Why is assessment necessary in elementary school? It is necessary for two simple reasons:
- Data is essential for teachers. Teachers need data to help them teach effectively. A teacher can assess the learning progress of each student and the entire class to determine if the presentation has been effective.
- Data is essential for students. Students, especially elementary students, need data to track their progress. Students cannot know if they’re succeeding or not without a yardstick of assessment. This could be a star on a chart, a letter grade or the opinion of a teacher. Students also lack the ability to set realistic goals and make plans to improve their performance.
Three tips to help elementary schools make quality assessments
- Multiple methods of assessment are possible. Traditional methods of assessing children using only test scores are not effective. They often don’t provide any insight into why they failed. Teachers must use a variety assessment methods. While test scores are still valuable data, they must be combined with teacher observations, projects, and careful attention to classroom discussions. These methods will allow teachers to not only assess a child’s progress but also provide clues as to when and where a learning loss may have occurred, which will make it easier to adjust lesson plans.
- You can use different methods of assessment. After a teacher decides to use multiple methods of evaluation, he/she must identify which options are available. A teacher might consider other methods, such as portfolios, peer reviews, presentations and reports. These tools can provide more information about students and their learning than traditional tools, such as projects, reports, peer reviews, and presentations. A portfolio might include sketches, practice sheets and 3-D representations of mathematical concepts, as well as sketching. A teacher can learn valuable information by observing what students include in their portfolios.
- Participate students in the assessment process. Research shows that student involvement may directly correlate to classroom learning. Assessment can be part of this involvement. For example, teachers can ask students to give honest assessments of their progress. Teachers can also give students a rubric to help them evaluate their progress and ask them to compare it with the rubric’s main points.
An indispensable tool
Accurate assessments at all levels of learning are essential. They are essential for every teacher. Elementary school assessment is a valuable part of the learning process. It involves both the student and the teacher. They evaluate learning styles and identify problem areas.