Ok, so everyone who has followed the Daily 5 Cafe layout is probably familiar with the ongoing assessment portion that is mentioned in chapter 3 of this week's reading. The informal assessment is so important and is arguably the most important! This is REAL assessment based on REAL behavior! It is so authentic. I know I can do better with this in my own classroom. Sometimes I think I can just "remember" my students' tendencies and behaviors, but really I should be taking notes and logging it somewhere for future conferences and later references. I tend to get wrapped up in the DRA-2 and QRI-4 at the beginning of the year. Yet, sometimes the most important part is just sitting down and reading with a student. Both formal and informal assessments are important, but it's good to be reminded of the value in observing students with a goal in mind. To have ideas of what to look for is also very helpful. I agree that the behaviors on pages 83 and 84 are helpful as a clue to what to look for with my students.
Later in the reading, Gillet talked about writing being a purpose of communication, not evaluation. I thought this was very interesting. I also like that Gillet said students should be involved in the assessment of their writing. Isn't assessment the most tedious part of teaching when it comes to writing assignments? It is so hard to grade writing assignments! There is so much to it. I struggle with being consistent from one child to another. I struggle with deciding what to grade up or down on....it's a mind game sometimes. I like the idea that writing should show progress. It really should! Writing is proof of what has been learned, and it is obvious when one reads work from the beginning of the school year and the end of the school year. Comparing written work is a great way to see the growth. That is also why portfolios are so important. They really catch the student in the right place for assessment. Rubrics are helpful at times, because they give a better idea of direction when grading. However, I still think writing is a difficult subject to grade! It is something I hope I get better at teaching too. This year, we are adopting the Excellence in Writing format for elementary students. I hope to see some big progress this year in my writers!
I am unfamiliar with "Excellence in Writing". Is it similar to Lucy Calkins' work or Step Up to Writing? I agree that grading writing is unbelievably subjective. I think it is important to keep records of both individual growth as well as progress toward grade-level benchmarks in order to get a real picture of a student. Anytime you can include a self-evaluation process for students, it is an opportunity for them to grow in their metacognitive processes.
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