Assessments

 Tests, quizzes, examinations, midterms, and finals are the terms that our students and many teachers call assessments. At my school most of the teacher's use multiple-choice examinations were the students put their answers on the bubble sheet. The students color in the bubble with the corresponding letter to the answer on a worksheet. The teachers go into the teacher's lounge and feed these bubble sheets into a machine that compares the students’ answers to the teacher's key. I used to think this was a great time saver.  After reading this book, I've come to realize this is just another way to separate the teachers from the students. Teachers don't even have to look at the student’s examination sheets, there is no need to check their thinking.  Technology has made our lives easier, or has it?

Throughout this book Tovani has harped on the idea of the teacher being connected to the student and modeling behaviors for good reading and comprehension. Teachers should be engaging and supportive providing students with the opportunity to apprentice the skills and behaviors to become advanced readers.

By using these bubble machines we're losing an opportunity to provide positive feedback, we are merely assigning a grade. Tovani writes on page 103 of her book “It's important that my assessments be ongoing and purposeful, useful to student as well as to me. I should be able to tell students what they are doing well and what they need to improve upon with each assessment.” She also believes there is no one perfect assessment.  If we only test for specific knowledge, our students will fake read only looking for the answers and not reading deeply. On page 104 she quotes David Perkins(1992) on “inert knowledge”:

“Startlingly often, students have knowledge that they remember when directly quizzed, but do not use otherwise. It doesn't come to mind and more authentically open ended situations of need, such as writing an essay, pondering the morning's headlines, considering alternative professions, selecting a new stereo, or for that matter, studying another subject. Knowledge of this sort is called inert. As the phrase suggests, inert knowledge is a knowledge equivalent of a couch potato: it's there but it doesn't move around much or do anything.”

Tovani  believes that we, as teachers, need to assess this inert knowledge along with our students thought process. We can assess our students’ knowledge through the use of tools such as class calendars. By having students write their thoughts and questions on their personal conversation calendar teachers will be able to have a better connection to each student. This calendar could be looked at in the same light as a text message, the student write a short comments, questions, or thoughts on the upper portion of the blocked off area for that day on the calendar. The teacher can leave a response on the bottom portion of the blocked area, allowing for an ongoing dialogue.

She also recommends the use the reading response logs, I've always referred to this as a reading diary. By having our students log their weekly reading and thoughts it will allow the teacher to check for comprehension and understanding. By assigning meaningful weighted scores to these tools, it will help keep the students motivated. Our blogs for this class is a great example of this tool. Penny will be able to read our blogs and tell what information and insight we've received from reading our books.

What works by Chris Tovani  page 115 of her book  “Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?”

What works:

1.       Decide what you want to assess. Give a variety of ways for students to demonstrate understanding. Base your assignments on what you value. One test won’t measure everything.

Teaching points:

Good readers know there are many ways for them to demonstrate understanding. They recognize that not everything is equally important, so they give time and effort to what is valued.

2.       Design assessments that are checkpoints for understanding. Because learning is an open process, assessment should also be an ongoing piece of your classroom.

Teaching point: good readers know that learning never stops. They use assessment to inform and improve their performance.

3.       Teach students how to use the assessment tool. Don't let format interfere with demonstration of knowledge.

Teaching points:  good readers know that procedures are different from performance.  If the way they are asked to demonstrate knowledge is too cumbersome, they will abandon the task.