• Ages And Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional.
• Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition Behavioral and Emotional Screening System.
• Brief Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment.
• Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)

• Ages And Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional.
• Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition Behavioral and Emotional Screening System.
• Brief Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment.
• Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)

• Beginning of class open-ended question
• Multiple choice survey
• Physical activity questionnaires
• Exit tickets
• Fitness/Skill Check In

A second example of a formative assessment that I would like to use in my future kindergarten classroom is writing. I can provide students with whiteboards and dry erase markers, students can use the whiteboards to communicate with me their understanding in different ways. One way could be me saying a letter or letter sound aloud and students write what they hear. This concept can also be used to help assess their knowledge/understanding of sight words. Whiteboards can also be used in a similar way as hand signals. I can ask students how they feel their understanding is on a particular lesson, and students can use their whiteboards to write a "check" if they understand and an "O" if they do not (or other predetermined characters).

A third type of formative assessment that I would like to use in my future classroom is conferences and observation with students. It can be difficult for kindergartners to always write a response that accurately shows what they know or understand. Having one on one conversations with them, asking specific questions, is a good way for me to assess their understanding or knowledge in an area. I can use different techniques in the conversation such as show me, pick one, what comes before, what comes after etc. to observe their understanding and abilities. I can also observe them in every day classroom activities.

Examples of Formal Assessments include:

-Quizes

-Tests

-Exit Tickets

-Standardized Tests

-Exams

-Essay Tests

At the time I thought it was just a fun thing to do, but since being in this class I do realize she was assessing us.

I personally believe that this is such a great idea and I want to implement it into my classroom, especially the part where my students would be able to get up place it on the frame of the door and then it can be seen as "competition" to see who could put it highest. I would probably fun facts about my students near the beginning of the semester and as we get deeper into lessons, use those as a way to know where they're at.

I would also want to use a brain dump map at the beginning of each topic to gauge what they might already know about the topic, then collect those and go over what they put.

Formative assessments are important tools that teachers can use to check student understanding. I found this document with 56 different examples of amazing formative assessments. Some of the ones I've used before and that I believe work great are: Posing questions, with anonymous responses recorded on notebook paper and handed in. Another engaging approach is utilizing Venn diagrams for students to compare and contrast topics, fostering analytical thinking. The 3x summarization technique encourages students to express understanding by writing three distinct summaries. "Visualize (Be the Illustrator)" involves reading a story page without showing the illustration, prompting students to create their visualizations. Finally, mini-whiteboards offer an interactive element, allowing each student or groups to participate actively in the learning process. These techniques can be applied to various learning styles, promoting a comprehensive understanding of the material.

Carmen Hartzell

Another formative assessment is exit tickets, brief assessments administered at the end of a lesson or class period to gauge students' understanding of the material. They provide valuable feedback to teachers on what concepts students have mastered and what areas may require further clarification or review. Exit tickets help teachers assess student comprehension in real time, allowing them to adjust instruction as needed. They also prompt students to reflect on their learning, reinforcing key concepts before moving on to the next lesson. 

The final formative assessment I would like to add would be the think-pair-share system, an instructional strategy promoting active engagement, collaboration, and student reflection. It encourages students to think critically about a topic, discuss their thoughts with a partner, and articulate their ideas to the class. Think-pair-share fosters a supportive learning environment where students can exchange ideas, clarify misunderstandings, and learn from one another. It enhances students' communication skills, confidence, and ability to articulate their thoughts effectively.

1. 3 times summary

   1. For this, you have the students write a summary of 75-100 words about the topic. Then, they partner up with someone in the class, and they use both of their summaries and compile them together into 35-50 words. Then, you place them in small groups and they have to get their partner summaries down to 10-15 words. This allows the students to really focus on the most important aspect of the topic as well as talk with their peers to help to possibly understand it more.

2. Traffic Light

   1. While yes, middle school kids will probably not enjoy this as much as elementary school kids, it is still super effective in my opinion. Students will place their names on a traffic light that may be on my desk or on the board to show me where they may stand on the subject. Green means I get it and can move on, yellow is half-way there, and red is absolutely do not understand. This is a good self assessment for the students to do for their own benefit.

3. Two truths and a lie

   1. This assessment would work wonders in my future science classroom to squish common misconceptions that become apparent throughout the lessons. What the students will do is come up with 2 truths from the lesson, and then try to find a misconception that maybe they proved wrong or initially thought to be true. This will be a fun way to see where the students are for you as well as fun for them as they try to trick their classmates.

The Exit ticket, like many other students have explained, are very good at having students answer question(s) from that days lesson in a short brief timed informal format. It allows students to answer when the material is fresh on their mind while also providing a simple activity for students to end the class period with.

My next formative assessment is the student-generated test questions. I discovered this idea on a teaching blog where a teacher had her students each create one test question regarding the unit/lessons taught. Then she put them all together and gave them back to the class. I think this is a great idea as students do a fantastic job of teaching one another.

The last formative assessment I would use is the one-minute paper. Similar to the exit ticket its a question or several questions and students are given a time to answer them. For my I would allow and make the adjustment that its 5 minutes of time and students can use images to convey their answers.

2 Another thing that most of my teachers did that I liked and will use is watching a video to take notes because then the kids know what notes they are supposed to be taking and they are staying engaged in the video. But you cannot do this to much because at some point the kids will get bored of it like I did.

3 Exit tickets I think are a great way to have the students leave the room because it shows you what they have learned from the whole day, and you also can ask them whatever you think was valuable to the class that day.

1) Kahoot, for sure! Kahoot is a fun, interactive way for 3rd-5th grade students to engage with their peers, pseudo anonymously. Students race to answer questions from a formed assessment created by the teacher. I like this because kids get excited when they know the answer, but they do not seem too disappointed when they get something wrong simply because they are having fun. My school district does not allow us to use Kahoot with identifying factors to our students, so the students get even more excited when they make up their own sign-in names. They must be non-identifying and they often are SO silly. They love it though!

2) I do a game called 'Teach the Team.' Each class is the team, but I will talk about a topic like internet safety. Once we have covered the material, I will ask the students if anyone would like to teach their classmates any pertinent information on the subject, maybe explain something a little differently to help their friends understand or give an example. This helps me to know who is retaining the lessons.

3) I read about an assessment that sounds really fun. Four Corners! Identifying each corner in the room to as A, B, C or D with each having a specific answer like strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. Then, the teacher asks a specific question from the material to see how the kids answer by which corners they go to. GREAT IDEA!!!

1) Study Island is a program that the school that I work at uses. This program allows the teacher to put together work for students to do in succession according to what they are learning in their lesson as well as the standards that go with it. If they complete a "level" but did not master it, it will then take them to another "level" that goes more in depth about what they are struggling on. Students must make a certain grade on each level before they can pass it to get to the quiz at the end. This allows the teacher to see where the students understand what they are being taught and what needs to be gone over again. This also helps for setting up small groups so that each group can focus on their struggles. This program also allows the students to play a class game against each other. The faster you answer the more points you get. When I have seen this used the students are very involved and giving it their best to be the one to win. The students even cheer each other on and lift them up when they get one wrong. There is also data on each student at the end to show the teacher what each student needs to work more on and what they have mastered. This program can be used for Math and ELA.

2) Using an exit ticket is another one that I have seen used in several different ways. One is used at the end of an ELA or reading lesson and the class has to give a 4-5 sentence summary of the lesson in their note book before turning it into the teacher and moving on to their next assigned task. I have also seen it used as a spelling bee to help students learn their vocabulary that goes with their lesson. I have seen it used in math where the students have to solve 2 problems on their own and show their work so the teacher can see if they have mastered the concept or not, or what part they mess up on to go back and review before the next days lesson. Also, in math to help students learn their multiplication facts.

3) I am not sure what you would actually call this game, but the first graders that I have played with have thoroughly enjoyed it. The class is divided into two teams, one student from each team comes and stands at either side of a desk with their hands behind their backs. There is a buzzer on the table and the teacher or myself will ask a question, whether it be math or ELA related, and the first to hit the buzzer will answer the question. If they get it right their team wins the point and the next round begins with two new players. If the one that buzzes in first gets the answer wrong it goes to the other player at the buzzer to give them the chance to answer and if they get it right the point goes to their team and if they get it wrong, no one gets a point and the next round begins. This gives the students a way to have fun and the teacher to see what they have mastered or need more review on.

I hope that one of these might give insight to someone and maybe give it a try in their room to see if it works for them.

I think in my classroom, I would modify this activity slightly. I would give shorter, more frequent quizzes as the unit went along, but never refer to them as quizzes, maybe as "learning checks." I would grade the checks to return them to students, but I would assure them that they don't go in the gradebook. But I would still encourage the students to use the checks as signposts in their learning to see what they need to change, or focus on, and also to celebrate what they are doing well. I am big on empowering students, and I feel like this is a good way to include them in the process of formative assessment.

Another one would be color cards. Each child has a red, green and yellow card. Children showing the green card are the ones who've got it and don't need further assistance, the yellow cards are the children who think they got it but might need a little extra clarification and red are for the children who are stuck and need help. This also provides an opportunity for peers to help each other.

Lastly would be a letter to an absent friend. Since kindergarteners are very early on in their writing, having the class sit down together and discuss the learning, while writing down key points for them to share with their friends who missed the learning.

(here are were I found the ideas: https://www.weareteachers.com/kindergarten-assessment/

https://chloecampbelleducation.com/15-formative-assessment-examples-for-elementary-students/ )

Another idea for a formative assessment is creating a web about a topic with your students. This gives students and the teacher a visual aid of what they have learned and what they still want to know.

Ed Puzzle is a free educational resource teachers can use in the classroom. Ed Puzzle allows teachers to turn videos into assessments. This can be used at any grade level and for all subjects. The students watch the videos and answer questions at the end and teachers can use this to assess their students without students thinking they are taking an assessment (test).

Common Lit is a free educational resource that is great for ELA teachers. Common Lit allows teachers to assign an article and the students will answer multiple-choice questions and short answers. ELA teachers from Kindergarten to 12th grade can benefit from using Common Lit as an assessment tool.

The best tools in our hands as teachers are the ones we can get for free and the ones students enjoy doing. If students enjoy the work they will put in the effort to do well.

One formative assessment I enjoy as a student would have to be Quizlet or Kahoot. these games made learning fun for me and everyone else. I still do them in my college classes today. These assessment will show the teachers who know the material and who somewhat know the material.

Although creating a power point may seem like "busy work" as a form of assessment, I believe in some classes it is acceptable. Interior Design is another class taught in Family and Consumer Science. Having students create power points allow them to express how they envision concepts taught. For example, have them create a power point on a kitchen layout they would love to have in their home.

I also think group discussions with graded questions are a great way to provide class participation and assess student learning. During a Mental Health Counseling class I observed at a local high school, the students watched the movie "Remember the Titans." After the movie, students discussed concepts like diversity, leadership, and team work and small groups and answered questions for a grade.

The second assessment that I find to be intriguing is the website "Quizalize." This website allows teachers to make their questions online and assign the quiz to students anytime. This option is great for Online Learning days and in-class use as well. I tested this website with my middle school-aged sister and her friend, both of whom thought it was very fun. There are different quiz options, one of which resembles the popular video game "Minecraft" as well as a basketball game. The program allows the instructor to see in real-time what the students are missing and what they are getting correct. There is also a choice to see the results after the game to see who needs help with the questions.

If I am teaching a kindergarten class, assessments will also look different. I plan on doing weekly assessments on letter recognition, and letter sounds, and can count to 100 and know how to write them correctly. I would practice CVC words and see if they can also write those words. Making sure to have manipulatives when assessing can make it sound more fun, and they are more at ease.

Teaching young students I think it is important to praise them and reward them once they are done with an assessment. Give them a sticker or some M&M's are quick and easy rewards that make students more relaxed and not scared of sitting down with the teacher do to assessments.

Another formative assessment that may come in handy is digital class work that may evaluate what students need help on and indicate that to you, such as Boddle.

Finally, I believe that every day interactions with your students in your class will prove to you what they still need to be working on and what skills they have mastered. Using interactive lessons that engage the whole student will help them to show what they know.

I think also doing check ins during reading altogether as a class. If we are doing major reading have discussion questions daily that they turn in, to make sure they are following along.

Another one would be weekly notebook checks. I saw during my last field observation a teacher do this with science notebooks. This makes sure the students are not just writing down info but also obtaining it.

1. Brain Blurb: telling students to free write everything they know about a certain subject as an exit ticket or warm up in class. Grammar, punctuation, nothing matters as long as I can see what they know through this quick and effective assessment.

2. Polls: Allowing all students to participate in a class poll that includes their getting to anonymously give a rating on how well they understand certain concepts within a unit or standard.

3. A Kahoot: Giving students a Kahoot could help them to think about a concept and make it fun while also allowing the teacher to assess each individual students understanding on a topic.

   All of these assessments allow the teacher to see what their students know and alter their teaching based upon student needs during the teaching of a unit or specific subject.

-3,2,1's or exit tickets: these are an excellent way to gauge student learning from the day and see where their confidence levels are at. This is also a good part of a daily routine that will get students to reflect on their own learning.

-Thumbs-up/thumbs-down/thumbs-sideways: this is a quick and easy way to stop in and check where your students are at in a way that will not disrupt the flow of the classroom. If you are feeling like some students are falling behind or others are moving far ahead this is a good way to check-in and readjust your classroom pacing.

-Pre and Post-assessments: pre-assessments are a good way to introduce students to the content or layout of the course without pressure of grading. They are also an excellent way for students to reflect on their growth when they complete a post assessment (which can more accurately depict their learning) and can look back at how far they've come. 

Exit Tickets - Exit tickets are a quick, written response to a question that is posed at the end of the lesson or class. These are effective since it gives a quick snapshot of my students' understanding. This will allow me to adjust instruction to address confusion, questions and gaps in knowledge. 

Think-Pair-Share - Collaborative activity that allows students to think about a question before being paired up and sharing their ideas with a partner before sharing with the class. TPS allows for active encouragement between students and the class and gives students a chance to gain understanding. 

Mini Whiteboards - Students use whiteboards or paper to write the answer to a question that is posed. This method allows for class discussions to be used in an effective way. This allows a teacher to scan the room and take notice of what students understand the concept or may be struggling.

1) White board check ins -- as a whole class, we can review topics where students share their answers independently while allowing me to gauge where everyone is quickly and at once. It's also just fun for the students and gives them a sense of responsibility having their own white board and marker!

2) 1:1 conference -- whether it's calling students up to my desk or walking around and meeting them where they're at, I love a good 1:1 session because it typically sets the student up to be more comfortable to receive and share feedback without the influence of other peers. Meeting 1:1 also frees up other students to be working on other tasks if what I'm discussing to a few students doesn't apply to them.

3) Book Briefs -- have students write weekly/monthly reviews of the books they are reading in a journal with guided questions to help them get started: What do you think of the main character? Can you relate to them? What is happening in the story right now? Based on that answer, what do you foresee happening next?

By having students answer these questions and reflect, it demonstrates their reading comprehension or lack thereof.

I think that this is also a great way to assess students progress. When students see a journal, it is far less intimidating than a quiz or a test that they have to pass. Even when we explain that it isn't being graded, some students still have anxiety.

The idea of a journal really takes away from that, and creates an open forum for the student to think critically and express what they have learned. When used properly, they can provide instructors with valuable insight into the students learning style, critical thinking of concepts, and where they are at with mastery of a concept.

One type of formative assessment I love is a game like jeopardy. I think that students can find history, especially when were covering civics or other similar topics, tedious and overwhelming so I want to make sure I am attempting to find ways to make review or assessment fun for them. This also allows me to see where the class is at, as games like jeopardy rely on students knowing the answers rather then guessing(which could be a problem with games like kahoot.)

1. Exit Tickets- I think these are useful for both math and science because it is a real quick and low-stakes way to assess where students are with the content. I can also ask them to rate how confident how they feel with their answer so I can see where they feel with material, even if a student has answered the question right they still may feel unconfident with it and I want to be able to make that distinction.

2. Another one that I love is a KWL chart. I think it works really well because you can ask students to reflect on what they want to know and what they don't know, so it works as a pretest as well and then asking them to reflect on their learning afterwords helps me assess what they really grasped/took away from the content are more likely to remember, along with helping them feel a sense of accomplishment in going from what they wanted to know to what they do know.

3. A Gallery Walk where students work in small groups to discuss one topic and write their thoughts/opinions about the topic and then move to another poster. After that, the next group can either add on with their own thoughts and opinions or add reactions to things that already written on the board. I think it helps me as a teacher keep a record of what students are discussing that sometimes are missing when you are only listening to a discussion, it also helps notice where points of common concensus or confusion which can better inform future teaching.

1. What do you think you know about this topic?

2. What puzzles you or what questions do you have about this image?

3. How might you explore your puzzles and questions?

This works when there is an image for the students to analyze.

The purpose of this assignment is that students will complete this activity to interpret in various narratives the impact and the implications from the image.

This typically works for a history/ social studies classroom, as that is what I am going for.

A second example of a formative assessment is by simply observing students as they go through the lesson to make sure students are not only being focused, but gently redirected back to the main topic. This allows for real-time feedback instead of waiting after the lesson. This can include things such as asking students what questions they have, or if there is something that isn’t quite making sense to them. This allows for us as teachers to modify things.

1. Doodle Notes- In this strategy students draw a picture and explain it to demonstrate their understanding of a concept. This could work across subjects and would work well for students who struggle with writing

2. Notes and Observations- I will definitely keep notes and observe my students regularly to track existing goals, this could also be used to demonstrate student understanding and mastery of content. This would be an easy way to track student progress and have a current grasp of student understanding

3. Exit Tickets- This could be done at the end of a lesson before transition and gives students an opportunity to show understanding of anything taught in the lesson or could target a specific skill that was being taught. Exit tickets can be easily implemented after a lesson and give ample opportunity for the students to show mastery of content.

1. Bell ringers at the start of class that can assess the knowledge that students learned the previous day or unit. This idea would work in pretty much any subject as you can adapt these questions to fit your classroom.

2. Participation would be a very important formative assessment for theater because a lot of our work will be about actively participating with the class. I would assessment how willing and flexible they were in class and how how they participated in classroom activities.

3. Exit tickets would allow students to show me how much knowledge of each lesson at the end of the day. I could ask them a question that could see how much they learned about the subject that day that was specific enough so that they couldn't just make up an answer.

1. An exit ticket. Students will write one thing they learned in class, and one question they still have.

2. Recipe Lab Reflections. After cooking labs, students reflect on what went well, what they would change, and how they did as a group.

3. Quick Quizzes. I would have a quiz every week that is very low stakes to check for understanding. The students will know about the quizzes in advance, and they will know what material will be on them.

1. Reflective journals. These journals allow students to document their learning journey, experiences, and challenges throughout the class. This would provide insight into the student’s thought process and understanding, rather than just their knowledge of facts.

2. Short quizzes. These would be used throughout units of study, and would be relevant to the content that is taught. My previous pesticide application instructor would teach a particular topic, have us take a short quiz, then allow us to correct any wrong answers by finding the info in our textbooks. This helped me learn the content better.

3. Oral tests (while on the farm). While a student is working on a particular project - deworming livestock, prepping a greenhouse, etc. - asking them questions about their process will help have a deeper understanding of the content and enhance their ability to explain their concepts.

1. Hands on Tests. Students would complete a task in which we are currently learning about. For example, in a unit based on floral design students would be tasked with creating a bouquet following the rules of filler, tall , and focal flowers. They are able to show me their knowledge, I am able to see what is retained in the lesson and what steps are repetitively missed and need to be retaught. This is also an example of precedural knowledge.

2. Exit surveys. Studemts would complete a small questionare based on the days activity, terminology, and important information. They will then self assess their understanding. They will able to show me their learning skills, along with them letting me know how well the lesson was and how it resonates with them.

3. Journal entries. As a CTE class we will have lots of hands on learning. Students will be tasked with journalling after every lab. They will follow the prompt of: Summary of lab, 3-5 things you learned in the lab, 1-2 things you struggled with, questions that you still have, on a scale of 1-5 assess your understanding of the topic, and any questions or comments you have for me as your teacher. This allows students to inform me of what they learned, what they needed help with, and if this is somethign we should redo. Along with if there is any further learning that needs to be done based on their perfomance in the lab.

Example :

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3-2-1-Ticket-Out-the-Door-1772916

1. Observation-based assessments which include running records which are detailed notes or other types of media (audio, video) of a child’s progress in a certain developmental domain. Observatory assessments can also include anecdotal notes which are shorter notes that highlight a child’s behaviors, social interactions or use of language. 

2. Hand signals. We use hand signals in our class to quickly check for understanding. Keeping it simple-using thumbs up or down- helps the students give simple feedback and the teacher can check to see which students may need some extra help. 

3. Learning through play. So many developmental milestones can be assessed by watching children play with their peers or from playing with them. For example, when playing in the kitchen center a child says, “I need four spoons for everyone in the family” and then bringing four spoons to the table shows number sense. A teacher can also play with the student and ask them questions to both expand their knowledge and gain insight into their thinking process. 

4. There are also developmental checklists that teachers can use to track observed skills over the school year. Other more formal formative assessments tools can be used to track how well students are grasping new concepts. In our classroom we use Teaching Strategies Gold to help make sure we are tracking development and learning through observations and documentation.

ONE MINUTE PAPER - this could be something that you give students at the end of class and have them just right everything down that they learned off the top of there head .his can give the teacher insight on what stuck with students and what certain topics was not wrote about because it did not stick with them.

GOOGLE FORM QUIZ - Have students take a very low stakes 5 question quiz that is multiple choice to highlight the big picture and key points that you tried to make during the lesson. This will show students how well they grasped the content, and show teachers what needs to be worked on or misunderstood that needs to be re explained to the entire class.

1. Bell Ringers- I would have students do a bell ringer before we start class something to get them started, questions would consist of what do you think about the unit were learning about, what are some questions you still have from the last unit, what is something you want to learn in this unit.

2. Journals: journals will be kept up daily and since we will doing lots of hands on learning. They will go over what they did and what's something new they learned that day.

3. Projects/ labs: I plan for students to have a project or lab at least once week. These won't be very stressful project or labs just something easy to help students grasp the concept that they learning that week.

1. Exit Ticket: At the end of class, I would have students write down one thing they learned about a nutrient (like protein, carbs, or fats) and one question they still have. This helps me see what they understand and where they’re confused.

2. Quiz Game / Kahoot: I would create a short, interactive quiz with questions about nutrients, food groups, or dietary guidelines. Students would be able to answer in real-time, and you can quickly see who grasps the material and who might need extra help.

3. Nutrition Journal Check-In: I would have students keep a short daily or weekly food journal and then submit a reflection answering prompts like “What nutrient did you get enough of today?” or “What could you improve in your meals?” This lets me see their understanding of balanced diets and monitoring skills.

1. Concept/Misconceptions Map

   I believe that possible started class with some type of concept map would be very beneficial to students but also the educator. We used concept maps in my GS 3300 course and they were very beneficial for me. They allowed me to see and compare what my initial misconceptions of a concept were compared the material we learned in class. This deepened my understanding for concepts taught within the course in a fun an active way while also allowing my professor to use my concept map as a gauge of what she needed to go over again. Not only that it allowed me to understand and work through Misconceptions I had about concepts for years. Concepts map used as a daily ice breaker would work in a similar fashion.

2. Exit tickets

   I believe that exit tickets would be a great formative assessment to pair with concept maps in a classroom setting. With exit tickets students write down 1 thing they found interesting 1 or 2 things they learned and 1 thing they still are having trouble understanding. This would allow for you to analyze and contrast misconceptions, a few facts that students learned and what students are still having a hard time understanding. This would intern allow you to alter what you were teaching in a way that improves the educational development of your students.

   
   

Ingredient quiz: where my students will match the ingredients to their nutrients or dietary benefits.

Recipe walkthroughs: Students explain steps of a recipe verbally to each other.

Knife observation: Informal check as my students practice cutting techniques.

Nutrition label analysis: where my students interpret food labels.

Meal planning activity: where my students design a balanced meal and explain their choices.

1. Modified Exit Tickets: Students will be able to answer a question at the end of a lesson, they can answer by writing a sentence, word, or drawing a picture.

2. Fingers Up: Students will hold a certain amount of fingers up to represent their level of understanding 1 being not understanding 5 being the highest level of understanding.

3. Checklists: If needed can be used as a method to track students behaviors in the classroom.

Another great way to assess students is through projects. CTE classes are usually the classes that students get to pick and are (hopefully) excited to learn about, so from my experience, getting students engaged in projects isn't as difficult.

And probably the easiest way to assess your students is to just rapid-fire question during or after your lesson to keep them engaged on the spot, and it's a quick and easy way to see if they are picking up what you're putting down.

1. My favorite kind of formative assessment is exit tickets. These help students to recall the information they have learned in that class period. In addition to helping retain the information, it also provides the teacher with feedback on what to review or reteach over the next few days. 

2. Another type of formative assessment is thing-pair-share drills. Allowing students to work together to think of something to share with the calss not only encourages collaboration, but also sparks critical thinking and communication. 

3. Lastly, I like the idea of quick quizzes, such as a google form with a few questions. These don’t have to be graded heavily, but will give me a better idea of what the students were able to grasp and what they didn’t fully understand.

1. Discussion Boards. The nice thing about the discussion board is it allows the students to come together as a collective unit, placing their ideas in a centralized location, and effectively "showing what they know". This can be prompted by questions such as "What did you learn about...." or "how would you feel differently if this was..."

2.Exit Tickets. This is a crucial component to know if your instruction has been effective for the class or an individual, and if you need to do a deep dive review to ensure when you reach a summative assessment, the class will be prepared.

3. Interactive Platforms. Kahoot, icivics, gimkit, Nearpod, all of these can be used to test the knowledge of your students in a fun way that can keep their engagement levels high with helping galvanize their understanding of the subject matter.

1. Think-pair-share: Think-pair-share is a good formative assessment because they ask students to write down their answers and when they’re done, they break off into pairs and share their answers and discuss. You can then move around the room, dropping in on discussions and getting an idea of how well students are understanding.

2. Exit Tickets: Exit tickets are very quick writing exercises that assess a student’s comprehension of a single day’s lesson. Short written summaries are simple but can give insight into what students retained from class that day.

3. Jeopardy: I find that incorporating games that test a student’s recall and subject aptitude are a great way to make formative assessment more fun. Jeopardy-like games can be tailored around a specific topic that leverages your own lessons. 

There are many effective ways to assess learning formatively. One strategy I especially like is using a daily journal. I could post a few questions on the board each day for students to respond to in their journals. At the end of class, they could turn them in, allowing me to review their responses and check for understanding.

Another option I find engaging is interactive case scenarios. For example, students could log everything they eat over the course of three days, then exchange logs with a classmate to identify opportunities for healthier choices. Activities like this give students the chance to apply what they’re learning in a practical, real-life way.

I also like the idea of using exit tickets. These could include a quick question related to the lesson and a self-assessment scale from 1–5 to show how confident students feel about the concept. Exit tickets could also give students space to write down any lingering questions, which would guide me in planning the next lesson.

1. The teacher I am interning with does a "starter work." She gives them a paper and goes through a slide show that includes questions about the previous day's lesson. It works well to see the student's thought process while working through the questions.

2. Kahoot: This is a fun and interactive game that can challenge the students to remember what they have learned and show what they might have struggled with throughout the lesson.

3. I enjoy giving the students a chance to work together in groups to bounce ideas and thoughts off each other. This gives them the ability to express their feelings about the lesson and what I could do better when teaching them or if they need a little extra help on something.

A few examples of formative assessments I would use are:

1. Exit Tickets – At the end of class, students write down something they learned, something they found interesting, and one question they still have. This shows me what stuck and where I might need to reteach.

2. Think-Pair-Share – Students first think about a question on their own, then discuss with a partner, and finally share with the class. This works well because everyone gets a chance to process and talk through their thinking.

3. Bell Ringers/Starter Work – Quick warm-up questions at the start of class reviewing the previous lesson. It helps me see what students remembered and sets the tone for new learning.

These strategies are simple, but they give me valuable feedback and keep students actively involved in their learning.

1. Journals - this is a big one. I have experienced this as a student in one of my own courses last semester, and se this actively used in my current field work placement. What I like best about these is that they are a physical medium for both the teacher AND the student to assess current learning, identify places for improvement, and--most interestingly--physically look back at how understanding has evolved over time. I love these physical artifacts.

2. Exit tickets - these are interesting in that they both assess the student, but are also a near-immediate method for the teacher to assess themselves for that particular class activity. They can even theoretically be actioned immediately: if block 1 has a common denominator, this can be accounted for in block 2 and beyond.

3. Class Discussion - This one is interesting as a formative assessment method mainly because it can assess multiple dimensions of a students understanding: their direct knowledge of the topic, as well as their ability to express/share/dissect this knowledge with others.

1.     The 5 W’s and H.

This is to ask or answer the questions of why, what, when, where, and how. This is to make you think about what information is being assessed or taught. This helps with understanding what your children (as a teacher) are retaining and thinking about when you have taught a concept. An example of this is when you read a book to your class. After reading the book you can ask the children why the character(s) did what they did, said what they said, when was it said in the story, where the store took place, how the what was said affected the story. You can then reach forward and see if the children would have said it differently or done something in a different way. It can not only assess what the children learned from the story but opens the floor or open-ended questions.

2.     One that I never considered a formative assessment was homework but in reality, it is. This is to help the teacher understand what the child has learned while in class or for us online what we read or watched to perform the assessment.

3.     When you ask a student to paraphrase a reading or definition it can show how a student understood the text or information. This can also be used as a formative assessment. It does not bear the weight of a test or quiz, but it is a great way to tell that your teaching technique is working or if you need to change something.

4.     Also, there are formative assessments that my job gives us at the end of the year. This can tell them if we feel we need more assistance in the classroom, we need more materials for lessons, and how we felt that the training is helping us when working in the classroom.

Concept Maps - These are a great way for students to show their understanding of an idea/topic in a creative way. Since there isn't necessarily one right answer, teachers are able to see a student's thought process more clearly and in turn be better equipped to help them in the future.

Kahoot - This is a great way for students to be quizzed on material without even knowing they're being quizzed. They'll always try their hardest because they're playing a game and so it's a sneaky way for teachers to get great effort out of their students.

Whiteboard responses - this is where students will have mini whiteboards and the teacher will ask a question. The students will then write their answers on their mini whiteboards and then show their answers when the teacher ask.

Jounarls/learning log- As a student I loved having a journal/ learning log. I was able to reflect at the end of class on what i learned and write down what i was struggling with. This allow allowed me not the feel judged about what i did not understand.

1. Exit Activities- Instead of having a written exit ticket, children can show their understanding in a quick and fun activity. This could be answering a quick question before lining up or sharing something that they learned before moving to the next activity. You could also incorporate movement into this by asking students to jump if I show a square or touch their toes if I show a circle.

2. Play Based Checklist- During centers, checklists can be used to quickly gauge certain skills such as engaging with peers, recognizing letters, or counting. By having these checklist readily available, teachers are able to authentically assess without interrupting play.

3. Turn and Talk- During my Practicum 3 in a Kindergarten class, I saw how effective turn-and-talks were as a formative assessment. I felt when students were given the opportunity to casually talk with a partner instead of being put on the spot in front of the class, they often share much more. Teachers can assess by simply listening in on conversations, jotting down notes, or asking a closing question where students share something their partner said.

1. Exit Tickets: With these, students will typically answer a question regarding what they learned in class. They can also write down a question that they had about the material if they wish to so that way it can be brought up and answered. Exit tickets allow the students to reflect on what they learned and can give the teacher insight on what they retained and what needs more improvement on.

2. Kahoot: Kahoot is a fun way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and also compete against their classmates. It takes the form of a multiple choice quiz regarding the material of you have been teaching the students. Questions that have been missed by the majority can be gone over and cleared up on why they missed it.

3. Journals: Having students create journals allows them to reflect upon what they know about the material and write it down. They also write down any questions that they have and anything that they found interesting during the lesson. During the end of the unit, students can then go back through their journal entries for that unit and write down if they ever found answers to their questions, summarize what the unit was about, and if they still have any questions about the material. Teachers can keep these journals and go through the entries to see if there are any commonly asked questions about the material.

Another example of formative assessment is the utilization of entry and exit slips, where students answer a short question at the beginning or end of class in order to demonstrate knowledge. These are low-stakes and can help teachers to identify misconceptions early.

A third, more intense example of formative assessment is a 3-2-1 Reflection, where students write 3 things that they learned, 2 interesting ideas, and 1 question that they still have. This can help teachers to quickly check understanding and plan the next lesson.

Brain dumps is another good one where kids can get a simple prompt that they can answer to help get them thinking. These can also be used as intros to a class and the class's subject. Also a exit ticket to see what we as the teachers can do to improve the lesson.

Thumbs up/thumbs down- This could be a good way to guide where everyone is in the learning process and also a simple way to get what the class needs without pointing out a specific student. Also, having a criterion like for thumbs up, they understand for being in the middle, they kinda get it, and thumbs down, they dont get it.

I also like the idea of exit tickets, because you can ask a question or questions that promote thought and reasoning in a lower-stress way than a quiz or worksheet. An exit ticket can involve a written response or drawing a picture that answers the question so it can meet each child at their level and gauge each child's understanding of the learning targets at the end of each day.

The first formative assessment I plan on using a lot is in-class activities where the students are active in the learning. I feel this is one of the best ways for children to grow in what they are learning. For social studies I think of doing role-play or skits of some sort so the students can really understand how each person thought/felt in a particular part of history. For math I think of doing something such as a math scavenger hunt because it is something I did in school and loved it. It also allows the students to be up and moving around which increases their focus levels.

The second formative assessment I plan to use in my classes is entry/exit tickets. I have always loved entry/exit tickets. One reason I have always loved them is because I think it sets the tone for class that day. If you have the students, come in and complete an entry ticket, then they are immediately put in a state of focus. Exit tickets on the other hand if done the right way allow me as the teacher to see what each students understands and what they don't understand.

The third formative assessment I really like are conferences. I think conferences are a great and honest way to gauge where a student is at with the content they are learning in class. It is also a way for students to open up about their understanding, away from the other students so they feel less embarrassed.