Ongoing Assessments

The teacher who emphasizes assessment to inform instruction understands that only by staying close to student progress can he or she guide student success. Assessment to inform instruction looks, sounds, or feels like the following:

• Systematically observing students at work
• Using pre-assessments to understand students' starting points- including status of precursor skills
• Using ongoing assessments to trace student progress and identify trouble spots
• Asking students to share interests
• Listening and looking for student interests
• Asking students about learning preferences
• Observing students working in different contexts and modes
• Asking students what's working for them and what's not
• Acting on student suggestions