 2/1.

INCONSISTENT LANGUAGE
There are a number of considerations as well when it comes to descriptions of each dimension; parallelism and consistency are your friends here. For instance, let's say that your current rubric breaks down the dimension of citation in the following way:

level 1 describes a paper with incorrect citations

level 2 is a paper with sometimes accurate citations

level 3 is a paper with many correct citations

level 4 is a paper with complete citations

These levels have obvious differences, but the language isn't as clear as it could be. Choosing to describe either amount, frequency, or intensity across all parts of your scale will help to keep the language consistent automatically.

A revised version of the same rubric might look like this:

level 1 is a paper with few correct citations

level 2 is a paper with some correct citations

level 3 is a paper with many correct citations

level 4 is a paper with all correct citations

The parallel language (using "correct") of each description shows how all the levels relate to each other, easing comprehension for anyone who encounters the rubric.
NEGATIVE LANGUAGE
Another consideration when writing descriptions is valence. As researchers Tierney and Simon explain, using purely negative terms to describe lower levels on the scale can discourage students, particularly younger ones. Using words like "little," "slightly," or "seldom" will be less discouraging (and likely more accurate) than words like "none" and "never."
VAGUE LANGUAGE
Lastly, the criteria for each level should be observable and measurable in some way.

If I claim that students are supposed to "know" something, it is important to indicate what precisely that knowledge will look like. For example, I could specify in the rubric description that a paper with an argument that falls under Level 4 (always strong) must have a thesis that is defendable, specific, and evidence-supported. A paper that falls under Level 3 for argument (usually strong) will have a thesis that is only defendable and evidence-supported.

Without this kind of specificity, it would be easy for a student to argue that their paper meets Level 4 requirements rather than Level 3 requirements since "always" and "usually" can be vague and subjective terms.

How to Write a Rubric

Good rubrics are hard to write. Here are two simple strategies to make sure your rubrics are working well:
1) CALIBRATE WITH COLLEAGUES
An effort to construct effective rubrics is clearly important, but it can be difficult to tell how effective a new rubric is without discussing and revising it with colleagues. As Professor Timothy Brophy suggests, these sessions can be used to establish minimum scores for passing and develop benchmark papers for the rubric's scale.

Selecting six pieces-two high scores, two medium scores, and two low scores-is often a helpful way to show the students what papers look like on each part of your scale. College Board provides three anchor pieces (high, medium, and low) for all previously released AP essays as an example of what this might look like.

If you pass out the benchmark pieces to your department without scores and have the other teachers score them blindly, this meeting can turn into a productive discussion about how to increase grading reliability across classes.

A similar brainstorming and revision session can be helpful if you are trying to adapt previously existing rubrics-whether from another teacher or from the Marco Learning's rubric creator - for a new project.
2) REVIEW ACTUAL SCORES
Discussing rubrics after their implementation can also help teachers analyze grade breakdown.

If 75% of your students are receiving a two on a four-point scale for organization, that might be an indication that you are grading too harshly and/or the students need a review on how to arrange their thoughts. Marco Learning provides lots of this data automatically for teachers along with our qualitative feedback.

Having this quantitative data makes it significantly easier to see class-wide patterns; without a rubric, you might not realize that you are writing comments about organization on 75% of your student papers!

Conclusion

There are unlimited different ways to construct rubrics. However, not all rubrics are created equal. Rubrics with reasonable scales, consistent language, specific requirements, and positive descriptions are more helpful for students and teachers alike.

You can take an effective rubric to the next level by involving other people; refine rubrics with other teachers before their implementation, and take a day to talk your students through a new rubric. You can even go further and grade example essays using a rubric during class, an invaluable way to clarify learning goals.

By clarifying learning goals, we bring students closer to them, one rubric at a time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Advantages and Disadvantages of Rubrics - Marco Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do teachers in your school feel like students misunderstand assignments? Are you worried that some students are graded differently than others? Do your students (and their parents) often debate grades? Do your teachers complain about spending way too much time grading?

# data[].attributes.body
The DOCX provided contains a list of differentiation strategies in regards to what kind of assessment we deliver. This document helps to ensure that our assessments are reliable and valid.

# data[].attributes.body
Differentiation games is a great way to ensure student engagement with the curricular outcomes. The games provided in the document can be used as a method of formative assessment.

# data[].attributes.body
Lexile is described as the "framework for reading" by "matching readers with texts". This website assesses student reading level and provides the necessary text to help them grow as well as monitor their development. This is a great tool to use for diagnostic assessment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Warning: It looks like JavaScript is currently disabled. Please be aware that some features of this website will not work as intended.

Skip to main content

New Professional Development for Educators

Become your school's expert on the Lexile Framework! Our Lexile Certification Course is online, self-paced and 10 hours.

› GO TO The Course

For Educators, Parents & Students

Discover the new Lexile® & Quantile® Hub, a convenient online platform that provides you with easy access to more than a dozen new and enhanced reading and mathematics tools.

› GO TO The Hub

Introducing the Lexile® Framework for Listening

Similar to the reading framework, the listening framework is a scientific approach to measuring both students' listening ability and complexity of audio materials on the same Lexile developmental scale.

› GO TO The Listening Framework

News from MetaMetrics

Post Categories:

Lexile,

Quantile,

Post Tags:

assessment

Student Growth

Published on Read Post →

Post Categories:

Lexile,

Post Tags:

science of reading

Published on Read Post →

Post Categories:

Lexile,

Post Tags:

Content Measurement

Published on Read Post →

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Lexile Framework for Reading - Lexile

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Lexile frameworks for reading and listening help educators and parents match students to materials at the right level of difficulty.

# data[].attributes.body
The link provided will take you to the Alberta Assessment Consortium page focused upon providing ready to use rubric templates as well as teaching tools.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rubric Materials - Alberta Assessment Consortium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Building Better Rubrics! Resource Links to Support Building Better Rubrics Rubric Templates Rubric Template (download Word document) Rubric Template (enlarged) (download Word document) Workshop Tools Rubriques Rubriques - Tools Rubriques - Templates Gabarit grilles d'évaluation (download Word document) Gabarit grilles d'évaluation (version agrandie) (download Word document)

# data[].attributes.body
The rubric word builder list is a PDF file of alphabetized words that can help to build descriptive and effective rubrics.

# data[].attributes.body
The document provided outlines a comprehensive summary of the principles of fair assessment in regards to Canadian education.

# data[].attributes.body
The website provided includes 3 ways to create effective test takers within our class while reducing the level of test anxiety within students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here are three basic test-taking strategies that elementary students should review prior to testing. Plus, download 10 free printable test-taking strategies resources that can be shared with students or hung in the elementary classroom.

Strategy 1: Review the Different Question Formats

To be successful on exams students must be familiar with the different question formats and feel comfortable moving between a scantron and their test packet.

A week or so before a high-stakes test, use specific test preparation strategies and handouts to review the different questions students will see on the exam.

It's always a good idea to review and practice multiple-choice (selected-response) strategies before an assessment. On multiple-choice tests, the vocabulary and layout of the answers can confuse students.

These are my six tips to help students feel like they Multiple-Choice Champions before a big test:

1. Reread the question. Make sure you understand what is being asked.

2. Come up with an answer to the question before looking at the list of choices.

3. Read ALL of the answers and cross out the choices that don't make sense.

4. Underline the section in the text or question that supports your reasoning.

5. Look carefully at similar-sounding answers. Find the more precise answer.

6. Select "All of the above" if two or three answers seem correct.

Download the Be A Multiple-Choice Champion Tip Sheet and hang it up in your classroom on the day of an exam. I guarantee your students will look at the poster sometime during the testing period to boost their confidence and recall strategies for answering multiple-choice questions.

Most schools have an acronym they use school-wide to help their students with open-ended responses. If your school has not adopted an acronym that is used throughout the school, I highly recommend you do. It promotes consistency as the students move from grade level to grade level. The acronym we use at my school is ACE:

Answer the question:

Turn the question into your answer and answer it

Cite an example:

Give a specific example from the text to support your answer

Extend your thinking

Give another example OR state another thought about the text that supports your answer

Help students remember how to answer open-ended responses with the ACE Open-Ended Responses Tip Sheet.

Finally, I review simple strategies that students can use to attack any question.

For older students, I have a list of suggestions for answering the various types of questions from multiple-choice to essay prompts.

For younger grades, I use a fabulous handout that delves into some of the strategies I discuss when reviewing multiple-choice questions and gives students concrete examples to look over.

This resource will show students the following strategies to puzzle out questions they may find confusing. It highlights the following strategies:

1. Substitute each answer in the blank

2. Justify answers my underlining information from the passage

3. Cross out answers that don't make sense

Strategy 2: Strengthen Student Vocabulary

Unfamiliar vocabulary in a literary text or a standardized test can confuse and/or discourage students.

Make sure your students are armed with the vocabulary strategies they need to come out victorious rather than feeling defeated after taking a test. Below are word strategy resources to ensure students come out on top!

Here are 10 terms students should know heading into a standardized test (words may vary depending on your state test). Download the 10 ELA Test Terms To Know Reference Sheet and review the words with students until you're confident they understand their meaning.

A similar download you may find useful is the 10 High-Stakes Test Terms to Know Poster. Teachers should incorporate these terms into classroom activities and should clarify how best to answer each question stem while the stakes are low.

For example, a teacher could ask an introductory question such as

"Infer from the reading on page 3 how Jimmy felt about his friends."

"Compare the reading we did for homework with the passage on the board."

"Analyze how Martha came to make the decision she did."

The last strategy/handout teaches students how to break down individual words and puzzle out their meanings. Here's an example using the word submersible:

STEP 1: BREAK THE WORD INTO SMALLER PARTS. LOOK FOR THE PARTS OF THE WORD YOU KNOW.

Submersible → sub mersible

What does the word sub make you think of?

You can investigate even further by asking, "Do subways and submarines have anything in common?"

Both are used for transportation and traveling from one point to another

Both are underground

STEP 2: LOOK FOR THE CONTEXT CLUES. WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU?

" Explorer, the submersible watercraft, sank deeper into the ocean."

From the passage clues, we know that:

Submersible is describing a feature of the watercraft.

The watercraft can travel deep into the ocean.

STEP 3: USE YOUR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE.

I know a sub or submarine travels underwater.

The passage says, "...sank deeper into the ocean."
You can conclude that submersible means a vessel or vehicle that is capable of traveling and operating underwater.
This example is a great resource to share with students as a handout or you can hang up the poster on the classroom wall. Once students have reviewed this strategy, assign them words to break down using these three steps.

Strategy 3: Use Practice Prompts

As a literacy specialist, there are a few "key literary elements" that I make sure to emphasize in my teaching because I know they will help my students perform well.

Fortunately, these "key literary elements" support strong reading comprehension and should be focused on even if there were no standardized tests to be taken.

Available for download are reading practice prompts for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry texts. Download Sample Reading Prompts for Standardized Test Preparation for grades 3-5 now.

In Conclusion

Standardized tests can be stressful for students and teachers. Hopefully, these test-taking strategies for elementary students and accompanying resources will relieve some of the anxiety.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Vocab Gal's Favorite
Test Prep Resources

Strategies for Answering
Math Questions

Test-Taking Strategies Poster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Test-Taking Strategies for Elementary Students (Includes 10+ Printables)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here are three basic test-taking strategies that elementary students should review prior to testing. Plus, download 10 free printable test-taking strategies resources that can be shared with students or hung in the elementary classroom. To be successful on exams students must be familiar with the different question formats and feel comfortable moving between a scantron and their test packet.

# data[].attributes.body
The Sadlier School website provides a variety of resources and articles all focused upon improving the education that students receive in our classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Download free ELA & Math Resources including lesson plans, games, and activities to support your students today!

# data[].attributes.body
The document provided takes an in-depth look on the inclusion of effective grades within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kunnath - Creating meaningful grades.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
Spark is a P.E. based assessment website for a variety of games, units and activites.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Assessment Tools Program Assessments SPARK Standard and Premium programs include the following four evaluation tools and FREE consultation on their use: 1. Formative/Needs Assessment: SPARK workshops are modified and targeted to meet the needs of each school or agency. To accomplish this goal, SPARK…

# data[].attributes.body
Hattie's study of 250+ influences on student achievement enables us to better understand effective classroom assessment methods.

# data[].attributes.body
The website provided above contains information with correlating visuals about the importance of backwards design and the impact that it has in our classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cite this guide: Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.

Overview

Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a framework for designing courses and content units called "Backward Design." Instructors typically approach course design in a "forward design" manner, meaning they consider the learning activities (how to teach the content), develop assessments around their learning activities, then attempt to draw connections to the learning goals of the course. In contrast, the backward design approach has instructors consider the learning goals of the course first. These learning goals embody the knowledge and skills instructors want their students to have learned when they leave the course. Once the learning goals have been established, the second stage involves consideration of assessment. The backward design framework suggests that instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content. For this reason, backward design is considered a much more intentional approach to course design than traditional methods of design.

This teaching guide will explain the benefits of incorporating backward design. Then it will elaborate on the three stages that backward design encompasses. Finally, an overview of a backward design template is provided with links to blank template pages for convenience.

The Benefits of Using Backward Design
"Our lessons, units, and courses should be logically inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books, and activities with which we are most comfortable. Curriculum should lay out the most effective ways of achieving specific results... in short, the best designs derive backward from the learnings sought."
In Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe argue that backward design is focused primarily on student learning and understanding. When teachers are designing lessons, units, or courses, they often focus on the activities and instruction rather than the outputs of the instruction. Therefore, it can be stated that teachers often focus more on teaching rather than learning. This perspective can lead to the misconception that learning is the activity when, in fact, learning is derived from a careful consideration of the meaning of the activity.

As previously stated, backward design is beneficial to instructors because it innately encourages intentionality during the design process. It continually encourages the instructor to establish the purpose of doing something before implementing it into the curriculum. Therefore, backward design is an effective way of providing guidance for instruction and designing lessons, units, and courses. Once the learning goals, or desired results, have been identified, instructors will have an easier time developing assessments and instruction around grounded learning outcomes.

The incorporation of backward design also lends itself to transparent and explicit instruction. If the teacher has explicitly defined the learning goals of the course, then they have a better idea of what they want the students to get out of learning activities. Furthermore, if done thoroughly, it eliminates the possibility of doing certain activities and tasks for the sake of doing them. Every task and piece of instruction has a purpose that fits in with the overarching goals and goals of the course.

As the quote below highlights, teaching is not just about engaging students in content. It is also about ensuring students have the resources necessary to understand. Student learning and understanding can be gauged more accurately through a backward design approach since it leverages what students will need to know and understand during the design process in order to progress.
"In teaching students for understanding, we must grasp the key idea that we are coaches of their ability to play the 'game' of performing with understanding, not tellers of our understanding to them on the sidelines."
The Three Stages of Backward Design
"Deliberate and focused instructional design requires us as teachers and curriculum writers to make an important shift in our thinking about the nature of our job. The shift involves thinking a great deal, first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before thinking about what we, as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities."

The Backward Design Template

A link to the blank backward design template is provided here ( https://jaymctighe.com/resources/), and it is referred to as UbD Template 2.0. The older version (version 1.0) can also be downloaded at that site as well as other resources relevant to Understanding by Design. The template walks individuals through the stages of backward design. However, if you are need of the template with descriptions of each section, please see the table below. There is also a link to the document containing the template with descriptions provided below and can be downloaded for free.

Backward Design Template with Descriptions (click link for template with descriptions).

References

1. Sample, Mark. (2011). Teaching for Enduring Understanding. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/teaching-for-enduring-understanding/35243.

2. Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13-34). ASCD.

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Ryan S. Bowen Print Version Cite this guide: Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/. Overview The Benefits of Using Backward Design The Three Stages of Backward Design The Backward Design Template Overview Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay...

# data[].attributes.body
The document linked in a PDF copy of the book "Improve Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Using the Understanding by Design Framework" by Jay Mctighe and Grant Wiggins. This expands on the idea of effective backwards design in assessment.

# data[].attributes.body
The webpage linked has a focus upon creating effective formative assessment in regards to gathering information on student progression within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Formative assessment is the lived, daily embodiment of a teacher's desire to refine practice based on a keener understanding of current levels of student performance, undergirded by the teacher's knowledge of possible paths of student development within the discipline and of pedagogies that support such development.
Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction
See the new Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction, written by the NCTE Task Force on Assessment and approved by the NCTE Executive Committee October 21, 2013 (also in a printable booklet format and html Web page format).

Listen as Cathy Fleischer and Scott Filkins, members of the NCTE Task Force on Assessment, talk about formative assessment and this new statement: Part 1 and Part 2.

" A Formative Assessment System for Writing Improvement," " A Better Grading System: Standards-Based, Student-Centered Assessment," and other articles in " Knowing Better: Examining Assessment," the September 2013 English Journal, and " Feed-Forward: Linking Instruction with Assessment," the December 2013 Voices from the Middle.

Hear Kathleen Blake Yancey talk about the response from K-20 educators to the NCTE Assessment Story Project (Education Talk Radio interview, March 4, 2015).

#nctechat Twitter Chat Archive: Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction with NCTE member guest hosts Franki Sibberson (@frankisibberson) and Antero Garcia (@anterobot).

Excerpt from Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction:
Choosing a Formative Assessment Stance
As school decision makers are poised to select new assessments, we urge them to choose a path that supports a formative assessment stance. Teachers deserve protected time and quality support as they learn to observe closely and analyze deeply; students deserve a classroom context that allows teachers to do this. Over time, this professional development raises the quality of teaching and, in turn, the level of student learning. The more teachers can see and understand what students are doing, the better they can support those students in their learning.

Beyond that, decision makers can critically analyze what authentic formative assessment is and is not. Keeping in mind the following chart, teachers and administrators together can choose and create tools and strategies that will truly inform practice, support students, and improve learning.

Highlight the needs of each student

View all students as being, or needing to be, at the same place in their learning

Provide immediately useful feedback to students and teachers

Provide feedback weeks or months after the assessment

Occur as a planned and intentional part of the learning in a classroom

Always occur at the same time for each student

Focus on progress or growth

Focus solely on a number, score, or level

Support goal setting within the classroom curriculum

Occur outside of authentic learning experiences

Answer questions the teacher has about students' learning

Have parameters that limit teacher involvement

Reflect the goals and intentions of the teachers and the students

Look like mini-versions of pre-determined summative assessments

Rely on teacher expertise and interpretation

Rely on outsiders to score and analyze results

Occur in the context of classroom life

Interrupt or intrude upon classroom life

Focus on responsibility and care

Focus on accountability

Inform immediate next steps

Focus on external mandates

Allow teachers and students to better understand the learning process in general and the learning process for these students in particular

Exclude teachers and students from assessing through the whole learning process

Encourage students to assume greater responsibility for monitoring and supporting their own learning.

Exclude students from the assessment process

This position statement may be printed, copied, and disseminated without permission from NCTE.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Formative assessment is the lived, daily embodiment of a teacher's desire to refine practice based on a keener understanding of current levels of student performance, undergirded by the teacher's knowledge of possible paths of student development within the discipline and of pedagogies that support such development.

# data[].attributes.body
White boards are a great way to quickly formatively assess students understanding of a subject directly within the lesson. The link provides a list of math games to play with your students using the whiteboard.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Math is one of the hardest subjects in school, but it is a subject that is required to be taught. Therefore, teachers have no way around it. I remember math being a tough subject for me as a child, so I often watch my students and relate to their frustrations when it comes to doing math problems. I decided to find math whiteboard games that would help my students let loose and learn how to have fun while doing math. This does not solve the aggravation that math can cause my students, but it does help engage them and keep things interesting and entertaining.

In this article, I will be sharing several of the whiteboard games involving math that I have used and felt like worked with my students. Throughout the years, I have tried out hundreds of these games and am confident that the ones on my list are the best. I believe you will find at least a couple that will work for you and your students. The goal is for teachers around the world to adopt some of these whiteboard games to make math a more enjoyable experience for students.

After reading this article, you will officially know:

10 Math Whiteboard Games

I have conducted research and tried out many different math whiteboard games with my students. However, I always seem to come back to 10 of my all-time favorite games. The reason for this is because they get my students up and moving, laughing, smiling, and learning while having a good time. Below, I will tell you about the top whiteboard games involving math that I highly recommend. I encourage all my readers to try each of them at least once before deciding which ones are your favorite.

The following are 10 of the best math whiteboard games for students:

1. Back 2 Back

Grade Level: 2nd Grade to 5th grade

Description: All you need is a whiteboard, markers, and two people who are fast when it comes to guessing math facts. There are two teams, and each team must choose the person they want to go up to the board to write down numbers. The objective of this game is to guess the other player's answer before they guess yours.

The two students who are chosen to represent their teams must stand back to back at the board. This gives them the opportunity to write on the board while blocking the other person from seeing their number. Once the caller yells "numbers up," the two students write down a number of their choice. The caller will state the sum or product of the two numbers. The students sitting down will use their knowledge of math facts to figure out what the other person's number is when added or multiplied by their number. The first player to announce the other person's number wins! The loser selects the next person to take their place.

2. Guess My Number

Grade Level: Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Description: Start by making a large chart on the whiteboard if you do not have a dry erase chart that can be clipped to your board. One student will choose a number, and the other students will try to guess the chosen number by asking questions. The student will cross off numbers that the answer is not and circles numbers that it could be. The person who guesses the correct number wins and gets to be the next person to choose a number for the class to guess.

3. Mountain

Grade Level: 1st Grade to 4th Grade

Description: Begin drawing a mountain with a smiley or funny face. Write in numbers that go up and down the mountain. The objective of this game is to be the first person to climb the mountain, in number order, and then go down the mountain on the other side. Hand the students dice to roll. They will hope for the numbers that are listed on your mountain to be able to cross them off the mountain. However, keep in mind that they must go in order. For example, if your first number is a 1, they cannot skip that number. They must roll a number 1 first before moving on to the next number.

4. Double Trouble Race

Grade Level: 1st Grade to 4th Grade

Description: For the Double Trouble Race game, you will need 2 six-sided dice, markers, and a whiteboard. This is a two-player game that students can take turns with their partners doing in front of the class. Player one will start writing the number 0 to 100 out on the whiteboard, while player two is rolling the dice. When player two gets doubles on the dice, they get to call out "Doubles." What I mean by doubles is a 4 and 4 or 2 and 2. The players switch turns until someone reaches 100. Then, another pair of players can go.

5. Mega Noughts and Crosses

Grade Level: 1st Grade to 4th Grade

Description: Draw a 5 x 5 grid on the whiteboard. Select two students to go to the board and decide which is X and which is O. They will then take turns by writing an X or O in a square until the entire board is filled. Go through the grid and determine how many lines of 3, 4, and 5 of the same letters there are.

If there are 5 X's or O's in a row, that is 5 points. Four X's or O's are 4 points, and 3 X's or O's in a row are 3 points. Determine who received the most points as the person with the most points wins!

6. Snake

Grade Level: 1st Grade to 4th Grade

Description: You will need markers, whiteboard, and 2 six-sided dice. Start drawing a snake with the numbers 2 to 12 on its body. Ask a student to go to the whiteboard and roll both dice. Then, they need to add the numbers together and cross out the total. For example, if they roll a 3 and a 2, they should cross out the 5. If that number has already been crossed out, they return to their seat without crossing anything out. The team to cross out all the numbers first wins.

7. Tug of War

Grade Level: 1st Grade to 4th Grade

Description: For this game, you will need 2 six-sided dice, a whiteboard, markers, and a small figurine. Start drawing a numberline from 1 to 27. Set up two teams and have one player from each team go to the board. One player is called "plus," while the other player is called "minus." The figurine starts on the number 14. The "plus" team will move the figurine right with hopes of getting to the number 27, and the "minus" team will move the figurine left with hopes of getting to the number 1.

Have the two individuals take turns rolling the dice and adding up the two numbers they get. The number that they get is how many numbers in their direction that they get to move the figurine. Whoever reaches the end number first (1 or 27) wins.

8. Race to 100

Grade Level: 1st Grade to 4th Grade

Description: Race to 100 game requires a whiteboard, 3 six-sided dice, and markers. Player one starts the game by rolling the 3 dice. They can choose to roll all three dice again, two, or only one dice. After they are done rolling, they will add their score and write it on the whiteboard. The score is based on: 3 numbers that are the same gets 30 points, and 2 numbers that are the same gets 20 points. If all three numbers are different, they will need to add all three numbers. The first player to score over 100 wins the game! Be sure to write down the scores each time to keep track of who is winning.

9. 101 and Out

Grade Level: 2nd Grade to 5th Grade

Description: A whiteboard, marker, and one dice are needed to successfully play this game. Students begin taking turns rolling the dice. Whatever number they roll, they can choose to keep that number or add a zero to it. For example, if a student rolls a 3, they can leave it as a 3 or make it 30. They will need to keep track of their numbers on the whiteboard for everyone to see. The team to reach the closest to 101 without going over wins the game. If you go over 101, you are out and the other team wins.

10. Higher or Lower

Grade Level: Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Description: Higher or Lower is a simple, fun game in which students create a number chart on the whiteboard. One team will form together to come up with a number. That number is kept a secret while the other team takes turns guessing the secret number. The team with the number must tell the other team if the number is higher or lower. While the team is guessing the number, the other team will cross off the numbers on the number chart that are guessed wrongly.

For an up-close look of a math game you can do with your students on the whiteboard, check out The Bielec Method's YouTube video. This video shows you a fun math game that you can play with kids. It will get them excited, encourage them to let loose, and will help them forget they are even learning.

If you do not have an interactive whiteboard in your classroom, my suggestion is to consider purchasing one. These devices are excellent when it comes to teaching children and encouraging them to participate in games together on the whiteboard. To learn more about the interactive whiteboard and see which one you should buy, visit my other article by clicking here.

4 Ways to Make Teaching Math Fun and Easy

There are certain ways to make teaching math fun and easy for you and your students. I will tell you about four ways below in which may not seem like much, but I believe they will help you out tremendously in the classroom.

1. Play Math Games

A lot of students will get tired of doing worksheets or math problems on paper if you rely heavily on lectures and lesson plans. This will cause their participation levels to drop, and they will become less engaged. To prevent this, I recommend playing various math games to encourage fun, excitement, and competitiveness in your classroom.

2. Emphasize Hands-On Learning

Hands-on learning is very important when it comes to teaching math. Students understand better when they are learning hands on. A lot of teachers use Legos or blocks to give their students hands-on learning in math class.

3. Build Excitement and Offer Rewards

Offer points, candy, stickers, certificates, badges, trophies, or toys for getting the answers to math problems correct. Many times, students have never experienced rewards or success when it comes to math, so if they see that they will be rewarded for their efforts they will want to try harder. This is very motivating and inspiring to students.

4. Encourage Teamwork

Encourage your students to work together to find answers from time to time. This makes thing easier and fun, and students may be able to help other students understand how to do certain math problems. Math games that involve teams is a great idea when it comes to teamwork.

If you are looking for a way to make teaching math a better experience for your students, watch Chula Vista Public Library's YouTube video. Since this is a DIY project, you will need a few items such as markers, dice, paper, and pawns.

Document cameras are a great tool that magnifies any object that you place under it. This will ensure that every student in your classroom can see the specific object or sheet of paper that you are showing. It is a great way to get your students involved by learning math problems. For more information on the document camera, read my other article here.

4 Essential Strategies in Teaching Math

There are several essential strategies in teaching math. However, I will tell you about four that I think are the most valuable. These four have helped me a lot when it comes to teaching a variety of math problems to my students. Therefore, I hope they can help you the same way too.

The following are essential strategies to take into consideration when teaching math:

1. Observe, modify, and reevaluate

Instead of constantly moving on with the curriculum, take a day to reevaluate and work on problems that your students may be experiencing. Even though you must keep up the pace, you also do not want your students to fall behind because they do not understand how to do certain math problems. Observe how everyone is doing and make any modifications if needed.

2. Connect math to other learning areas

If you show your students how math connects to other subjects, they will become more interested. For example, show them books that have math connections, show them art that involves math, and play music that sings about math. This will show them that math is everywhere around us, and it can be more than a textbook, flashcard, or test problem.

Putting our whiteboard table to good use today with lots of math games. Developing our mental math skills and strategies! #iteachmath #PVNCLearns #StFrancis45 pic.twitter.com/m5wuiIrUht

- Sarah Sims (@MrsSarahSims) March 25, 2019

3. Personalize and offer choice

Evaluate each individual's learning progress. You will notice that students have different learning styles. Therefore, you will want to make sure that every student is learning successfully even though they may be an auditory learner or visual learner. Give students the option of doing different activities from time to time, such as completing a worksheet, playing a group game, or listening to a CD that goes over math problems.

4. Choose meaningful tasks

Children get excited and engaged by solving real-life problems. With that being said, try to write out word problems or ask the students aloud different real-life problems that you have come up with that involve math. They will enjoy solving these problems because they will seem real to them.

Math is a subject that some students often need more time on. However, teachers are required to keep moving at a steady pace to teach everything that they are supposed to teach before the semester or year is over. If you have experienced this issue and are looking for a way to alleviate this stress in your classroom, I suggest purchasing a camera for recording lectures. These gadgets will allow your students to go back over lessons that you have taught as many times as they need as long as you recorded them. I have written another article on the document camera which I think you will find beneficial. In this article, you will learn all there is to know about the document camera as well as get an idea of what type you should buy for your classroom.

If you are looking for a writing game to do with your students instead of math, Mike's Home ESL's YouTube video is the perfect choice to watch. He will show you a writing game to do with your students while taking a break from math.

Useful Resources

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you find a few math whiteboard games to use in your classroom. The games mentioned in this article are all fun, entertaining, and help motivate students to enjoy learning. To make these games even more competitive, you could offer prizes to the winners. Good luck and happy teaching!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Math Whiteboard Games that Will Change Your Classroom Experience

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Math is one of the hardest subjects in school, but it is a subject that is required to be taught. Therefore, teachers have no way around it.

# data[].attributes.body
Read Theory is an online resources in which teachers can post a variety of text and review multiple literacy factors such as...
- Listening vs. reading comprehension
- Minutes per page/word
- Most popular book(s) within the class
- Improvement of reading level

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ReadTheory | Reading Comprehension Exercises

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reading comprehension exercises — online, free, & adaptive. Fits K-12, ESL and adult students. Easily track progress for the entire class.

# data[].attributes.body
Provided in this document are 12 easy and effective formative assessment activities that teachers can use within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fun formative assessment: 12 easy, no-tech ideas you can use tomorrow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Formative assessment means providing students with opportunities to show you what they are learning while you are teaching it. These assessments inform

# data[].attributes.body
The website provided offers new ways to view formative assessment within ELA classes for all grade levels.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Draw, choose, write or say: Fantastic formative assessments

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Formative assessment can be fantastic! Here are options for letting students draw, choose, write and say as a formative assessment tool. Formative

# data[].attributes.body
The blog written by Lifetime Learner provides 9 effective review games that can be adapted for all grade levels and subjects.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Keeping things fun and engaging on a daily basis in the classroom can be a challenge sometimes. I find that implementing new and fresh ideas on a normal basis keeps my kids on the edge of their seats and more willing to interact with the skill we are learning. This is a list of some of my favorite classroom review games that I rotate in and out throughout the year to keep things exciting for elementary students. Anytime I am going to be teaching something that may not be the "most" interesting subject, or I feel we need a change in routine, these are my go-to games. These 9 classroom review games could work for any skill and any subject!

(This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through this link, we get a small commission-at no additional cost to you. Rest assured - we only share links to products that we use and love!)

Spin the Wheel

This is a great "game" that can be done for review or while you're introducing new content. Each time a student answers a question, they get to come up to the board and spin the wheel. This is the website I use for virtually spinning the wheel: https://wheeldecide.com/

For example, we may be going over a reading passage together as a whole class under the document camera. If someone raises their hand to tell me what the answer is, what background knowledge they used, what paragraph the proof is, what they're inferring right now, etc.-they get to spin the wheel! It's a great way to encourage every student to want to answer so you don't see the same five hands going up over and over again.

This website allows you to add anything you want to the wheel selections. You can add in choices like "No Homework Pass", "New Pencil", "New Eraser", "Sticker", "Dojo Point", or anything else you'd like. Sometimes, I put points on the wheel and whichever student or team has the most points at the end of the class period wins.

The possibilities with this website are endless for playing classroom review games. You can have them spin for points, spin to choose who goes next, spin for prizes, etc.

There's another variation you can use this game for as well...partner work! When students are working in partners, if they finish their work together well, or score a certain percentage correct when I check it, I'll let both partners go spin the wheel as a reward for their hard work. This can be a great motivator for students who may be a little shy working together. When they know there is a potential "prize" at the end, it helps them overcome that hesitancy and work together to reach a common goal. You might also like this REAL wheel. I bought one a few years ago and love to pull it out to surprise the kids with every once in a while.

@thelifetimelearner
A game you can play anytime! The virtual wheel I use is https://wheeldecide.com/ ##teacher ##teachers ##teachersoftiktok2021 ##teachersoftiktok ##teachertiktoker ##teachertiktok

♬ Little Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris

Wheel of Names

This is a great website as well: https://wheelofnames.com/

I use this "game" for names getting picked. I may let that person choose their practice partner first. That person may get to answer a question. That person may get to choose someone else who is going to answer the question. It's just a fun way to keep things interesting on a daily basis.

@thelifetimelearnerEasy way to randomly choose students! ##teacher ##teachers ##teachersoftiktok2021 ##teachersoftiktok ##teachertiktoker ##teachertiktok♬ Jeopardy - The TV Theme Players

Connect 4

I draw a big connect 4 board on the whiteboard that is very big. The grid is usually a 10×10 board of squares. Then I tell the kids that each row in my classroom is a different colored team (red, blue, green, yellow) and give the first person in that row a whiteboard marker in that color. If someone on the red team answers a question, they get to go put a red circle anywhere on the board they want. If someone else on the red team answers a question correctly, they get to put a second red circle anywhere they want (and then they have 2 in a row).

Then, if the green team answers a question, they'll get to go up and put a green circle on the board. They might block the red team from getting 3 in a row. The first team to get 4 in a row wins. I've done this as a classroom review game for practicing content and have even used it as an indoor recess game because students love it.

@thelifetimelearnerUse connect 4 to review skills! ##teacher ##teachers ##teachersoftiktok2021 ##teachersoftiktok ##teachertiktoker ##teachertiktok♬ 80's Game Show Girl - Hollywood Film Music Orchestra

Basket-Ball

All you need for this game is a basket (or trash can) and a piece of paper for each student. I happen to have these little baskets that look like basketball nets and they work perfectly too. Anytime a student answers a question correctly, they get to try and shoot the ball in the basketball can. I've seen this game referred to as 'trashketball' before as well.

This particular classroom review game really pulls in my classroom athletes. Sometimes we do this whole group and sometimes I let each set of partners take a basket to shoot points after each question they answer together.

Dice Roll

This classroom review game is super simple. First, write everyone's name on the board. Whoever answers a question correctly about literally anything gets to roll a dice. I use large ones that the whole class can view when they're rolled across the floor. You could also roll virtual dice online. It's easy to google "virtual dice" and then roll them whenever a student answers a question. Whatever points the student rolls, you add next to their name. I normally let the student actually add their own points to their name so they get a chance to move around a bit. The kids compete to see who can get the most points by the end of the class period. When we play this, I let the winner of the game be line leader for the day and they love it.

I've also done a variation of this game with "Class vs. Teacher". Someone answers a question correctly and they get to roll the dice. I add the points to the class team. Then I roll and add my points. They see if they can beat my score. I get to roll every round and someone who answers a question gets to roll every round. If they beat my score, I give them that many minutes of extra recess at the end of the day.

Hot Seat

Students only need a whiteboard and a marker for this classroom review game. Split the class in half and put half of the students on each team. Call up a student from each team and they bring their whiteboard/dry erase marker. I ask a question about the passage and they write the answer on their whiteboard (it might be as simple as writing ABCD or it might be "Guess what this word means?" or "What keywords should we underline?"). Whichever student gets it right wins a point for their team. If they both get it right, they both get a point.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

A lot of students enjoy classroom review games that are found on TV. That's where Who Wants to be a Millionaire comes in! Split the class in half so there are two teams. But instead of calling up one person from each team, call up one person only from only one team. I rotate back and forth between the teams for each question. Each team's points are kept track of on the board. But instead of just writing their points on the board, I also write three phrases: "Ask the Audience", "Phone a Friend", and "Cut It In Half".

I explain that these are lifelines that can help students when they get stuck.

Here's what the lifelines mean:
-Cut it in half means I take away two answer choice possibilities.
-Phone a friend means they can choose anyone on their team to go out in the hallway with. They get to talk to the friend in private about what they think the answer is and why and then they both come back in (30 second time limit).
-Ask the Audience means everyone on that team gets to vote for what the answer is. Then, the person gets to side with whoever they want (30 second time limit).

Each team only can use those lifelines once. So, if Johnny uses the "ask the audience" lifeline while he's up for his team, no one else on his team can use it. I explain that he should only use it if he really is unsure.

My class has become good at assessing who really needs those lifelines versus who doesn't and they'll call out "Save it, you can do this. You got this!" Or, if it's someone they know may need a little extra help, they'll call out "Use a lifeline, we got you!"

Hangman

Play Hangman (I actually like to use "Build A" games instead of Hangman but it's played the same way. We may be building a flower or building a snowman instead of a person like in Hangman). First, you put all the letter choices on the board. Call on a student to answer a reading question. If they get it right, THEN they get to guess a letter on the Hangman (or "Build A...") game. Each time a student gets called on, they can either A-guess a letter or B-try to solve the entire puzzle. They cannot do both. If they call out, they know they will not get called on to solve the puzzle. That helps a lot with students guessing when it's not their turn. The student who solves the classroom review games puzzle gets a small prize from me like a pencil or eraser.

Deal or No Deal

On television, there are plenty of classroom review games. Another one is Deal or No Deal! Deal or No Deal is a game that does require a little bit of prep. However, it's a classroom favorite and students' eyes always light up when they see this on the board when they come in the room. I use dojo points as a reward but you could utilize any reward system with this classroom review game.

Here's how to play:
Put 20 index cards on the board with tape. On the back, write a number of dojo points that it's worth. You put a number from 1-20 on the front of each card. So, when kids are looking at the board, they should see 20 index cards numbered from 1-20 (they can be in numerical order, don't need to be mixed up), BUT they don't know what's on the back of each one.

I explain to my class that a reward is on the back of each card. Some cards have 1 point written on them and the amounts go all the way up to 100. Whichever card they end up with at the end, they get to add those points to their Class Dojo account. Tell each kid to write their name on a sticky note and put it on the corner of their desk.

When a student answers a question correctly, they get to choose which number they want to stick their name on. Let's pretend Johnny chooses Card #7 so he sticks his sticky note with his name on it on Card #7. Then, Molly answers a question correctly and chooses Card #5. All students do not get to see what's on the back of the card till the very end of the game. They're taking a risk.

Here's where the twist comes in. Bobby may get an answer right and wants Card #7. He has two choices. He can choose a different card that hasn't been claimed yet OR he can move the other person to another card number and take #7 for himself. To help with time constraints, I have a simple rule. If they move the other person's name, they have to move the person's name to the closest number nearby. That way, students aren't standing there wondering which of 20 numbers they should bump the person to.

At the end of the game, I let all kids flip their cards over to see how many points they received. Everyone ends up with an amount no matter what.

Sometimes, we'll play this individually as well. When they finish a worksheet or skill-based task, they'll bring me their paper to grade. If I can tell they put forth their best effort, they get to go take any card off the board they want and see how many dojo points they just earned.

If they scored poorly on their assignment or did not try their best, they do not get to choose a card. However, they still have a chance to earn a card. Students can choose a partner that DID pass to help them go over their wrong answers. Then if they come back with the partner and can explain to me what they did wrong in detail, that student gets a turn to pull down a card on the board, AND the partner that helped them gets to choose an additional card. This method keeps everyone engaged and working so no one is bored.

Hopefully, these ideas help or spark an idea of how you can implement them in your own classroom!

You may also like to read about Hide and Seek Games. These are classroom review games that are pre-made for you. They can be used for any subject, any grade level, and with any content. They're a great way to review before an assessment with any content or can be used to practice math facts any day of the week.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Classroom Review Games For Any Subject - The Lifetime Learner

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Keeping things fun and engaging on a daily basis in the classroom can be a challenge sometimes. I find that implementing new and fresh ideas on a normal basis keeps my kids on the edge of their seats and more willing to interact with the skill we are learning.

# data[].attributes.body
The document provided is an 11 page reading summarizing the importance of backwards design and how to effectively use it within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
This document is a summary of Dylan William's collaborative formative assessment strategies within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dylan Wiliam - Formative Assessment list.docx

# data[].attributes.body
The Alberta Assessment Consortium has provided a 'rubric sampler' document. This can be used as a reference point or exemplar when building effective rubrics.

# data[].attributes.body
The blog page by Thomas R. Guskey and Associates explore the controversial idea of what 'exceeding' looks like within our EMAB scale of assessment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why the Label 'Exceeds Standard' Doesn't Work

Today's guest post is written by Thomas Guskey, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky.

Educators implementing standards-based approaches to grading and reporting often struggle with how to label different levels of students' performance. Four levels of performance is the most common number identified. Most educators in the U.S. and Canada consider three levels to be insufficient in discriminating important differences in students' performance. When the number of levels climbs to five or six, however, the consistency of teachers' rating diminishes rapidly.

In choosing labels for these levels, many begin by describing level 3 as "Proficient." This level of performance means the student has achieved the learning target and mastered the standard. Level 2 is typically considered "Progressing" or "Approaching" mastery of the standard, and level 1 is deemed "Struggling" or "Needs Improvement." The challenge comes in labeling the highest, level 4. 2

Some educators believe that level 4 should designate a truly exceptional level of achievement - the student whose performance "knocks your socks off." They use this level to recognize students who do something special related to the standard or demonstrate genuinely outstanding performance regarding the standard.

Others believe level 4 should describe performance at a more complex or more advanced level with regard to the standard. They use the label "Exceeds Standard" to indicate the student has gone beyond or above what was expected. In other words, these students have achieved at a higher and more sophisticated level. But while seeming reasonable, serious communication problems often arise when educators try to clarify the meaning of "Exceeds Standard" to students, parents, and fellow educators.

Evidence gathered from parents and families shows that many find the label "Exceeds Standard" to be vague and difficult to interpret. The message it implies to them from educators is: "More than we expect, but we cannot tell you precisely what that is until we see it!" Such imprecision troubles parents, especially those who encourage their child to strive for the highest grade possible in every subject.

From a practical perspective, "Exceeds Standard" presents additional difficulties. In most standards-based environments, mastering a standard means hitting the target. It signifies achieving the goal and learning what was expected. Olympic archers who place their arrows in the center of the bulls-eye from a distance of 70 meters, for example, have "hit the target." They have achieved the goal and accomplished precisely what was expected.

How then could an Olympic archer ever "exceed" the standard? How would the archer achieve at a more advanced or higher level? Maybe we could make the bulls-eye smaller or move the target further away from the archer, making it more difficult to hit the bulls-eye.

The problem with that, however, is it changes the standard. As soon as you make the task more difficult or move the learning expectation to a higher and more advanced level, you have changed the standard and altered the goal. Students who achieve at that level have not really "exceeded the standard." More accurately, they have mastered a different standard. If you want archers to hit smaller bulls-eyes from a greater distance, then that becomes the new standard for archers.

Some argue that "Proficient" can imply placing arrows near the bulls-eye while "Exceeds Standard" means actually hitting the bulls-eye directly. But does "Proficient" then mean "almost" hitting the target? Is "getting close" sufficient? And if it is, then how close is good enough? Who makes that decision?

This interpretation problem also affects educators' who want to equate these distinctions to percent correct on assessments. On an assessment designed to measure students' ability to solve single-digit addition problems, for example, they might designate students who get 80% correct to be "Proficient," while those students who answer correctly 90% or more are rated, "Exceeds Standard." But have students who get 90% correct truly "exceeded" the standard? 3

Others counter that the assessment for this standard should include double-digit addition problems as well. Students who answer the double-digit problems correctly can then accurately be rated as "Exceeds Standard." But again, this miscommunicates what is measured. With the inclusion of double-digit addition problems, the assessment clearly measures a different standard. The same holds true if "Proficient" requires students to "apply" what they have learned, while "Exceeds Standard" involves the higher level skills of "analyzing" or "synthesizing." The point is that you are now measuring a different standard.

The nature of specific standards makes things even more complicated. If the standard relates to students' ability to safely cross a busy street, for example, would anyone consider 80% to be "Proficient"? Or even 90%? What about being honest or telling the truth? And in these examples, how could students ever reach "Exceeds Standard"?

This does not imply that exceptional performance should go unrecognized. Not at all. A grade that denotes truly distinguished performance can be useful in many instances. But if such a grade is included in the grading system, then it must be associated with clear criteria that identify precisely how such a grade can be attained. Those criteria must be clearly communicated to students and parents alike, accompanied by illustrative examples of students' performance or samples of students' work, and agreed upon by fellow teachers.

With these criteria articulated and openly communicated to all stakeholders, labels such as "Distinguished," "Exceptional," or "Exemplary" generally serve intended communication purposes far better than "Exceeds Standard."

Connect with Tom Guskey on Twitter at @tguskey.

Check it out here:

Why the Label 'Exceeds Standard' Doesn't Work | Education Week

PostedOctober 17, 2014 7:30 A M by Peter DeWitt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why the label "Exceeds Standard" doesn't work | Thomas R. Guskey & Associates

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educators implementing standards-based approaches to grading and reporting often struggle with how to label different levels of students' performance. Four levels of performance is the most common number identified. Most educators in the U.S. and Canada consider three levels to be insufficient in discriminating important differences in students' performance.

# data[].attributes.body
Performance tasks are a great way to reach higher level Bloom's when assessing students understanding of a concept(s).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Performance Assessments - Alberta Assessment Consortium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
AAC Performance Assessments: Engage students in their learning Develop critical thinking skills Encourage innovation and problem solving Provide quality assessment evidence Are based on Alberta curriculum Some Performance Assessments are for Members Only, while others are open to everyone. Create Your Own Performance Tasks Check out "Developing a Performance Assessment Task" to guide you through ...

# data[].attributes.body
Teaching students HOW to take tests help to create for valid assessments for the outcomes we are looking to achieve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here are three basic test-taking strategies that elementary students should review prior to testing. Plus, download 10 free printable test-taking strategies resources that can be shared with students or hung in the elementary classroom.

Strategy 1: Review the Different Question Formats

To be successful on exams students must be familiar with the different question formats and feel comfortable moving between a scantron and their test packet.

A week or so before a high-stakes test, use specific test preparation strategies and handouts to review the different questions students will see on the exam.

It's always a good idea to review and practice multiple-choice (selected-response) strategies before an assessment. On multiple-choice tests, the vocabulary and layout of the answers can confuse students.

These are my six tips to help students feel like they Multiple-Choice Champions before a big test:

1. Reread the question. Make sure you understand what is being asked.

2. Come up with an answer to the question before looking at the list of choices.

3. Read ALL of the answers and cross out the choices that don't make sense.

4. Underline the section in the text or question that supports your reasoning.

5. Look carefully at similar-sounding answers. Find the more precise answer.

6. Select "All of the above" if two or three answers seem correct.

Download the Be A Multiple-Choice Champion Tip Sheet and hang it up in your classroom on the day of an exam. I guarantee your students will look at the poster sometime during the testing period to boost their confidence and recall strategies for answering multiple-choice questions.

Most schools have an acronym they use school-wide to help their students with open-ended responses. If your school has not adopted an acronym that is used throughout the school, I highly recommend you do. It promotes consistency as the students move from grade level to grade level. The acronym we use at my school is ACE:

Answer the question:

Turn the question into your answer and answer it

Cite an example:

Give a specific example from the text to support your answer

Extend your thinking

Give another example OR state another thought about the text that supports your answer

Help students remember how to answer open-ended responses with the ACE Open-Ended Responses Tip Sheet.

Finally, I review simple strategies that students can use to attack any question.

For older students, I have a list of suggestions for answering the various types of questions from multiple-choice to essay prompts.

For younger grades, I use a fabulous handout that delves into some of the strategies I discuss when reviewing multiple-choice questions and gives students concrete examples to look over.

This resource will show students the following strategies to puzzle out questions they may find confusing. It highlights the following strategies:

1. Substitute each answer in the blank

2. Justify answers my underlining information from the passage

3. Cross out answers that don't make sense

Strategy 2: Strengthen Student Vocabulary

Unfamiliar vocabulary in a literary text or a standardized test can confuse and/or discourage students.

Make sure your students are armed with the vocabulary strategies they need to come out victorious rather than feeling defeated after taking a test. Below are word strategy resources to ensure students come out on top!

Here are 10 terms students should know heading into a standardized test (words may vary depending on your state test). Download the 10 ELA Test Terms To Know Reference Sheet and review the words with students until you're confident they understand their meaning.

A similar download you may find useful is the 10 High-Stakes Test Terms to Know Poster. Teachers should incorporate these terms into classroom activities and should clarify how best to answer each question stem while the stakes are low.

For example, a teacher could ask an introductory question such as

"Infer from the reading on page 3 how Jimmy felt about his friends."

"Compare the reading we did for homework with the passage on the board."

"Analyze how Martha came to make the decision she did."

The last strategy/handout teaches students how to break down individual words and puzzle out their meanings. Here's an example using the word submersible:

STEP 1: BREAK THE WORD INTO SMALLER PARTS. LOOK FOR THE PARTS OF THE WORD YOU KNOW.

Submersible → sub mersible

What does the word sub make you think of?

You can investigate even further by asking, "Do subways and submarines have anything in common?"

Both are used for transportation and traveling from one point to another

Both are underground

STEP 2: LOOK FOR THE CONTEXT CLUES. WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU?

" Explorer, the submersible watercraft, sank deeper into the ocean."

From the passage clues, we know that:

Submersible is describing a feature of the watercraft.

The watercraft can travel deep into the ocean.

STEP 3: USE YOUR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE.

I know a sub or submarine travels underwater.

The passage says, "...sank deeper into the ocean."
You can conclude that submersible means a vessel or vehicle that is capable of traveling and operating underwater.
This example is a great resource to share with students as a handout or you can hang up the poster on the classroom wall. Once students have reviewed this strategy, assign them words to break down using these three steps.

Strategy 3: Use Practice Prompts

As a literacy specialist, there are a few "key literary elements" that I make sure to emphasize in my teaching because I know they will help my students perform well.

Fortunately, these "key literary elements" support strong reading comprehension and should be focused on even if there were no standardized tests to be taken.

Available for download are reading practice prompts for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry texts. Download Sample Reading Prompts for Standardized Test Preparation for grades 3-5 now.

In Conclusion

Standardized tests can be stressful for students and teachers. Hopefully, these test-taking strategies for elementary students and accompanying resources will relieve some of the anxiety.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Vocab Gal's Favorite
Test Prep Resources

Strategies for Answering
Math Questions

Test-Taking Strategies Poster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Test-Taking Strategies for Elementary Students (Includes 10+ Printables)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here are three basic test-taking strategies that elementary students should review prior to testing. Plus, download 10 free printable test-taking strategies resources that can be shared with students or hung in the elementary classroom. To be successful on exams students must be familiar with the different question formats and feel comfortable moving between a scantron and their test packet.

# data[].attributes.body
Standardized testing has, and most likely always will be, a controversial topic of discussion. Thomas Armstrong explores 15 arguments against standardized testing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
15 Reasons Why Standardized Tests are Problematic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It’s wonderful to see all the protests around the country against standardized testing. At Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, teachers are refusing to administer the Measures of Academic Pro

# data[].attributes.body
Differentiation is one of the most important but also challenging factor to navigate within the classroom. This document provides 11 different ideas for differentiated assessments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A test is one of the most classic ways to evaluate a student. And even with this traditional method, you can do varied evaluations.

For this blog post, Saskia Vandeputte from " Schoolmakers " gave me some great tips. She's a specialist when it comes to differentiated learning.

Differentiated evaluation means that you perform a student-oriented evaluation on those aspects that are relevant. There are many differentiated testing variations.

But before we jump into this, there are a few important things Saskia would want you to know.

5 must-knows about differentiating

1. What is "evaluation"?

Evaluating isn't the same as giving grades. It's more than just assessing: evaluation can also be used to guide a student on the right path. A good evaluation practice makes students learn and decide on their performance in relation to certain goals, so they make better and more informed choices.

There are two types of evaluations. Formative evaluations and summative evaluations. Find out the difference between both evaluation methods here. The significance of formative assessment is increasing within classrooms. Check out this blog post to learn more about formative assessment.

2. What does "differentiation" mean?

In this case, differentiated teaching is responding to the diversity among students. Diversity is very broad: it concerns all those differences and similarities between students that influence learning and teaching. Those who differentiate, accept diversity among pupils as a starting point.

3. Don't pamper

Teachers want their students to have high dedication, perform at their best, and be challenged. At the same time, teachers argue for support to meet the standard, for variation in evaluation methods, and for comparing performances with previous performances. It's very hard to meet all the expectations. Teachers aim to put 'the bar high' in, combination with fair opportunities to show what students can do. This means that differentiated learning doesn't mean you have to pamper students.

4. Goals, goals, goals

The internet is full of beautiful evaluation forms. But without targeting your evaluation, these are empty boxes. What exactly is it that your students have to (want to) achieve? First, set a goal. Then, choose an evaluation technique targeting that goal.

5. Feedback, feedback, feedback

In the examples below, you usually have to read between the lines: people only come to learning thanks to specific information about their own learning process. Meanwhile, books have been written about the power of feedback.

Keep these 5 tips in the back of your head when you want to differentiate your evaluations. Then, I can show you 11 examples of differentiated evaluations, according to Saskia.

11 examples of differentiated evaluation

1. Outdoor examinations

Give students the possibility to take the exam outside. Maybe the green environment gives students some inspiration. One thing is sure: the oxygen level outside is much higher than inside a dusty classroom.

2. Cheat sheet

A cheat sheet teaches students to learn in a certain way as well. When students aren't motivated to learn, a cheat sheet can help. When students are making a sheet cheat, they are actually engaging with the content. This way, studets will remember much better (and don't even need a cheat sheet).

3. 5-minute talk

In this tip, students get the chance to talk with each other for 5 minutes about the test they just got. That way, students are developing strategies to order the knowledge that was evoked by this brief conversation. Students learn to handle knowledge in a more functional way. Make sure to not just ask reproductive questions, because these make evaluations less effective.

4. Various choice options

Create a test with a common part and an optional part A or part B. Use bonus questions or two different choice questions that test the same learning objective. These are both ways to give students a "choice".

5. Not for everyone

Not every pupil must take the test. You're probably wondering how that would work? The concept is simple: students look at each other's test and provide feedback. It all starts when students come to the classroom for a test they've all learned for. At that moment, you choose about five or six students who do not have to make the test, but form the assessment committee. While the others go to work, the commission makes a check model. In other words: they have to come to an agreement with each other about the right answers, decide whether or not to count something good, and whether alternative answers are possible. In this way they prepare for the real check-up and at meta-level they think about the lesson material.

With every incorrect answer there is an explanation of the committee, and the students get the chance to check with the book if they agree with the judgement. Subsequently, they can discuss matters with the assessment committee in a classical manner, in which the teacher, as moderator, keeps as much as possible in the background. During the year, everyone eventually takes part in the assessment committee.

6. Collaboration on tests

A test that encourages collaboration? It's possible! The two-stage test is an easy way to integrate collaborative learning into an individual written test. In a two-stage test, the student first makes the test individually (part 1), and then makes the test in small groups of four students (part 2). During part 2, the classroom is filled with inspiring and effective discussions in which students actively participate. Through the involvement of students during the exam, the discussions ensure that students learn a lot from each other. Moreover, two-stage testing appears to have a positive effect on learning before, during and after the test.

7. Language support

Roughly you can say that a small minority of learning objectives really requires students to write. Within language courses, learning objectives of writing skills are included. Besides that, the importance of written evaluation is kind of relative. Measuring writing skills also quickly interferes with the measurement of students' actual learning objectives. Especially for multilingual students. So, make sure to provide language support (a bilingual dictionary, a glossary, a pre-structured answer). To keep an eye on the actual learning objective, you could also replace the written exam with an oral test.

8. Choose a test that counts

Lots of students get a large number of small test. Recognizable? Why not let them choose which 'small evaluations' count or not? Each student makes the test. But it's up to the students to choose when their test actually counts as a mark. Freedom of choice is motivating. Want to do this without your school becoming a pony camp? Make sure to set some ground rules and give your students guidelines that gives them certain criteria. They'll have to discuss, considering every criteria, which test count and which doesn't.

9. Students choose test questions

This one in probably more common than the rest of the examples. Ask students to think up test questions themselves. It is one of the ways in which bright pupils do not simply have to do 'more of the same'. It also keeps students busy with the learning material.

10. Take-home exam

Want to give students the time to find solutions (together) for a (very) difficult problem? With a take home exam, you stimulate students to integrate different subject matter components and process them in a demand-oriented way into a coherent whole.

In order to bring a take-home exam to a successful conclusion, a student must be able to do more than merely reproduce the information. The complexity of the assignment and the expected answer is relatively high in a take-home exam. The student almost always has to look for additional information at home. In any case, he must appeal to his insight into the course, his critical attitude, his ability to analyze and synthesise to solve the assignment.

11. A flexible testing policy

Here, students will be responsible for organizing their tasks during the semester. In this testing policy, students must become competent and self-reliant.

Students have:

to be able to direct studies: make a study choice.

to be able to organize studies themselves: to develop plans and independent study activities.

study skills: to reproduce, to acquire, to control, to relate, to repeat, ...

test skills.

to be aware of their own learning style with the strong and weak aspects.

So that's it for this post. I hope you can use some of these differentiated evaluation formats in your own classes!

P.S. Want to read this article in Dutch? Saskia wrote about it right here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creative testing - 11 examples of differentiated assessment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A test is one of the most classic ways to evaluate a student. And even with this traditional method, you can do varied evaluations. For this blog post, Saskia Vandeputte from " Schoolmakers " gave me some great tips. She's a specialist when it comes to differentiated learning.

# data[].attributes.body
Attached above is a blog post containing 7 effective formative assessment and review games to implement within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Classroom Review Games that Won't Waste Time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These review game ideas make reviewing more fun while still keeping the focus where it should be - on the actual review.

# data[].attributes.body
Formative assessment is essential in math. Attached above provides a handful of formative assessment methods to use during lessons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Download Math Exit Ticket (Grades 1-2, addition)

Download Math Exit Ticket (Grades 3-4, finding quotients)

Download Math Exit Ticket (Grades 3-4, distributive property)

Download Math Exit Ticket (Grades 5-6, evaluate an expression)

Download Math Exit Ticket (Algebra 1)

Thumbs Up/Down

Ideally, formative assessment checks in on student progress quickly and adaptively. One technique to try is to have students use a thumbs-up/down technique. It commonly looks like this. The teacher presents a problem or makes a statement, and then students react using their thumbs. Thumbs up means "I've got this." Thumbs down means "I'm confused." This can be a fast method to divide students into groups or to determine whether you are free to continue with the lesson or need to stop and slow down. It is also a way to add physical movement to the classroom, a potential aid to learning. In Judy Willis' 2007 book Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion Classroom, she clarifies that the simple act of having students physically gesture with their hands "has the added benefit of linking the material to be learned with sensory input, thereby increasing access to the brain's memory banks."

There are many ways to extend this idea. The thumbs expressions can have different meanings, for example one problem's thumbs-down reaction could mean "the solution is incorrect." Many teachers include a thumb to the middle (that is, pointing to the side) for students who feel between thumbs-up and thumbs-down. Students could also use other hand gestures, for example holding up three fingers to mean, "I have something to say." Ultimately you get to decide what the hand gestures mean and when you want to use them.

In-Class Discussions

Discussions in and of themselves are not necessarily assessments. But they can be! Discussions can reveal misconceptions and help guide teachers in what to teach next. Facilitating classroom discourse with and among students can be a form of formative assessment. Teachers must constantly make moment-by-moment classroom decisions like "should I ask a follow-up question?" or "what's another way of showing this concept?" In-class discussions are a way for teachers to come up with quick answers, check in on student knowledge, and figure out how to proceed.

Just because in-class discussions aren't formal, that doesn't mean they can't be prepared for. Teachers can build formative assessment opportunities into classroom conversations by being strategic about what questions to use. Being cognizant of your students' most common errors and referencing program teacher guides can be invaluable.

Homework

The structure and frequency of homework will no doubt vary depending on the student, teacher, and school. However, when a class environment permits it, homework does not need to be graded for performance and can instead be leveraged as a tool for students to think through problems on their own pace and for you to check in on their strengths and challenges. Homework becomes in effect a guide for your teaching. Education professor Cathy Vatterott offers her perspective in Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs: "The current consensus is that homework should be formative assessment that helps prepare students for summative assessment. Therefore, in a truly standards-based system, homework is not graded [but] is reviewed and feedback is given."

In this vein, homework is not usually rote practice of what was learned that class. Instead it becomes a way for students to independently explore new ideas. In fact, homework doesn't always need to be directly related to the skill or concept being taught! Homework can be an opportunity for students to learn deeply about topics they're already interested in that already have rich mathematical connections, for example sports, homebuilding, fashion design, or entrepreneurship.

Polls

Trying to figure out what your students should do next? Ask them! Polls can be administered during or after any classroom activity. They also work well whether the teaching is in person or online. They can range from a variation of an exit ticket ("What do you think the solution is?") to metacognitive reflections ("How do you feel about this math topic?").

Polls are an especially flexible tool. Teachers can exploit polls to cater to many specific instructional purposes in mind. As examples, polls can do the following:

Give the teacher a status check by polling student confidence

Stimulate discussion with questions having multiple reasonable answers

Quickly assess prior knowledge

Elicit a misconception

These are powerful tools that grab students' attention and, depending on how the polls are used, can foster the activation of other formative assessment strategies.

KWL Chart

A KWL chart is a tool that students can use to organize their knowledge. It can broadly be used across any subject, as it helps students to synthesize what they know (K), what they want to know (W), and what they have learned (L) about a topic. In math class, a KWL chart can be a valuable opportunity for students to take a step back and reflect on their learning avoid thinking that mathematics is just a "series of steps" but rather a world of connected ideas.

The KWL chart is useful as formative assessment in the classroom. It allows the teacher to find out students' prior knowledge on a particular topic and then gear upcoming lessons based upon this information. The KWL chart can be completed when starting a new topic and be added to throughout the unit. Further, when planning across a year, the teacher is able to find out what the students have learned by the end of their lessons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This article discusses different math formative assessment examples to inform both your teaching and your students' learning.

# data[].attributes.body
This blog post provides a comprehensive list of summative assessment resources. It was updated in 2022 which ensures that these practically apply to the current classroom setting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Summative assessment is a type of achievmeent assessment that occurs at the end of a unit of work. Its goal is to evaluate what students have learned or the skills they have developed. It is

# data[].attributes.body
Retrieval practice is an important part of creating effective test takers. The document provided includes multiple review games to help prepare students for the test by expanding on course content.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Most students dread tests, but they love review games for tests!

End of the year testing can be stressful for kids (AND ADULTS!).

Review games have a way of easing the stress and anxiety of an upcoming test! They help students feel more prepared and confident.

Whether it's state testing time (yuck) or you're looking for some engaging ways to prepare for a classroom test, you're going to love these five review games!
Here are some of my favorite review games for tests, whether you're getting ready for state testing or an every day classroom test.
1. INSIDE OUTSIDE CIRCLES

Middle school students are naturally social and they love playing the inside outside review game because they get to interact with their friends.

This review game is super easy to and virtually no prep, especially if you have your students make up their own questions or use task cards.

Here's how to play.
Split your students into two groups. The first group should make a large circle facing inward. The remaining students should each find a student in the circle to pair up (facing each other).

I like to give each student a task card or index card with a student generated question and give them 45 seconds to ask each other the question on the card.

I tell students that if their partner is struggling, they can coach the student to reach the correct answer.

When time is up, the outer circle students remain in place and the inner circle students rotate counter clockwise. This continues until they are back to their original partner.

Variation: Instead of positioning students in circles, try two straight lines. Line A stays in place and line B moves The last person in line B then runs to the front of the line to fill the empty space.

What I really love about this game is that each student will REALLY know their individual card since they have asked it several times over!

2. White Board Review Games for Tests

I love using total participation techniques in the classroom! White boards are a super easy way to assess student understanding and provide quick remediation for review as needed.

Covid modifications ideas: disinfect whiteboards and markers after use or use individual sheet protectors with a white paper inside.

This is a twist on the white board review where students work in teams to answer questions and earn points for each answer.

Correct answers are rewarded with point cards, but beware, some of the cards have a twist!

Pull a card that says " Shark Bite" and crazy things start to happen.

I have been playing this game with my students for years. My sixth graders really love it, especially since it's a nice change to all of the online review games we usually play.

4. Task Cards

You can never go wrong with task cards in the classroom! They are such a fun way to review and the options are endless!

Students can review in small groups or individually, plus most cards are self-checking. This leaves you free to work with individual students to provide remediation.

Often I will tape the cards to the lockers in the hallway. This is a great opportunity for movement and social distancing.

You can read more about how you can use task cards in the classroom in this blog post "5 Ways to Use Task Cards in the Classroom.

5. Go Digital

This year digital games have become more popular than ever. There are more options being added every day. Quizizz, Blooket, and Kahoot are a few of the ones we've used this year.

Currently, Quizlet Live is one of my student's absolute favorites. My rule is that a team needs to win twice in a row before they earn a prize (usually a vinyl sticker, Jolly Rancher, or a ticket for our school wide reward system).

Pin for later!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Are You Using These 5 Review Games for Tests? - Beakers and Ink

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Most students dread tests, but they love review games for tests! End of the year testing can be stressful for kids (AND ADULTS!). Review games have a way of easing the stress and anxiety of an upcoming test! They help students feel more prepared and confident.

# data[].attributes.body
The Youtube video provided (19 mins) offer a close look at the implementation of learning centres as a form of differentiated assessment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning Centers can be used for both differentiated instruction and assessment. Centers can be used in a variety of ways to teach specific tasks, allow for the practice of skills, and present various ways for students to demonstrate learning. In this video, the teacher uses student teachers and parent volunteers to help students make the best of their Learning Centers time.