As I create teacher made assessments, I need to bare in mind that all the instructional outcomes are assessed by the proposed assessment plan. I must have clear criteria for assessing student work, otherwise my students will have difficulty understanding the expectations. Each assessment will contain evidence of student contribution to its development, because each assessment will be made to accommodate all students. Assessment methodologies will be adapted for my students as needed. In my lessons I need to make the formative assessments well designed and be sure to include student as well as teacher use of the assessment information.

          I like to use a variety of assessments when teaching. However, to get factual data from assessments that I create pre- and summative assessments must be the same. As a teacher, having a variety of assessments, I can give all students an opportunity to show their knowledge of the lesson. The letter Tt assessment shown above was part of a formative assessment, where students could take turns coming to the Smartboard and circling the correct letters. When creating teacher-made assessments, I must be careful not to overstep the lesson and confuse the students as they contribute to the assessment. I created slides, a formative assessment for the same lesson, the letter Tt, and the students were to circle the picture that began with the phoneme /t/. I, however, may make the mistake of putting a picture of a train on the page, which is a blending sound.

          The criteria for each assessment must be concise so that students know exactly what it is they are to complete and what knowledge they are to obtain. Different methodologies will need addressing when students have an IEP, are ELL students, or a student that needs extra guidance. When an assessment is well designed both students and teachers understand the learning concepts needed to be successful in the classroom. Rubrics are fantastic tools for assessing students’ work. They clearly state the instructional outcomes for the assignment.