Cfu-formative Assessments
Teachers teach and students learn, but how efficiently does this happen? Teachers are always pondering their next instructional move. Frequently it’s to ask a question. The old habit of InitiateRespond-evaluate cycle of questioning is ineffective and should be replaced with questioning to determine what students know and don’t know. A question worth asking is worth every student answering. This helps them process and offers teachers data.
According to Fischer and Frey in their book Checking For Understanding; Formative assessment Techniques for the classroom, they state the biggest benefit of a Check For Understanding is to enhance instruction. Verbal and written responses offer a window into the mind of the learner.
The type of assessment needed is dependent on the purpose of the test. Summative tests measure mastery so are likely to happen at the end of a chapter for the purpose of receiving a grade. Formative assessments are ongoing reviews used to provide students with feedback about how well they’re understanding new curriculum, so they can self-monitor. It’s also used by the teacher to improve instruction and determine what intervention might be necessary. The older more traditional way of teaching where students are called on one at a time if their hands are raised isn’t effective at determining what the class knows. If their hand is raised, they probably know the answer. Assuming the rest of the class knows the answer as well is a big leap. It’s important to keep all students accountable for the new content.
Teachers deliver content, but calling on a few students to check if they understand isn’t enough. Understanding means being able to apply the new learning to a new task. Checking For Understanding (CFU) involves viewing work samples and offering performance opportunities because testing isn’t just for grading. Check for understanding isn’t just a teacher-centered strategy because when done well, students learn to take responsibility for their learning through monitoring and goal setting.
Fisher and Frey suggest Checking For Understanding should be a routine part of learning that occurs at minimum after every 15 minutes of instruction. The goal of being in a class isn’t just to do well on the test, but to really learn something new. Teachers need to use more than test questions to tell if learning has happened.
Rick Wormelli speaks passionately about assessment. He believes students should be accountable but allows learners to retake tests. Those who oppose this notion insist it isn’t fair. Others feel demanding mastery means motivating students who haven’t previously succeeded.
Many ways can be used to demonstrate mastery and monitor learning. Written short answers and projects both offer evidence of learning. Filling out graphic organizers that display the relationship between concepts also helps students process the new content.
Portfolios with samples of student writing, even if electronic, give a great deal of data. Presentations of websites created to highlight summaries of key content are additional ways to help students demonstrate learning. This puts them in the driver seat for monitoring their own understanding.
Traditional classrooms typically do a summative test at the end of a unit. Incremental checks for progress toward the end goal help de-stress students and assist with time management.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCS) are intended to foster reflective teaching and analyze data from formative assessments. Teachers meet to discuss results of common assessments and determine instructional next steps. They analyze instructional practices and the data produced from using them.
Differentiation of content, product, and process are connected to student strengths and needs, thus offering the optimal learning environment. How will students demonstrate progress towards mastery? Like an orchestra conductor rehearsing players who are working on separate sections of the piece, the teacher balances and helps harmonize players so all have a successful performance.
Administrators are encouraging increased use of formative assessments so PLCS who meet on Wednesday afternoons have data to analyze effectiveness of instructional practices and to enhance student outcomes.