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GATHERING EVIDENCE |
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Teachers use their professional judgement when choosing assessment tools for gathering evidence. Professional judgement includes differentiation, universal design of learning and culturally relevant and responsive assessment.
Assessment tools may be organised into broad categories. Below are two such categories that also include templates and examples.
TOOL | DESCRIPTION | TEMPLATES | EXAMPLE |
Checklist | A checklist is an observation tool that can be used to collect evidence of student learning while making observations. As students work independently, in pairs or in groups this checklist can be used to gather specific observational evidence of what students know and/or do not know, related to the skill based success criteria established for the learning. These observations can be gathered over the period of instruction or unit of learning. It can reveal growth, student strengths, gaps and can allow you to easily form small groups for targeted, small group instruction. This evidence can also be triangulated with conversations and products to assign an evaluation of learning. | DOWNLOAD Word Version DOWNLOAD PDF Version | Grade 1 Number Sense (Example) Grade 3 Probability (Example) Grade 7 Reading (Example) |
Conferences | Over a course, unit of learning, or period of instruction, conferences (whether formal or informal) are a great way to gather evidence of student learning. As you work through your period of instruction, and as students work on various tasks practising the skills you are teaching, you can use this form to gather evidence of student understanding related to the success criteria for the learning goal. Evidence from conversations can be gathered over the period/unit of learning. The data you collect can reveal growth, student strengths, gaps in understanding and can allow you to easily form small groups for targeted, small group instruction. This evidence can also be triangulated with conversations and products to assign an evaluation of learning. | DOWNLOAD Word Version DOWNLOAD PDF Version | Grade 1 Spatial Sense (Example) Grade 8 Writing (Example) |
There are a number of assessment strategies. The assessment strategies are a way of recording the information that can then be documented, analysed and interpreted using the assessment tools.
Exit Slips | An exit slip is a short assessment that is based on the targeted learning goal. The information collected is used to inform instruction for upcoming lessons. |
Posing Questions | Observation or Conversation: presenting questions to students that will provide an opportunity for them to demonstrate their understanding of the learning goal using the success criteria. OR Posing purposeful questions to assess and advance student reasoning and sense making about the success criteria related to the learning goal. |
Whole class or small group discussions | Conversation: This evidence is gathered over time or in learning periods to gather evidence of student understanding of the success criteria related to the learning goal. |
Digital documents | A way for the teacher to gather evidence for what students are doing. |
Please continue to the next steps page to learn how to analyse and interpret the information as you continue the assessment and learning cycle.