4b. Designs and aligns formative and summative assessments that match learning objectives and lead to mastery.
In order for assessments to be truly effective, they must align with the learning objectives and be measurable. Formative assessments are usually quick, and the data acquired from them should drive instruction. Summative assessments should be used to gauge progress throughout the year and should show mastery of the content. Throughout my final internship, I used a variety of formative and summative assessment techniques. While I would say the formative assessment that provided me with the most data was observation, I also relied heavily on the "thumbs up/ thumbs down" strategy to gauge understanding. It afforded me a brief snapshot of where my students were with a topic and which students I might need to reteach or refocus. In my classroom, we used summative assessments like weekly skills reviews, concept tests, district Mathematics tests, projects, and STAR testing. These assessments yielded a great deal of information and influenced my future instructional strategies.