Forms of Assessment

Assessments are important because they help a teacher better understand the comprehension her students have gained from a lesson.  They are used to help monitor growth and evaluate the necessary pace of a lesson.  If assessments of a particular lesson are poor then the teacher would know not to begin a new concept.  The students also get a better understanding of the degree of their comprehension.  It is very easy to ask if everyone understands a concept and move on, but the possibilities of having an honest perspective are slim.  I like to assess individually as my children work in centers.  It is easier for me to assess my grade level with a checklist to make sure they are on task.  I also integrated that into my unit.  The teacher will be using a checklist as well as a KWL chart to see where their knowledge of the farming concept is.  We will also include a rubric to evaluate comprehension.  We need these forms of assessments in order to understand the children's comprehension and to decide if it is okay to move on to another lesson.