Assessment Workshop Series

In a world where every tissue is a Kleenex, every copy is a Xerox, and language evolves according to its use, most people have come to think of assessment as a synonym for testing: to test children is to assess them. And what’s more, it’s the only way to assess them because only with precise numbers from standardized instruments can we precisely assess learning standards. Or so it goes. But effective assessment has less to do with giving tests and gathering statistical information and more to do with how we use evidence of student learning to improve our instruction.

Assessment That Makes Sense

Assessment is the gathering of information for the purpose of guiding instruction. If the information we gather can’t be used to directly inform our teaching, then the process we are using will be of little value. So why not use assessment approaches that are designed not just to provide teachers with more information but to help them determine the specific instruction their students should receive? In this workshop, you’ll learn about the key principles of effective assessment and how you can use those principles to conduct more useful assessments in less time and with fewer interruptions in your everyday teaching.

Assessing Readers and Writers

Because literacy is the foundation of academic success it makes sense to keep a close watch on how students are progressing so they can receive the instruction they need. And yet, most assessment tools for reading and writing are time consuming for teachers, unmotivating for students, and difficult for everyone to interpret. It doesn’t have to be that way if you use the right tools in the right way. Come and find out how the right reading and writing assessments can make teaching easier for you and learning better for your students.

Grading: A Responsible, Effective,
and Efficient Approach

No matter how it’s done, grading seems to be a problem for just about everyone in school today: it’s controversial for teachers, contentious for parents, and confusing for kids. Worst of all, it’s extremely time consuming and, when you look at it closely and critically, it’s hard to see how any system helps teachers teach or students learn. But if there was a proven classroom-tested approach to grading that changed all that? What if there was a grading system that was not only fair but fast? What if there was a grading system that motivated students to improve performance and effort without significant teacher intervention? What if there was a grading system that could accommodate even the most challenging parents? There is. And this workshop shows you how to use it effectively in your classroom.