It is assessment time in our school, that mid-year review.
Students are taking a number of reading, writing, and math assessments. Soon educators will complete new standards-based report cards, and these assessments will inform students' performance checks on those reports.
While our assessments demand that students sit quietly and complete multiple questions, this year the tests do not seem that laborious. This is mainly true because for my class this year all the tests are within their reach so there's not a lot of stress.
The tests and the new report cards are making me think deeply about each child too. On each test, a few stand out as needing a revised program, a program that targets their learning with different kinds of supports. I will change seats, pacing, repetitions, and the types of activities for the children in each area that need heightened coaching and attention.
I continue to be a fan of balance in our elementary schools--a balance of project base learning, discrete standards-base lessons, and informative assessment, the kind of assessment that makes us stop and think deeply about students' skills, knowledge, interests, and needs.
