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Post-Assessment Checklist: 8 Things to Do After You’ve Just Finished Classroom Assessment

So you just finished classroom assessment, whether it’s a standardized test, a final exam, or a large-scale project.

You’re tired. Your students are tuckered out but happy it’s over. And yet somehow you feel energized and more focused than you did the entire week.

So the question is, What should you do next ?

Should you take a moment to breathe? Should you reflect on the assessment process? Or should you dive straight into grading?

In today’s post, I’m going to show you the 8 most important steps to do right after you finish with your classroom assessment process. And I’m going to break them down for you step by step.

Classroom Assessment: 8 Things to Do After You’ve Just Finished Assessing Learning

Many rookie teachers think that quickly packing up and moving on to the next teaching task is enough. 

But you know teaching requires much more than that. Specifically, you need to reflect on the assessment process to ensure learning outcomes have been met and to inform your future teaching practices.  

Step #1. Reflect on Assessment Goals

Your first order of business is to revisit the objectives and goals you set for the classroom assessment. The best way to do that is to take a few moments to sit down with a notebook or open a document on your computer dedicated to reflection.  

Now, many people like to rush through this step or simply rely on memory, but you shouldn’t do that.

Because superficial reflection doesn’t allow for deep insights into the effectiveness of your teaching methods and assessment strategies. Instead, take the time to actively engage with your assessment goals.

The best way to approach this step is to create a structured reflection process. 

Start by writing down your initial objectives and goals for the assessment. Then, compare them to the actual outcomes and student performance (more on this in the next step). 

Analyze whether the assessment effectively measured what students were expected to learn and how well it met your teaching objectives. 

This will help you identify any gaps or areas for improvement in your assessment practices and instructional approach.

For example:

• Reflective journaling: Write down your thoughts, observations, and insights around the assessment in a dedicated journal. 
• Collaborative reflection: Discuss assessment goals and outcomes with colleagues (a great use for your PLC!) or participate in professional development focused on assessment practices.
• Online resources: Explore online platforms, such as educational blogs, articles, or webinars, that offer guidance on effective assessment strategies. Some of my favorites are Edutopia , ASCD , and TeachThought .

Step #2. Analyze Student Performance

Average educators only glance over student performance and hope that will be sufficient. Smart teachers, however, delve deeper into the data to gain meaningful insights that drive instructional decisions and improve student outcomes.

A great way to approach analyzing student performance is to conduct a thorough and systematic review of the classroom assessment results. 

This means examining individual student performance, identifying patterns or trends across the class, and considering various factors that may have influenced student outcomes.

By analyzing classroom assessment results in this comprehensive manner, you can identify areas where students excel, along with areas where they may need additional support.

This analysis serves as the foundation for tailoring your teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of your students.

Here are some ways to approach it:

• Individual student analysis. Review each student’s performance individually to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. Look for patterns in their responses, areas of misunderstanding, or consistent errors.
• Group performance analysis. Compare the overall performance of different student groups (e.g., high achievers, average performers, struggling students) to identify trends and patterns. This analysis can help you target instructional interventions more effectively.
• Consider contextual factors. Take into account various contextual factors that may have influenced student performance, such as prior knowledge, learning environment, and instructional strategies used. Understanding these factors can provide valuable insights into classroom assessment results. 

When I analyze student performance after a major assessment, I like to review where each student is in relation to my learning objectives. This helps me identify areas where students may need additional support through reteaching or targeted interventions. I can then tailor my instruction accordingly.

If you find yourself getting stuck or struggling to find the time for thorough analysis, consider breaking the task down into smaller, manageable chunks. 

Set aside time in your schedule for data analysis and prioritize it as a critical aspect of your teaching practice. Again, your PLC or teaching team meetings can be a great avenue for this.

Oh and, I created this FREE PLC Starter Toolkit so you can jumpstart your PLC if you don’t already have one. 

Click the image below to download your free PLC Toolkit now

Step #3. Review Assessment Procedures

Taking a look at your procedures for classroom assessment is a great activity to focus on after the assessment wraps up.

This allows you to critically examine the logistics of the assessment process, including timing, instructions, and accommodations provided to students.

This step is effective because it can recharge your teaching effectiveness by identifying areas for improvement in future assessments.

So how do you do it, and what should you focus on?

Start by gathering all relevant materials related to the assessment. This can include instructions, timing guidelines, and any accommodations provided to your learners. 

Then, systematically evaluate each aspect of the process, considering factors such as clarity, appropriateness, and effectiveness.

To learn more on best practices for classroom assessment, check out K-12 Dive’s post .

Step #4. Collect Feedback from Students

If you want to improve your teaching effectiveness, you have to listen to your students.

But you also have to approach gathering feedback thoughtfully so you ensure you get meaningful and constructive input. 

Specifically, you’ll need to create a structured and respectful process that encourages honest communication. 

One effective approach is to provide students with anonymous surveys or feedback forms where they can share their thoughts and insights openly.

Additionally, consider conducting small group discussions or one-on-one conversations with students to delve deeper into their experiences with classroom assessment.

To find examples, do a Google search. You are especially looking for methods that prioritize anonymity and open communication. Pay attention to features such as clear instructions, diverse question types, and opportunities for students to provide detailed feedback. 

By gathering input from your students in a thoughtful and respectful manner, you can gain valuable insights that inform your assessment practices while also increasing student engagement in the learning process.

Bonus tip: Check out this related post on mastering student engagement .

Step #5. Document Insights and Observations

Speaking of gathering feedback, let’s talk about documenting insights and observations.

Taking the time to document your insights and observations about the classroom assessment process, along with any feedback received from students,  helps you analyze data and make informed decisions for future assessments.

And it ensures that your valuable insights are not lost and can be referenced later!

So set 15 minutes aside to record your thoughts on the assessment as soon as the classroom assessment is completed. 

Create a structured template or document where you can record key points, unexpected challenges, successful strategies, and areas for improvement. 

One workflow tip is to use a digital tool or app designed for note-taking and organization, such as Evernote or Google Keep. These tools allow you to easily organize your thoughts, add tags or labels for easy retrieval, and access your notes across multiple devices.

Take a moment to consider aspects of the assessment process such as student engagement and effectiveness of assessment tasks. Then note any adjustments you made during the assessment process.

The more detailed and comprehensive your documentation, the better equipped you’ll be to improve future classroom assessments. 

Step #6. Celebrate Student Achievements

Another great way to reflect on the outcome of classroom assessment is by celebrating the achievements of your students. 

Recognizing their progress and successes not only acknowledges their hard work, but it reinforces the importance of the assessment process in measuring growth and learning.

Just take some time to identify and acknowledge the areas where students have excelled in the assessment. Whether it’s demonstrating improved performance, mastering key concepts, or showcasing growth in skills, each achievement deserves recognition. 

Then, plan how to celebrate these achievements in a way that is meaningful to your students.

This could involve a variety of activities, such as:

• Publicly recognizing students’ accomplishments during class or school-wide assemblies.
• Providing positive feedback and praise to individual students both verbally and in writing.
• Creating a display or bulletin board showcasing student work or achievements.
• Organizing a special event or reward for students who have shown exceptional improvement or mastery in certain areas.

Pro Tip: The key with this step is to highlight how students’ achievements reflect their dedication to learning and the effectiveness of the assessment process. Don’t just provide excessive praise that doesn’t connect back to the value of classroom assessment.

Step #7. Recharge and Reflect

Don’t forget, there’s more than one way to celebrate after completing a classroom assessment. Recharging and reflecting are very smart (and practical!) ways to maintain your professional effectiveness. 

You’ll want to replenish your energy and promote relaxation after the heavy lift of assessing student learning.

For example,  you could take a leisurely walk in nature to clear your mind and rejuvenate your spirit. 

But that’s just one idea! You can also…

• Indulge in a favorite hobby to disconnect from work for a while
• Spend quality time with loved ones to unwind and fill your emotional cup
• Practice mindfulness meditation to reduce stress
• Enjoy a soothing bath or curl up with a good book and your favorite beverage

You have many options, so use them to replenish yourself, stay motivated, and remain engaged in your teaching practice. 

Mixing up your self-care routine helps you address various well-being needs and supports a healthy balance in your professional and personal life.

Step #8. Plan for Continuous Improvement

This activity is one of the most overlooked, but also one of the  most important (which is why I saved it for last). 

If you don’t reflect on your performance, how will you know what’s working?

Check back in periodically, such as in 3 weeks, to track your progress on the adjustments you reflected on in earlier steps. 

Did you achieve the results you expected? How well did you track your objectives and student outcomes? Were there any areas you could have improved or adjusted your approach?

For example, if you implemented a new teaching strategy but didn’t see the expected improvement in student performance, you may have to alter your approach again. 

Here’s what I do when that happens:

• First, I review student work samples to identify areas of misunderstanding.
• Then, I seek feedback from colleagues or mentors to gain additional perspectives.
• With colleagues, I brainstorm solutions to try, and learn from their shared best practices.
• Finally, I try out the new strategy and monitor the results. 

Then, rinse and repeat. By remaining proactive in reflecting on your teaching practice and making necessary adjustments, you are better able to effectively support student success.

Wrapping it up

If you think your work is over as soon as you finish classroom assessment, I’ve got surprising news for you. 

What you do AFTER the assessment process is even more important than what you do before. Taking your foot off the gas can turn all that work into a false start.

So instead of simply coasting through the post-assessment phase, spend some time reflecting on assessment goals and student performance. Try some of the other steps above and keep them in mind for your next classroom assessment.

Most importantly, stop breezing through the assessment experience. Take the time to analyze the process and collaborate with colleagues for continuous improvement. Before you know it, you’ll see improved outcomes and you’ll be even more effective in your teaching. 

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• How to structure an essay: Templates and tips

How to Structure an Essay | Tips & Templates

Published on September 18, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction , a body , and a conclusion . But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body.

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Table of contents

The basics of essay structure, chronological structure, compare-and-contrast structure, problems-methods-solutions structure, signposting to clarify your structure, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay structure.

There are two main things to keep in mind when working on your essay structure: making sure to include the right information in each part, and deciding how you’ll organize the information within the body.

Parts of an essay

The three parts that make up all essays are described in the table below.

Order of information

You’ll also have to consider how to present information within the body. There are a few general principles that can guide you here.

The first is that your argument should move from the simplest claim to the most complex . The body of a good argumentative essay often begins with simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves towards more complex and contentious ones.

For example, you might begin by describing a generally accepted philosophical concept, and then apply it to a new topic. The grounding in the general concept will allow the reader to understand your unique application of it.

The second principle is that background information should appear towards the beginning of your essay . General background is presented in the introduction. If you have additional background to present, this information will usually come at the start of the body.

The third principle is that everything in your essay should be relevant to the thesis . Ask yourself whether each piece of information advances your argument or provides necessary background. And make sure that the text clearly expresses each piece of information’s relevance.

The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach.

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The chronological approach (sometimes called the cause-and-effect approach) is probably the simplest way to structure an essay. It just means discussing events in the order in which they occurred, discussing how they are related (i.e. the cause and effect involved) as you go.

A chronological approach can be useful when your essay is about a series of events. Don’t rule out other approaches, though—even when the chronological approach is the obvious one, you might be able to bring out more with a different structure.

Explore the tabs below to see a general template and a specific example outline from an essay on the invention of the printing press.

• Thesis statement
• Discussion of event/period
• Consequences
• Importance of topic
• Strong closing statement
• Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages
• Background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press
• Thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation
• High levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe
• Literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites
• Consequence: this discouraged political and religious change
• Invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg
• Implications of the new technology for book production
• Consequence: Rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible
• Trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention
• Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation
• Consequence: The large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics
• Summarize the history described
• Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period

Essays with two or more main subjects are often structured around comparing and contrasting . For example, a literary analysis essay might compare two different texts, and an argumentative essay might compare the strengths of different arguments.

There are two main ways of structuring a compare-and-contrast essay: the alternating method, and the block method.

Alternating

In the alternating method, each paragraph compares your subjects in terms of a specific point of comparison. These points of comparison are therefore what defines each paragraph.

The tabs below show a general template for this structure, and a specific example for an essay comparing and contrasting distance learning with traditional classroom learning.

• Synthesis of arguments
• Topical relevance of distance learning in lockdown
• Increasing prevalence of distance learning over the last decade
• Thesis statement: While distance learning has certain advantages, it introduces multiple new accessibility issues that must be addressed for it to be as effective as classroom learning
• Classroom learning: Ease of identifying difficulties and privately discussing them
• Distance learning: Difficulty of noticing and unobtrusively helping
• Classroom learning: Difficulties accessing the classroom (disability, distance travelled from home)
• Distance learning: Difficulties with online work (lack of tech literacy, unreliable connection, distractions)
• Classroom learning: Tends to encourage personal engagement among students and with teacher, more relaxed social environment
• Distance learning: Greater ability to reach out to teacher privately
• Sum up, emphasize that distance learning introduces more difficulties than it solves
• Stress the importance of addressing issues with distance learning as it becomes increasingly common
• Distance learning may prove to be the future, but it still has a long way to go

In the block method, each subject is covered all in one go, potentially across multiple paragraphs. For example, you might write two paragraphs about your first subject and then two about your second subject, making comparisons back to the first.

The tabs again show a general template, followed by another essay on distance learning, this time with the body structured in blocks.

• Point 1 (compare)
• Point 2 (compare)
• Point 3 (compare)
• Point 4 (compare)
• Advantages: Flexibility, accessibility
• Disadvantages: Discomfort, challenges for those with poor internet or tech literacy
• Advantages: Potential for teacher to discuss issues with a student in a separate private call
• Disadvantages: Difficulty of identifying struggling students and aiding them unobtrusively, lack of personal interaction among students
• Advantages: More accessible to those with low tech literacy, equality of all sharing one learning environment
• Disadvantages: Students must live close enough to attend, commutes may vary, classrooms not always accessible for disabled students
• Advantages: Ease of picking up on signs a student is struggling, more personal interaction among students
• Disadvantages: May be harder for students to approach teacher privately in person to raise issues

An essay that concerns a specific problem (practical or theoretical) may be structured according to the problems-methods-solutions approach.

This is just what it sounds like: You define the problem, characterize a method or theory that may solve it, and finally analyze the problem, using this method or theory to arrive at a solution. If the problem is theoretical, the solution might be the analysis you present in the essay itself; otherwise, you might just present a proposed solution.

The tabs below show a template for this structure and an example outline for an essay about the problem of fake news.

• Introduce the problem
• Provide background
• Describe your approach to solving it
• Define the problem precisely
• Describe why it’s important
• Indicate previous approaches to the problem
• Present your new approach, and why it’s better
• Apply the new method or theory to the problem
• Indicate the solution you arrive at by doing so
• Assess (potential or actual) effectiveness of solution
• Describe the implications
• Problem: The growth of “fake news” online
• Prevalence of polarized/conspiracy-focused news sources online
• Thesis statement: Rather than attempting to stamp out online fake news through social media moderation, an effective approach to combating it must work with educational institutions to improve media literacy
• Definition: Deliberate disinformation designed to spread virally online
• Popularization of the term, growth of the phenomenon
• Previous approaches: Labeling and moderation on social media platforms
• Critique: This approach feeds conspiracies; the real solution is to improve media literacy so users can better identify fake news
• Greater emphasis should be placed on media literacy education in schools
• This allows people to assess news sources independently, rather than just being told which ones to trust
• This is a long-term solution but could be highly effective
• It would require significant organization and investment, but would equip people to judge news sources more effectively
• Rather than trying to contain the spread of fake news, we must teach the next generation not to fall for it

Signposting means guiding the reader through your essay with language that describes or hints at the structure of what follows.  It can help you clarify your structure for yourself as well as helping your reader follow your ideas.

The essay overview

In longer essays whose body is split into multiple named sections, the introduction often ends with an overview of the rest of the essay. This gives a brief description of the main idea or argument of each section.

The overview allows the reader to immediately understand what will be covered in the essay and in what order. Though it describes what  comes later in the text, it is generally written in the present tense . The following example is from a literary analysis essay on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

Transitions

Transition words and phrases are used throughout all good essays to link together different ideas. They help guide the reader through your text, and an essay that uses them effectively will be much easier to follow.

Various different relationships can be expressed by transition words, as shown in this example.

Because Hitler failed to respond to the British ultimatum, France and the UK declared war on Germany. Although it was an outcome the Allies had hoped to avoid, they were prepared to back up their ultimatum in order to combat the existential threat posed by the Third Reich.

Transition sentences may be included to transition between different paragraphs or sections of an essay. A good transition sentence moves the reader on to the next topic while indicating how it relates to the previous one.

… Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.

However , considering the issue of personal interaction among students presents a different picture.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
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• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

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The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarized in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

• The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
• The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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Essay Exams

What this handout is about.

At some time in your undergraduate career, you’re going to have to write an essay exam. This thought can inspire a fair amount of fear: we struggle enough with essays when they aren’t timed events based on unknown questions. The goal of this handout is to give you some easy and effective strategies that will help you take control of the situation and do your best.

Why do instructors give essay exams?

Essay exams are a useful tool for finding out if you can sort through a large body of information, figure out what is important, and explain why it is important. Essay exams challenge you to come up with key course ideas and put them in your own words and to use the interpretive or analytical skills you’ve practiced in the course. Instructors want to see whether:

• You understand concepts that provide the basis for the course
• You can use those concepts to interpret specific materials
• You can make connections, see relationships, draw comparisons and contrasts
• You can synthesize diverse information in support of an original assertion
• You can justify your own evaluations based on appropriate criteria
• You can argue your own opinions with convincing evidence
• You can think critically and analytically about a subject

What essay questions require

Exam questions can reach pretty far into the course materials, so you cannot hope to do well on them if you do not keep up with the readings and assignments from the beginning of the course. The most successful essay exam takers are prepared for anything reasonable, and they probably have some intelligent guesses about the content of the exam before they take it. How can you be a prepared exam taker? Try some of the following suggestions during the semester:

• Do the reading as the syllabus dictates; keeping up with the reading while the related concepts are being discussed in class saves you double the effort later.
• Go to lectures (and put away your phone, the newspaper, and that crossword puzzle!).
• Take careful notes that you’ll understand months later. If this is not your strong suit or the conventions for a particular discipline are different from what you are used to, ask your TA or the Learning Center for advice.
• Participate in your discussion sections; this will help you absorb the material better so you don’t have to study as hard.
• Organize small study groups with classmates to explore and review course materials throughout the semester. Others will catch things you might miss even when paying attention. This is not cheating. As long as what you write on the essay is your own work, formulating ideas and sharing notes is okay. In fact, it is a big part of the learning process.
• As an exam approaches, find out what you can about the form it will take. This will help you forecast the questions that will be on the exam, and prepare for them.

These suggestions will save you lots of time and misery later. Remember that you can’t cram weeks of information into a single day or night of study. So why put yourself in that position?

Now let’s focus on studying for the exam. You’ll notice the following suggestions are all based on organizing your study materials into manageable chunks of related material. If you have a plan of attack, you’ll feel more confident and your answers will be more clear. Here are some tips: 

• Don’t just memorize aimlessly; clarify the important issues of the course and use these issues to focus your understanding of specific facts and particular readings.
• Try to organize and prioritize the information into a thematic pattern. Look at what you’ve studied and find a way to put things into related groups. Find the fundamental ideas that have been emphasized throughout the course and organize your notes into broad categories. Think about how different categories relate to each other.
• Find out what you don’t know, but need to know, by making up test questions and trying to answer them. Studying in groups helps as well.

Taking the exam

Read the exam carefully.

• If you are given the entire exam at once and can determine your approach on your own, read the entire exam before you get started.
• Look at how many points each part earns you, and find hints for how long your answers should be.
• Figure out how much time you have and how best to use it. Write down the actual clock time that you expect to take in each section, and stick to it. This will help you avoid spending all your time on only one section. One strategy is to divide the available time according to percentage worth of the question. You don’t want to spend half of your time on something that is only worth one tenth of the total points.
• As you read, make tentative choices of the questions you will answer (if you have a choice). Don’t just answer the first essay question you encounter. Instead, read through all of the options. Jot down really brief ideas for each question before deciding.
• Remember that the easiest-looking question is not always as easy as it looks. Focus your attention on questions for which you can explain your answer most thoroughly, rather than settle on questions where you know the answer but can’t say why.

Analyze the questions

• Decide what you are being asked to do. If you skim the question to find the main “topic” and then rush to grasp any related ideas you can recall, you may become flustered, lose concentration, and even go blank. Try looking closely at what the question is directing you to do, and try to understand the sort of writing that will be required.
• Focus on what you do know about the question, not on what you don’t.
• Look at the active verbs in the assignment—they tell you what you should be doing. We’ve included some of these below, with some suggestions on what they might mean. (For help with this sort of detective work, see the Writing Center handout titled Reading Assignments.)

Information words, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject. Information words may include:

• define—give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning.
• explain why/how—give reasons why or examples of how something happened.
• illustrate—give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject.
• summarize—briefly cover the important ideas you learned about the subject.
• trace—outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form.
• research—gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you’ve found.

Relation words ask you to demonstrate how things are connected. Relation words may include:

• compare—show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different).
• contrast—show how two or more things are dissimilar.
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation.
• cause—show how one event or series of events made something else happen.
• relate—show or describe the connections between things.

Interpretation words ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Don’t see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation. Interpretation words may include:

• prove, justify—give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth.
• evaluate, respond, assess—state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons (you may want to compare your subject to something else).
• support—give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe).
• synthesize—put two or more things together that haven’t been put together before; don’t just summarize one and then the other, and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together (as opposed to compare and contrast—see above).
• analyze—look closely at the components of something to figure out how it works, what it might mean, or why it is important.
• argue—take a side and defend it (with proof) against the other side.

Plan your answers

Think about your time again. How much planning time you should take depends on how much time you have for each question and how many points each question is worth. Here are some general guidelines: 

• For short-answer definitions and identifications, just take a few seconds. Skip over any you don’t recognize fairly quickly, and come back to them when another question jogs your memory.
• For answers that require a paragraph or two, jot down several important ideas or specific examples that help to focus your thoughts.
• For longer answers, you will need to develop a much more definite strategy of organization. You only have time for one draft, so allow a reasonable amount of time—as much as a quarter of the time you’ve allotted for the question—for making notes, determining a thesis, and developing an outline.
• For questions with several parts (different requests or directions, a sequence of questions), make a list of the parts so that you do not miss or minimize one part. One way to be sure you answer them all is to number them in the question and in your outline.
• You may have to try two or three outlines or clusters before you hit on a workable plan. But be realistic—you want a plan you can develop within the limited time allotted for your answer. Your outline will have to be selective—not everything you know, but what you know that you can state clearly and keep to the point in the time available.

Again, focus on what you do know about the question, not on what you don’t.

Writing your answers

As with planning, your strategy for writing depends on the length of your answer:

• For short identifications and definitions, it is usually best to start with a general identifying statement and then move on to describe specific applications or explanations. Two sentences will almost always suffice, but make sure they are complete sentences. Find out whether the instructor wants definition alone, or definition and significance. Why is the identification term or object important?
• For longer answers, begin by stating your forecasting statement or thesis clearly and explicitly. Strive for focus, simplicity, and clarity. In stating your point and developing your answers, you may want to use important course vocabulary words from the question. For example, if the question is, “How does wisteria function as a representation of memory in Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom?” you may want to use the words wisteria, representation, memory, and Faulkner) in your thesis statement and answer. Use these important words or concepts throughout the answer.
• If you have devised a promising outline for your answer, then you will be able to forecast your overall plan and its subpoints in your opening sentence. Forecasting impresses readers and has the very practical advantage of making your answer easier to read. Also, if you don’t finish writing, it tells your reader what you would have said if you had finished (and may get you partial points).
• You might want to use briefer paragraphs than you ordinarily do and signal clear relations between paragraphs with transition phrases or sentences.
• As you move ahead with the writing, you may think of new subpoints or ideas to include in the essay. Stop briefly to make a note of these on your original outline. If they are most appropriately inserted in a section you’ve already written, write them neatly in the margin, at the top of the page, or on the last page, with arrows or marks to alert the reader to where they fit in your answer. Be as neat and clear as possible.
• Don’t pad your answer with irrelevancies and repetitions just to fill up space. Within the time available, write a comprehensive, specific answer.
• Watch the clock carefully to ensure that you do not spend too much time on one answer. You must be realistic about the time constraints of an essay exam. If you write one dazzling answer on an exam with three equally-weighted required questions, you earn only 33 points—not enough to pass at most colleges. This may seem unfair, but keep in mind that instructors plan exams to be reasonably comprehensive. They want you to write about the course materials in two or three or more ways, not just one way. Hint: if you finish a half-hour essay in 10 minutes, you may need to develop some of your ideas more fully.
• If you run out of time when you are writing an answer, jot down the remaining main ideas from your outline, just to show that you know the material and with more time could have continued your exposition.
• Double-space to leave room for additions, and strike through errors or changes with one straight line (avoid erasing or scribbling over). Keep things as clean as possible. You never know what will earn you partial credit.
• Write legibly and proofread. Remember that your instructor will likely be reading a large pile of exams. The more difficult they are to read, the more exasperated the instructor might become. Your instructor also cannot give you credit for what they cannot understand. A few minutes of careful proofreading can improve your grade.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind in writing essay exams is that you have a limited amount of time and space in which to get across the knowledge you have acquired and your ability to use it. Essay exams are not the place to be subtle or vague. It’s okay to have an obvious structure, even the five-paragraph essay format you may have been taught in high school. Introduce your main idea, have several paragraphs of support—each with a single point defended by specific examples, and conclude with a restatement of your main point and its significance.

Some physiological tips

Just think—we expect athletes to practice constantly and use everything in their abilities and situations in order to achieve success. Yet, somehow many students are convinced that one day’s worth of studying, no sleep, and some well-placed compliments (“Gee, Dr. So-and-so, I really enjoyed your last lecture”) are good preparation for a test. Essay exams are like any other testing situation in life: you’ll do best if you are prepared for what is expected of you, have practiced doing it before, and have arrived in the best shape to do it. You may not want to believe this, but it’s true: a good night’s sleep and a relaxed mind and body can do as much or more for you as any last-minute cram session. Colleges abound with tales of woe about students who slept through exams because they stayed up all night, wrote an essay on the wrong topic, forgot everything they studied, or freaked out in the exam and hyperventilated. If you are rested, breathing normally, and have brought along some healthy, energy-boosting snacks that you can eat or drink quietly, you are in a much better position to do a good job on the test. You aren’t going to write a good essay on something you figured out at 4 a.m. that morning. If you prepare yourself well throughout the semester, you don’t risk your whole grade on an overloaded, undernourished brain.

If for some reason you get yourself into this situation, take a minute every once in a while during the test to breathe deeply, stretch, and clear your brain. You need to be especially aware of the likelihood of errors, so check your essays thoroughly before you hand them in to make sure they answer the right questions and don’t have big oversights or mistakes (like saying “Hitler” when you really mean “Churchill”).

If you tend to go blank during exams, try studying in the same classroom in which the test will be given. Some research suggests that people attach ideas to their surroundings, so it might jog your memory to see the same things you were looking at while you studied.

Try good luck charms. Bring in something you associate with success or the support of your loved ones, and use it as a psychological boost.

Take all of the time you’ve been allotted. Reread, rework, and rethink your answers if you have extra time at the end, rather than giving up and handing the exam in the minute you’ve written your last sentence. Use every advantage you are given.

Remember that instructors do not want to see you trip up—they want to see you do well. With this in mind, try to relax and just do the best you can. The more you panic, the more mistakes you are liable to make. Put the test in perspective: will you die from a poor performance? Will you lose all of your friends? Will your entire future be destroyed? Remember: it’s just a test.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. 2016. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing , 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Fowler, Ramsay H., and Jane E. Aaron. 2016. The Little, Brown Handbook , 13th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Gefvert, Constance J. 1988. The Confident Writer: A Norton Handbook , 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Kirszner, Laurie G. 1988. Writing: A College Rhetoric , 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Woodman, Leonara, and Thomas P. Adler. 1988. The Writer’s Choices , 2nd ed. Northbrook, Illinois: Scott Foresman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Assessing student writing, what does it mean to assess writing.

• Suggestions for Assessing Writing

Means of Responding

Rubrics: tools for response and assessment, constructing a rubric.

Assessment is the gathering of information about student learning. It can be used for formative purposes−−to adjust instruction−−or summative purposes: to render a judgment about the quality of student work. It is a key instructional activity, and teachers engage in it every day in a variety of informal and formal ways.

Assessment of student writing is a process. Assessment of student writing and performance in the class should occur at many different stages throughout the course and could come in many different forms. At various points in the assessment process, teachers usually take on different roles such as motivator, collaborator, critic, evaluator, etc., (see Brooke Horvath for more on these roles) and give different types of response.

One of the major purposes of writing assessment is to provide feedback to students. We know that feedback is crucial to writing development. The 2004 Harvard Study of Writing concluded, "Feedback emerged as the hero and the anti-hero of our study−powerful enough to convince students that they could or couldn't do the work in a given field, to push them toward or away from selecting their majors, and contributed, more than any other single factor, to students' sense of academic belonging or alienation" (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~expos/index.cgi?section=study).

Source: Horvath, Brooke K. "The Components of Written Response: A Practical Synthesis of Current Views." Rhetoric Review 2 (January 1985): 136−56. Rpt. in C Corbett, Edward P. J., Nancy Myers, and Gary Tate. The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook . 4th ed. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000.

Suggestions for Assessing Student Writing

Be sure to know what you want students to be able to do and why. Good assessment practices start with a pedagogically sound assignment description and learning goals for the writing task at hand. The type of feedback given on any task should depend on the learning goals you have for students and the purpose of the assignment. Think early on about why you want students to complete a given writing project (see guide to writing strong assignments page). What do you want them to know? What do you want students to be able to do? Why? How will you know when they have reached these goals? What methods of assessment will allow you to see that students have accomplished these goals (portfolio assessment assigning multiple drafts, rubric, etc)? What will distinguish the strongest projects from the weakest?

Begin designing writing assignments with your learning goals and methods of assessment in mind.

Plan and implement activities that support students in meeting the learning goals. How will you support students in meeting these goals? What writing activities will you allow time for? How can you help students meet these learning goals?

Begin giving feedback early in the writing process. Give multiple types of feedback early in the writing process. For example, talking with students about ideas, write written responses on drafts, have students respond to their peers' drafts in process, etc. These are all ways for students to receive feedback while they are still in the process of revising.

Structure opportunities for feedback at various points in the writing process. Students should also have opportunities to receive feedback on their writing at various stages in the writing process. This does not mean that teachers need to respond to every draft of a writing project. Structuring time for peer response and group workshops can be a very effective way for students to receive feedback from other writers in the class and for them to begin to learn to revise and edit their own writing.

Be open with students about your expectations and the purposes of the assignments. Students respond better to writing projects when they understand why the project is important and what they can learn through the process of completing it. Be explicit about your goals for them as writers and why those goals are important to their learning. Additionally, talk with students about methods of assessment. Some teachers have students help collaboratively design rubrics for the grading of writing. Whatever methods of assessment you choose, be sure to let students in on how they will be evaluated.

 Do not burden students with excessive feedback. Our instinct as teachers, especially when we are really interested in students´ writing is to offer as many comments and suggestions as we can. However, providing too much feedback can leave students feeling daunted and uncertain where to start in terms of revision. Try to choose one or two things to focus on when responding to a draft. Offer students concrete possibilities or strategies for revision.

Allow students to maintain control over their paper. Instead of acting as an editor, suggest options or open-ended alternatives the student can choose for their revision path. Help students learn to assess their own writing and the advice they get about it.

Purposes of Responding We provide different kinds of response at different moments. But we might also fall into a kind of "default" mode, working to get through the papers without making a conscious choice about how and why we want to respond to a given assignment. So it might be helpful to identify the two major kinds of response we provide:

• Formative Response: response that aims primarily to help students develop their writing. Might focus on confidence-building, on engaging the student in a conversation about her ideas or writing choices so as to help student to see herself as a successful and promising writer. Might focus on helping student develop a particular writing project, from one draft to next. Or, might suggest to student some general skills she could focus on developing over the course of a semester.
• Evaluative Response: response that focuses on evaluation of how well a student has done. Might be related to a grade. Might be used primarily on a final product or portfolio. Tends to emphasize whether or not student has met the criteria operative for specific assignment and to explain that judgment.

We respond to many kinds of writing and at different stages in the process, from reading responses, to exercises, to generation or brainstorming, to drafts, to source critiques, to final drafts. It is also helpful to think of the various forms that response can take.

• Conferencing: verbal, interactive response. This might happen in class or during scheduled sessions in offices. Conferencing can be more dynamic: we can ask students questions about their work, modeling a process of reflecting on and revising a piece of writing. Students can also ask us questions and receive immediate feedback. Conference is typically a formative response mechanism, but might also serve usefully to convey evaluative response.
• Written Comments on Drafts
• Local: when we focus on "local" moments in a piece of writing, we are calling attention to specifics in the paper. Perhaps certain patterns of grammar or moments where the essay takes a sudden, unexpected turn. We might also use local comments to emphasize a powerful turn of phrase, or a compelling and well-developed moment in a piece. Local commenting tends to happen in the margins, to call attention to specific moments in the piece by highlighting them and explaining their significance. We tend to use local commenting more often on drafts and when doing formative response.
• Global: when we focus more on the overall piece of writing and less on the specific moments in and of themselves. Global comments tend to come at the end of a piece, in narrative-form response. We might use these to step back and tell the writer what we learned overall, or to comment on a pieces' general organizational structure or focus. We tend to use these for evaluative response and often, deliberately or not, as a means of justifying the grade we assigned.
• Rubrics: charts or grids on which we identify the central requirements or goals of a specific project. Then, we evaluate whether or not, and how effectively, students met those criteria. These can be written with students as a means of helping them see and articulate the goals a given project.

Rubrics are tools teachers and students use to evaluate and classify writing, whether individual pieces or portfolios. They identify and articulate what is being evaluated in the writing, and offer "descriptors" to classify writing into certain categories (1-5, for instance, or A-F). Narrative rubrics and chart rubrics are the two most common forms. Here is an example of each, using the same classification descriptors:

Example: Narrative Rubric for Inquiring into Family & Community History

An "A" project clearly and compellingly demonstrates how the public event influenced the family/community. It shows strong audience awareness, engaging readers throughout. The form and structure are appropriate for the purpose(s) and audience(s) of the piece. The final product is virtually error-free. The piece seamlessly weaves in several other voices, drawn from appropriate archival, secondary, and primary research. Drafts - at least two beyond the initial draft - show extensive, effective revision. Writer's notes and final learning letter demonstrate thoughtful reflection and growing awareness of writer's strengths and challenges.

A "B" project clearly and compellingly demonstrates how the public event influenced the family/community. It shows strong audience awareness, and usually engages readers. The form and structure are appropriate for the audience(s) and purpose(s) of the piece, though the organization may not be tight in a couple places. The final product includes a few errors, but these do no interfere with readers' comprehension. The piece effectively, if not always seamlessly, weaves several other voices, drawn from appropriate archival, secondary, and primary research. One area of research may not be as strong as the other two. Drafts - at least two beyond the initial drafts - show extensive, effective revision. Writer's notes and final learning letter demonstrate thoughtful reflection and growing awareness of writer's strengths and challenges.

A "C" project demonstrates how the public event influenced the family/community. It shows audience awareness, sometimes engaging readers. The form and structure are appropriate for the audience(s) and purpose(s), but the organization breaks down at times. The piece includes several, apparent errors, which at times compromises the clarity of the piece. The piece incorporates other voices, drawn from at least two kinds of research, but in a generally forced or awkward way. There is unevenness in the quality and appropriateness of the research. Drafts - at least one beyond the initial draft - show some evidence of revision. Writer's notes and final learning letter show some reflection and growth in awareness of writer's strengths and challenges.

A "D" project discusses a public event and a family/community, but the connections may not be clear. It shows little audience awareness. The form and structure is poorly chosen or poorly executed. The piece includes many errors, which regularly compromise the comprehensibility of the piece. There is an attempt to incorporate other voices, but this is done awkwardly or is drawn from incomplete or inappropriate research. There is little evidence of revision. Writer's notes and learning letter are missing or show little reflection or growth.

An "F" project is not responsive to the prompt. It shows little or no audience awareness. The purpose is unclear and the form and structure are poorly chosen and poorly executed. The piece includes many errors, compromising the clarity of the piece throughout. There is little or no evidence of research. There is little or no evidence of revision. Writer's notes and learning letter are missing or show no reflection or growth.

Chart Rubric for Community/Family History Inquiry Project

All good rubrics begin (and end) with solid criteria. We always start working on rubrics by generating a list - by ourselves or with students - of what we value for a particular project or portfolio. We generally list far more items than we could use in a single rubric. Then, we narrow this list down to the most important items - between 5 and 7, ideally. We do not usually rank these items in importance, but it is certainly possible to create a hierarchy of criteria on a rubric (usually by listing the most important criteria at the top of the chart or at the beginning of the narrative description).

Once we have our final list of criteria, we begin to imagine how writing would fit into a certain classification category (1-5, A-F, etc.). How would an "A" essay differ from a "B" essay in Organization? How would a "B" story differ from a "C" story in Character Development? The key here is to identify useful descriptors - drawing the line at appropriate places. Sometimes, these gradations will be precise: the difference between handing in 80% and 90% of weekly writing, for instance. Other times, they will be vague: the difference between "effective revisions" and "mostly effective revisions", for instance. While it is important to be as precise as possible, it is also important to remember that rubric writing (especially in writing classrooms) is more art than science, and will never - and nor should it - stand in for algorithms. When we find ourselves getting caught up in minute gradations, we tend to be overlegislating students´- writing and losing sight of the purpose of the exercise: to support students' development as writers. At the moment when rubric-writing thwarts rather than supports students' writing, we should discontinue the practice. Until then, many students will find rubrics helpful -- and sometimes even motivating.

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• Post-assessment

Instructional Support: BOPPPS Model: Post-assessment

What is a post-assessment and why is it important.

Post-assessment activities allow the instructor and learners to assess understanding of the content covered. Post-assessment activities should be aligned directly with the learning outcomes.  

Post-assessment Examples and Resources

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Post-Exam Reflection Worksheet

How this resource helps:.

Provides a guide to help students reflect on their exam performance and gain insights that will help them improve their performance on future exams.

This worksheet includes several templates and strategies to help students reflect on their study and test-taking strategies after receiving feedback on an exam. This is an important step in the metacognitive process that many students skip, but by viewing exams as part of an ongoing learning experience instead of an isolated event, students can learn from their mistakes, build on their strengths, and set themselves up for long-term success.

• Grades 6-12
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100 Last-Day-of-School Activities Your Students Will Love!

Formative, Summative, and More Types of Assessments in Education

All the best ways to evaluate learning before, during, and after it happens.

When you hear the word assessment, do you automatically think “tests”? While it’s true that tests are one kind of assessment, they’re not the only way teachers evaluate student progress. Learn more about the types of assessments used in education, and find out how and when to use them.

Diagnostic Assessments

Formative assessments, summative assessments.

• Criterion-Referenced, Ipsative, and Normative Assessments

What is assessment?

In simplest terms, assessment means gathering data to help understand progress and effectiveness. In education, we gather data about student learning in variety of ways, then use it to assess both their progress and the effectiveness of our teaching programs. This helps educators know what’s working well and where they need to make changes.

There are three broad types of assessments: diagnostic, formative, and summative. These take place throughout the learning process, helping students and teachers gauge learning. Within those three broad categories, you’ll find other types of assessment, such as ipsative, norm-referenced, and criterion-referenced.

What’s the purpose of assessment in education?

In education, we can group assessments under three main purposes:

• Of learning
• For learning
• As learning

Assessment of learning is student-based and one of the most familiar, encompassing tests, reports, essays, and other ways of determining what students have learned. These are usually summative assessments, and they are used to gauge progress for individuals and groups so educators can determine who has mastered the material and who needs more assistance.

When we talk about assessment for learning, we’re referring to the constant evaluations teachers perform as they teach. These quick assessments—such as in-class discussions or quick pop quizzes—give educators the chance to see if their teaching strategies are working. This allows them to make adjustments in action, tailoring their lessons and activities to student needs. Assessment for learning usually includes the formative and diagnostic types.

Assessment can also be a part of the learning process itself. When students use self-evaluations, flash cards, or rubrics, they’re using assessments to help them learn.

Let’s take a closer look at the various types of assessments used in education.

Diagnostic assessments are used before learning to determine what students already do and do not know. This often refers to pre-tests and other activities students attempt at the beginning of a unit.

How To Use Diagnostic Assessments

When giving diagnostic assessments, it’s important to remind students these won’t affect their overall grade. Instead, it’s a way for them to find out what they’ll be learning in an upcoming lesson or unit. It can also help them understand their own strengths and weaknesses, so they can ask for help when they need it.

Teachers can use results to understand what students already know and adapt their lesson plans accordingly. There’s no point in over-teaching a concept students have already mastered. On the other hand, a diagnostic assessment can also help highlight expected pre-knowledge that may be missing.

For instance, a teacher might assume students already know certain vocabulary words that are important for an upcoming lesson. If the diagnostic assessment indicates differently, the teacher knows they’ll need to take a step back and do a little pre-teaching before getting to their actual lesson plans.

Examples of Diagnostic Assessments

• Pre-test: This includes the same questions (or types of questions) that will appear on a final test, and it’s an excellent way to compare results.
• Blind Kahoot: Teachers and kids already love using Kahoot for test review, but it’s also the perfect way to introduce a new topic. Learn how Blind Kahoots work here.
• Survey or questionnaire: Ask students to rate their knowledge on a topic with a series of low-stakes questions.
• Checklist: Create a list of skills and knowledge students will build throughout a unit, and have them start by checking off any they already feel they’ve mastered. Revisit the list frequently as part of formative assessment.

Formative assessments take place during instruction. They’re used throughout the learning process and help teachers make on-the-go adjustments to instruction and activities as needed. These assessments aren’t used in calculating student grades, but they are planned as part of a lesson or activity. Learn much more about formative assessments here.

How To Use Formative Assessments

As you’re building a lesson plan, be sure to include formative assessments at logical points. These types of assessments might be used at the end of a class period, after finishing a hands-on activity, or once you’re through with a unit section or learning objective.

Once you have the results, use that feedback to determine student progress, both overall and as individuals. If the majority of a class is struggling with a specific concept, you might need to find different ways to teach it. Or you might discover that one student is especially falling behind and arrange to offer extra assistance to help them out.

While kids may grumble, standard homework review assignments can actually be a pretty valuable type of formative assessment . They give kids a chance to practice, while teachers can evaluate their progress by checking the answers. Just remember that homework review assignments are only one type of formative assessment, and not all kids have access to a safe and dedicated learning space outside of school.

Examples of Formative Assessments

• Exit tickets : At the end of a lesson or class, pose a question for students to answer before they leave. They can answer using a sticky note, online form, or digital tool.
• Kahoot quizzes : Kids enjoy the gamified fun, while teachers appreciate the ability to analyze the data later to see which topics students understand well and which need more time.
• Flip (formerly Flipgrid): We love Flip for helping teachers connect with students who hate speaking up in class. This innovative (and free!) tech tool lets students post selfie videos in response to teacher prompts. Kids can view each other’s videos, commenting and continuing the conversation in a low-key way.
• Self-evaluation: Encourage students to use formative assessments to gauge their own progress too. If they struggle with review questions or example problems, they know they’ll need to spend more time studying. This way, they’re not surprised when they don’t do well on a more formal test.

Find a big list of 25 creative and effective formative assessment options here.

Summative assessments are used at the end of a unit or lesson to determine what students have learned. By comparing diagnostic and summative assessments, teachers and learners can get a clearer picture of how much progress they’ve made. Summative assessments are often tests or exams but also include options like essays, projects, and presentations.

How To Use Summative Assessments

The goal of a summative assessment is to find out what students have learned and if their learning matches the goals for a unit or activity. Ensure you match your test questions or assessment activities with specific learning objectives to make the best use of summative assessments.

When possible, use an array of summative assessment options to give all types of learners a chance to demonstrate their knowledge. For instance, some students suffer from severe test anxiety but may still have mastered the skills and concepts and just need another way to show their achievement. Consider ditching the test paper and having a conversation with the student about the topic instead, covering the same basic objectives but without the high-pressure test environment.

Summative assessments are often used for grades, but they’re really about so much more. Encourage students to revisit their tests and exams, finding the right answers to any they originally missed. Think about allowing retakes for those who show dedication to improving on their learning. Drive home the idea that learning is about more than just a grade on a report card.

Examples of Summative Assessments

• Traditional tests: These might include multiple-choice, matching, and short-answer questions.
• Essays and research papers: This is another traditional form of summative assessment, typically involving drafts (which are really formative assessments in disguise) and edits before a final copy.
• Presentations: From oral book reports to persuasive speeches and beyond, presentations are another time-honored form of summative assessment.

Find 25 of our favorite alternative assessments here.

More Types of Assessments

Now that you know the three basic types of assessments, let’s take a look at some of the more specific and advanced terms you’re likely to hear in professional development books and sessions. These assessments may fit into some or all of the broader categories, depending on how they’re used. Here’s what teachers need to know.

Criterion-Referenced Assessments

In this common type of assessment, a student’s knowledge is compared to a standard learning objective. Most summative assessments are designed to measure student mastery of specific learning objectives. The important thing to remember about this type of assessment is that it only compares a student to the expected learning objectives themselves, not to other students.

Many standardized tests are criterion-referenced assessments. A governing board determines the learning objectives for a specific group of students. Then, all students take a standardized test to see if they’ve achieved those objectives.

Find out more about criterion-referenced assessments here.

Norm-Referenced Assessments

These types of assessments do compare student achievement with that of their peers. Students receive a ranking based on their score and potentially on other factors as well. Norm-referenced assessments usually rank on a bell curve, establishing an “average” as well as high performers and low performers.

These assessments can be used as screening for those at risk for poor performance (such as those with learning disabilities) or to identify high-level learners who would thrive on additional challenges. They may also help rank students for college entrance or scholarships, or determine whether a student is ready for a new experience like preschool.

Learn more about norm-referenced assessments here.

Ipsative Assessments

In education, ipsative assessments compare a learner’s present performance to their own past performance, to chart achievement over time. Many educators consider ipsative assessment to be the most important of all , since it helps students and parents truly understand what they’ve accomplished—and sometimes, what they haven’t. It’s all about measuring personal growth.

Comparing the results of pre-tests with final exams is one type of ipsative assessment. Some schools use curriculum-based measurement to track ipsative performance. Kids take regular quick assessments (often weekly) to show their current skill/knowledge level in reading, writing, math, and other basics. Their results are charted, showing their progress over time.

Learn more about ipsative assessment in education here.

Have more questions about the best types of assessments to use with your students? Come ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out creative ways to check for understanding ..

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25 Formative Assessment Options Your Students Will Actually Enjoy

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A Unique Approach To Pre And Post-Assessments

by  Grant Wiggins , Ph.D,  Authentic Education

One of my favorite stories concerns the legendary basketball coach John Wooden. He always gave himself a research project in the off season. As recounted in the insightful and  practical  book  You Haven’t Taught If They Haven’t Learned , one year Wooden’s UCLA Bruins had done a poor job at shooting fouls. What did Wooden do? Call up the coaches of the best foul-shooting teams as well as the best-shooting players to find out what they did in practice. He learned a vital lesson: too often, foul-shooting was not done under game conditions in every day practice.

So, he changed the routine: players would scrimmage, some would be subbed out. The ones removed would then run sprints, after which they had a set and brief amount of time to shoot free throws on a side basket while the scrimmage went on. Players gasping for breath, but only seconds to shoot – just like in a real game. Needless to say, the following year, his team led the league in free throws.

What’s  your  summer research project? What deficits do you need to ponder and research before school starts in the fall? Let me propose two projects and a general method for doing action research next school year.

Student misconceptions.  We now know that students fail to understand essential (though often counter-intuitive) concepts. There is now a 30-year research history of such hard to eradicate errors in the sciences, for example: see here and here. What stubborn misconceptions did your students have difficulty escaping this past year?

Student self-assessment.  We know from the research that students’ ability to predict their grades accurately, metacognitive ability, and self-assessment are highly correlated with great gains in achievement. How might you make student self-assessment more central to your work (and your measure of progress) next year?

Go For The Gain: Pre And Post-Assessment

The general method for doing useful personal research (in these two areas or others) is to construct a pre- and post- assessment system so that you can formally track how much progress you make next year. Indeed, the science misconception  literature  is typically based on a pre- and post-assessment using a test of misconception, such as the longstanding Force Concept Inventory in  Physics . (Here are some  follow-up interviews  on the FCI). You can find other science misconception tests  here .  Here  and  here  are some resources on math misconceptions. In other subjects, what might be a good pre- and post test using the same questions? A simple way to get started is to think of using a key Essential Question as the pre and post assessment question.

A more formal way of developing a baseline, ongoing, and final assessment of performance/understanding is to track the effect size of your teaching. Mathophobes, don’t freak: it is very easy to calculate.   E = post ave – pre ave. /Stdv ave. i.e.  Effect size = the class average in the post-test minus the class average in the pre-test, divided by the average of the standard deviations on both tests.

If you own  Visible Learning  for teachers by John Hattie, Appendix E offers a brief, easy to understand, and practical discussion of effect size and how to calculate it. He even walks you through the design of an Excel spreadsheet design to make it automatically calculated if you just input student grades/scores/times. There are other resources  here  and  here .

A virtue of using such effect size calculations is that you can not only compare different tests composed of different amounts of questions, but you can compare very different kinds of tests and measuring systems. For example, history teachers and track coaches can have a common metric that permits progress to be compared across those two different measuring systems (decrease in running times vs. increase in grades).

Another virtue of using effect size calculations is that you can then compare your overall results to all the effect sizes in Hattie’s book and against the key effect size of .40. Why is .40 a key effect size? Because Hattie exhaustively studied all effect sizes and found that this is the typical gain in a typical class after a typical year of study. In other words, if you get an effect size of .6 or .7 you are achieving a far greater gain with your kids than would be expected. If you are getting gains of only .3 or .4 then your teaching is not making a significant difference in the area(s) you targeted. (You may also want to look at  Hattie’s list of effect sizes  of the most commonly used interventions in education to get a better feel for what effect sizes are typical and what great gains are possible. Some of the findings will surprise you and motivate you.)

The final virtue of looking at gain or effect size is that the assessment is completely fair and credible. You are looking at progress with the kids you have, on tests you choose; you are not comparing apples to oranges or holding your students to unreasonable expectations or stuck with dopey tests that strike you as irrelevant to your goals. As a result, as with computer games, swimming, and running you and your students will feel more in control of achievement and overcome the fatalism that infects so much of education.

When I taught briefly at Brown University, in my education course I used the same paper topic as the first and last assignment of the course. I also made them add an Appendix to the 2nd paper describing their reaction to looking back at the 1st version. Many of the Brown students said that the exercise was among the most enlightening and gratifying that they had experienced as students. One young man said it perfectly: I had no idea how much I had learned!

Have a thoughtful summer.

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17.6: What are the benefits of essay tests?

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• Jennfer Kidd, Jamie Kaufman, Peter Baker, Patrick O'Shea, Dwight Allen, & Old Dominion U students
• Old Dominion University

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Learning Objectives

• Understand the benefits of essay questions for both Students and Teachers
• Identify when essays are useful

Introduction

Essays, along with multiple choice, are a very common method of assessment. Essays offer a means completely different than that of multiple choice. When thinking of a means of assessment, the essay along with multiple choice are the two that most come to mind (Schouller).The essay lends itself to specific subjects; for example, a math test would not have an essay question. The essay is more common in the arts, humanities and the social sciences(Scouller). On occasion an essay can be used used in both physical and natural sciences as well(Scouller). As a future history teacher, I will find that essays will be an essential part of my teaching structure.

The Benefits for Students

By utilizing essays as a mean of assessments, teachers are able to better survey what the student has learned. Multiple choice questions, by their very design, can be worked around. The student can guess, and has decent chance of getting the question right, even if they did not know the answer. This blind guessing does not benefit the student at all. In addition, some multiple choices can deceive the student(Moore). Short answers, and their big brother the essay, work in an entirely different way. Essays remove this factor. in a addition, rather than simply recognize the subject matter, the student must recall the material covered. This challenges the student more, and by forcing the student to remember the information needed, causes the student to retain it better. This in turn reinforces understanding(Moore). Scouller adds to this observation, determining that essay assessment "encourages students' development of higher order intellectual skills and the employment of deeper learning approaches; and secondly, allows students to demonstrate their development."

"Essay questions provide more opportunity to communicate ideas. Whereas multiple choice limits the options, an essay allows the student express ideas that would otherwise not be communicated." (Moore)

The Benefits for Teachers

The matter of preparation must also be considered when comparing multiple choice and essays. For multiple choice questions, the instructor must choose several questions that cover the material covered. After doing so, then the teacher has to come up with multiple possible answers. This is much more difficult than one might assume. With the essay question, the teacher will still need to be creative. However, the teacher only has to come up with a topic, and what the student is expected to cover. This saves the teacher time. When grading, the teacher knows what he or she is looking for in the paper, so the time spent reading is not necessarily more. The teacher also benefits from a better understanding of what they are teaching. The process of selecting a good essay question requires some critical thought of its own, which reflects onto the teacher(Moore).

Multiple Choice. True or False. Short Answer. Essay. All are forms of assessment. All have their pros and cons. For some, they are better suited for particular subjects. Others, not so much. Some students may even find essays to be easier. It is vital to understand when it is best to utilize the essay. Obviously for teachers of younger students, essays are not as useful. However, as the age of the student increase, the importance of the essay follows suit. That essays are utilized in essential exams such as the SAT, SOLs and in our case the PRAXIS demonstrates how important essays are. However, what it ultimately comes down to is what the teacher feels what will best assess what has been covered.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

1)What Subject would most benefit from essays?

B: Mathematics for the Liberal Arts

C: Survey of American Literature

2)What is an advantage of essay assessment for the student?

A) They allow for better expression

B) There is little probability for randomness

C) The time taken is less overall

D) A & B

3)What is NOT a benefit of essay assessment for the teacher

A)They help the instructor better understand the subject

B)They remove some the work required for multiple choice

C)The time spent on preparation is less

D) There is no noticeable benefit.

4)Issac is a teacher making up a test. The test will have multiple sections: Short answer, multiple choice, and an essay. What subject does Issac MOST LIKELY teach?

References Cited

1)Moore, S.(2008) Interview with Scott Moore, Professor at Old Dominion University

2)Scouller, K. (1998). The influence of assessment method on students' learning approaches: multiple Choice question examination versus assignment essay. Higher Education 35(4), pp. 453–472

Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, what is the difference between formative and summative assessment, formative assessment.

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:

• help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
• help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes , which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:

• draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
• submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
• turn in a research proposal for early feedback

Summative assessment

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Summative assessments are often high stakes , which means that they have a high point value. Examples of summative assessments include:

• a midterm exam
• a final project
• a senior recital

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or faculty use it to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent courses.

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Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices Essay

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Introduction

Assessments use empirical data on knowledge, aptitude, and skills to improve student learning. The primary purpose of assessments is to evaluate a student’s performance to determine progression and obstacles encountered. The evaluation works as a roadmap for teachers to ascertain if the objectives of a lesson have been met and to gauge student performance, learning and understanding. This paper will evaluate the purpose of assessments and their effectiveness before, after, and during a lesson while arguing the negative and positive impacts of the evaluation.

Assessments carried out before a lesson are essential in creating a way for teachers to gather information on students’ capabilities and knowledge before instructions are given. The purpose of pre-assessments is to determine students’ interests and learning styles (Black & Wiliam, 2018). Reflecting on student learning, difficulties, and misconceptions from previous experiences creates a foundation for planning practical lessons. Since different students have different strengths and personalities, conducting discussions and asking students to fill out graphic organizers or journals can help teachers get a sense of students understanding and their attitude towards a topic or subject. Collecting information before a lesson effectively gauges students’ needs and helps plan learning approaches that increase a student’s motivation to learn and succeed.

Assessments encourage self-direction and collaboration during a lesson, monitor progress, and promote metacognition. Collecting information on students’ skill development and progression of thinking and understanding helps a teacher decide whether to review a concept before continuing a scheduled activity or revising activities that interest a student. Knowledge acquired through evaluating students can help teachers focus on individual students’ needs and strengths and plan activities and projects in the classroom. Assessments contribute to self-developed, independent, and thoughtful learners who set goals and track their progress.

At the end of a lesson, assessments are done to observe students’ understanding and skills obtained from what they have learned. Performance tasks such as reports, essays, and presentations elicit a student’s experience level, provide opportunities to demonstrate learning skills, and show how knowledge can be applied in authentic situations (Black & Wiliam, 2018). Long-term assessments such as portfolios and ongoing conferences create opportunities for students and teachers to level specific subject areas, make connections in the units of study, and monitor individual goals. Assessments after a lesson help students realize their capabilities and shortcomings and teachers determine whether the lesson was successful or needs to be modified.

Assessments also contribute to student craftsmanship, personal establishment, and pride. Students integrate complex skills that allow them to work over an extended period to incorporate revisions. A learner can identify the benefits of project work and the unanticipated consequences. Teachers can access learners’ reflections, attitudes, thinking processes, and understanding and beliefs of a topic or subject. Students can also assess their learning skills while teachers gather information efficiently to formulate a long-term learning plan.

Although assessments are an effective way of facilitating learning, they may negatively affect low-performing students’ motivation. Grading discourages students with low grades and leads to low self-confidence (Black & Wiliam, 2018). Students develop negative mindsets, and they put less effort into their studies. Rote studying is also another negative effect attributed to assessments. Increased pressure for students to do more causes anxiety, leading to rode studying techniques. Students memorize their notes rather than internalizing what they have been taught in the classroom. When students memorize information rather than understanding it, they don’t apply the knowledge acquired, making it easier for them to forget. As a result, students concentrate more on passing exams than developing knowledge and skills.

Apart from rote studying, assessments can also lead to demoralization and unfair evaluation of teachers. Evaluating teachers based on their students’ performance leads to unfair treatment, cheating and exam-leaking, and in some cases, resignation and termination when teachers do not meet expectations. This approach considers one aspect of education and disregards other ways teachers contribute to student learning. In addition to teacher demoralization, assessments can mislead student achievement since it is measured at a specific time. Although the evaluation identifies a student’s weaknesses, it cannot provide information on the instructional change. Assessments do not give a comprehensive picture of a student’s range of knowledge and skills since it is administered periodically.

Although assessments are an effective way of generating knowledge and skills in students, various adverse effects are associated with the evaluation. Assessments done before a lesson help teachers gather information on the interests and learning approaches effective for learners; thus, preparing a learning plan becomes more effortless. Evaluating students during a lesson leads to self-development, independent thinking, and collaboration. Assessments after a class help students identify their achievements and limitations, and teachers also determine whether the study was compelling or should be reviewed. Student craftsmanship, knowledge, and pride are also established through evaluations. Despite the positive impacts of assessments, various negative effects are seen, such as a lack of motivation for low-performing students and teacher demoralization. Other negative effects include misleading student scores due to routine administration of assessments and rote studying, leading to students memorizing information rather than internalizing it.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2018). Classroom assessment and pedagogy . Assessment in education: Principles, policy & practice , 25 (6), 551-575. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2024, May 19). Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices. https://ivypanda.com/essays/assessment-effectiveness-examining-pre-post-and-in-lesson-practices/

"Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices." IvyPanda , 19 May 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/assessment-effectiveness-examining-pre-post-and-in-lesson-practices/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices'. 19 May.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices." May 19, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/assessment-effectiveness-examining-pre-post-and-in-lesson-practices/.

1. IvyPanda . "Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices." May 19, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/assessment-effectiveness-examining-pre-post-and-in-lesson-practices/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Assessment Effectiveness: Examining Pre, Post, and In-Lesson Practices." May 19, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/assessment-effectiveness-examining-pre-post-and-in-lesson-practices/.

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