As we reach the end of quarter one, I thought a post about grading and assessment would be an appropriate topic. In ELA there are two grading categories: formative and summative.
Formative assignments provide opportunities for students to practice the skills and strategies of effective readers and writers. They include things like: in class activities, homework, reading notebook and writing notebook activities, opening or closing activities, group work, some projects, discussions, and anything done with independent reading books, just to name a few. According to Judith Dodge at Scholastic, “Since formative assessments are considered part of the learning process, they need not be graded. Summative assessments, end-of-unit exams or quarterlies, for example, are graded. Formative assessments check for understanding along the way and guide teacher decision making about future instruction. Formative assessments also provide feedback to students so they can improve their performance. Educational consultant, Rick Stiggins, suggests that ‘the student’s role is to strive to understand what success looks like and to use each assessment to try to understand how to do better the next time.’ Formative assessments help us differentiate instruction and thus improve student achievement” (scholastic.com). Students will receive individualized feedback from me about their reading and writing. They can use this feedback to grow as readers and writers. In addition these assignments may be completed as many times as a student chooses to do so, in order to become more proficient using the skill or strategy. Up to this point in the school year, I have had very few students who have taken advantage of the opportunity to redo homework or classwork. An example of this type of assignment is the rough draft of the film review and any homework assignment where students have to “stop and jot”.
Summative assessments are the more extensive end of unit, multi- step, multi-skill type of assessments. According to the Great Schools Partnership, “Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year” (edglossary.org). In my class these assessments will not happen as a surprise, and the skills and strategies students need to complete them will be practiced multiple times, before they complete a summative assessment. In addition, students will receive many types of feedback before, during and after the assessment. An example of this type of assignment from quarter one was the film review for grades seven and eight and the skills assessment in grade six.
Strategy of the Week:
This week the students did take a summative assessment, and I will use the data I gain from grading these to determine their quarter one grade, and both the student and I will use the assessment to prepare for student-led conferences.
What I’m Reading:
Professionally I am reading Making Nonfiction From Scratch and A Writer’s Notebook, both by Ralph Fletcher. Both books are preparing me to teach the nonfiction unit in reading and writing, which will kick off in week two of quarter two. The books are informative, entertaining and enlightening regarding current best practices in English Language Arts. Current best practices support teachers moving away from teaching the traditional five paragraph essay.
Personally I am listening to the young adult (YA) book, Wonder, while I drive to and from school, and it is a life-changing book. It is one of the YA books that I think every child should read in middle school. All of the students in our middle school have read it, and since the students spoke so highly of it, I decided to jump in and read it as well. I am emotionally attached to this novel in an unexpected way. The novel also has inspired me to have class precepts, an idea adopted by the teacher in the book, Wonder, and it reminds all readers to always choose kindness. There are so many dynamic and inspiring characters and positive and heart-warming themes in the book. It is an all around winner. If you haven’t read it, you should consider doing so!