Using Assessment to Inform Instruction:

Formative and Summative Assessment of Student Learning

Purpose:

Effective teaching requires assessment of student learning on an ongoing basis. For this
task you will provide a description of the ways in which you conduct informal and formal
assessment in your classroom. In this assignment, you will describe, design, assess,
analyze, and reflect upon examples of an informal (everyday) and a formal (end of unit,
summative) assessment.

This assignment is supposed to lead you through a professional task, i.e. how you as a
teacher can learn more from the assessments you design and use with your students. This
assignment is not meant to represent you should do for every assessment you use with
your students.

Preparation / Development:

1. Begin by reflecting on the ways in which you evaluate what students know and are
able to do as a result of your teaching.

2. Determine a concept or set of concepts that you are trying to assess. Use
RIScienceTeachers to determine what concepts are related to your targets as well as what
related misconceptions students may hold.

3. Select or design an informal (everyday, formative) assessment (e.g., a an in-class or

homework assignment, lab writeup or lab worksheet) that you will use to assess what
students understand about your target concept. Describe this assessment in a paragraph
or two. You must be able to copy a class set of student work for this assessment, so it
should probably be in the future instead of the past.

4. Create a formal (summative) assessment that addresses learning across several lessons
(e.g., a quiz, a project, a paper, or a test). You should either design this assessment from
scratch or modify an existing assessment so that it addresses the concepts you have
described above. You should also have sample (copies) of student work.

5. Develop the evaluation criteria you used for your formal assessment. Projects, models,
or oral assessments are acceptable as long as you can document them in your portfolio.
For a written test, this would be the key, rubric, or scoring guide.

6. Develop the evaluation criteria for your informal assessment.

a. Describe some of your assessment’s features or items that address your target concepts.
Give an example of a low level item, e.g. DOK 1, and a higher level item, e.g. DOK 3.
b. Explain how your assessment addresses at least one scientific practice, e.g. designing
experiments, collecting and analyzing data, using scientific models, etc. See our inquiry
pages on URITK for a complete list of inquiry practices.

b. Select the work of three or four students who are representative of the class (e.g., low,
medium, and high performing) to illustrate your analysis of student learning through
these assessments.

7. Include a copy of the informal assessment instrument that you used. Include the
directions you provided to students (if not written on the assessment or if communicated
orally), evaluation criteria or rubric (if applicable), an answer key or response guide (if
applicable), and a description of how you intended to use the information obtained from
this assessment.

8. Include a copy of the formal assessment instrument that you developed. Include the
directions you provided to students (if not written on the assessment or if communicated
orally), evaluation criteria or rubric, an answer key or response guide (if applicable), and
a description of how feedback was communicated.

9. Provide samples of work from the three or four students whose work provides a
representative sample from the class. The work should include your evaluation and any
written comments you provided to the students. If the work was completed by students
working in groups, a group product is acceptable.

10. Describe the informal and formal assessments (e.g., test, project, task, or other
assessment) and what you expected to learn from their use. How do the assessments
address the concepts you were teaching? What provisions (e.g., in terms of time and
circumstances, tasks), if any, did you make on the assessments for individuals who have
particular learning differences or needs?

Analysis / Reflection

11. For your informal assessment only, select assessments of three or four representative
students. What did you learn about these students from evaluating their performances?
Use specific examples from the student work (for both the informal and formal
assessments) to illustrate your points. Synthesize what you believe each of the students
knows. What are they able to do now that they weren't able to do before the instruction?
What do they still need to learn? Give specific examples from both assessments to
support your analysis.

12. For your informal assessment only, determine the average class score and the range
of scores on your assessments. Where does the performance of your representative
students fit within the performance of the class as a whole? Did this surprise you? Why
or why not?

13. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic (e.g., ability,
gender, race, age, etc.) and separate your data accordingly. Analyze the assessment
results for the different groups you create, and compare them. For instance, if you
disaggregate the results according to gender, compare the performance of boys to girls.
Use specific examples to illustrate your conclusions.

14. Describe any ways in which you involved students in self-assessment. How did you
communicate the information you learned through the assessment to the students? What
did they do with the information?

15. Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of
science concepts and science practices) to the student learning you observed. What did
you learn about your instruction based on the student performances? What would you do
differently the next time you teach these lessons? Why would you make these changes?
What, if anything, would you do to improve the assessment instruments?

Students must achieve a 3 or better on every rubric element in order to successfully

complete this critical performance and complete student teaching.
 Learning from Informal and Formal Assessment - Rubric
Content - Multiple The teacher uses The teacher uses The teacher uses The teacher uses The teacher does not
Assessments multiple assessments multiple assessments assessments that are assessments that are adequately assess
that are aligned with that are aligned with aligned with the only partially aligned student learning,
the instructional the instructional instructional with the instructional assessment is limited
objectives and the objectives and the objectives and the objectives (e.g., not or is inadequately
instructional instructional instructional all objectives aligned with
methodology to methodology to methodology. assessed) or the instructional
provide a larger provide a larger (3) instructional objectives.
sample of student sample of student methodology. (1)
performance. The performance. (2)
informal assessments (4)
build on each other,
and lead to a formal
assessment that is
inclusive of relevant
content and the
informal assessment
criteria.
(5)
Content – Clear The teacher provides The teacher provides The teacher provides The criteria for There does not
Criteria clear criteria for clear criteria for clear criteria for assessment are not appear to be clear
assessment that allow assessment that allow assessment that allow clear and students criteria for evaluating
students to self- students to self- students to self- aren't able to evaluate student work and
assess across assess, and provides assess, and provides their own work or students are not able
assessments, and feedback that some feedback that limited feedback may to engage in self-
provides feedback addresses the criteria. helps students make it difficult for assessment.
that addresses the (4) establish goals for students to establish (1)
criteria and helps learning. goals for learning.
students establish (3) (2)
goals for learning.
(5)
Content - Learner The assessments are The assessments are The assessments are The assessments do The assessments fail
Differences designed to designed to designed to not take a range of to accommodate the
accommodate all accommodate accommodate at least learners with different specific needs of

Score must be 3 or above to pass assessment.

 differences among multiple differences one difference among approaches to students with learning
learners in the among learners in the learners in the learning into account. or other disabilities.
classroom (e.g., classroom (e.g., classroom (e.g., There is (1)
variation in challenge) variation in challenge) variation in challenge) accommodation of
and include and include and include specific needs of
implementation that implementation that implementation that special education
accommodates any accommodates any accommodates any students.
specific needs of specific needs of specific needs of (2)
special education special education special education
students. students. students.
(5) (4) (3)
Critical Thinking - The student work and The student work and The student work and The teacher's The analysis of
Clear Record the teacher's the teacher's the teacher's evaluation and student learning is
evaluation and evaluation and evaluation and analysis provide a incomplete and
analysis provide a analysis provide a analysis provide a general sense of what inaccurately or
detailed record of clear record of what basic record of what the student has insufficiently
what the student has the student has the student has learned and results communicates
learned, and results learned, and results learned, and results are communicated to student progress.
are communicated to are clearly are communicated to the student in a (1)
the student in detail. communicated to the the student. rudimentary way.
(5) student. (3) (2)
(4)
Critical Thinking - The teacher evaluates The teacher evaluates The teacher evaluates The teacher's The teacher's
Effective Teaching student work from student work and student work and evaluation of student evaluation of student
multiple assessments, uses the information uses the information work is not entirely work is inaccurate and
and uses the to develop concrete to develop concrete accurate and uses the does not lead to
information to develop conclusions about the conclusions about the information in ways to changes in instruction.
concrete conclusions effectiveness of his or effectiveness of his or plan changes just for (1)
about the her teaching. Specific her teaching. the class as a whole.
effectiveness of his or examples of student (3) (2)
her teaching. Specific work are used to
examples of student illustrate these
work are used to conclusions.
illustrate these (4)
conclusions and to
suggest ways to
improve instruction.
 (5)

Critical Thinking - The teacher uses the The teacher uses the The teacher uses the The teacher's The teacher's
Plan Instruction evaluation information evaluation information evaluation information evaluation of student evaluation of student
to plan instruction for to plan instruction for to plan instruction for work is not entirely work is inaccurate and
individuals and the individuals and the individuals and the accurate. Feedback to does help the student
class at multiple class at multiple class, and to provide individuals may be understand what he or
levels, and to provide levels, and to provide basic feedback to limited or not she still needs to
detailed feedback to detailed feedback to individuals. instructive. learn.
individuals using individuals. (3) (2) (1)
multiple modes of (4)
representation.
(5)
Facilitating Inquiry The teacher scaffolds, The teacher The teacher The teacher The teacher fails to
assesses, provides demonstrates at least demonstrates at least demonstrates at least demonstrate any of
feedback, and reflects three of the following: one of the following: one of the following: the following:
on students’ scientific scaffolds, assesses, scaffolds, assesses, scaffolds, assesses scaffolds, assesses
practices. provides feedback, provides feedback, provides feedback, provides feedback,
(5) and reflects on and reflects on and reflects on and reflects on
students’ scientific students’ scientific students’ scientific students’ scientific
practices. practices. practices. practices.
(4) (3) (2) (1)
Understanding Inquiry The teacher scaffolds, The teacher The teacher The teacher The teacher
assesses, provides demonstrates at least demonstrates at least demonstrates at least demonstrates fails to
feedback, and reflects three of the following: two of the following: one of the following: demonstrate any of
on students’ scientific assesses, provides scaffolds, assesses, assesses, provides the following:
explanations, feedback, and reflects provides feedback, feedback, and reflects assesses, provides
including their claims, on students’ scientific and reflects on on students’ scientific feedback, and reflects
evidence, and explanations, students’ scientific explanations, on students’ scientific
reasoning. including their claims, explanations, including their claims, explanations,
(5) evidence, and including their claims, evidence, and including their claims,
reasoning. evidence, and reasoning. evidence, and
(4) reasoning. (2) reasoning.
(3) (1)