Assessment in Guided Math

For many teachers the word "assessment" is synonymous with "testing," but Lanney Sammons writes, "Assessment is more than testing - it is evaluating students' progress, their understandings and misconceptions, their ability to solve problems and think critically, and their ability to apply their knowledge to new situations." In the guided math classroom, formative assessment drives instruction daily and helps teachers to know how to meet the diverse needs of students.

During our training this month, I asked teachers to post responses to the question in the AnswerGarden shown below. One of the teachers commented that the change to using a Guided Math approach has made ongoing assessment more essential and easier than ever! Students are no longer passive consumers of knowledge, but they are engaged learners receiving ongoing and regular feedback about their work and progress.

Tools for Assessment

One of the most important and powerful tools that we are using for formative assessment at Powdersville Elementary is Seesaw. This app allows teachers to share resources and links with students, and it allows students to create and to post station work with images, screenshots, and audio. This work can be reviewed by the teacher and shared with parents. Because our school recently began to a Seesaw for Schools Pilot, I took some time during this session to discuss some of the great features that teachers can now access, including Skills View. I'm excited to see how teachers can use this feature to document student learning and progress!

January's session ended with a quick look at some of the technology tools that teachers are using for formative assessment in the Guided Math classroom (see Slide 8). I encouraged teachers to look at the homework mode in Quizizz for an interactive station task that provides students with immediate feedback. (One group of teachers even found a Quizizz that they could use the following day!) Several of the teachers are also excited to begin using Classkick for exit tickets.

I am so excited about the work that my teachers are doing, and it makes me feel good to know that our students are benefiting from the collaboration and professional growth of their teachers. Being able to provide resources and serve as a support for this dedicated group of teachers makes me proud and excited to be a small part of something amazing!