As a Reggio Emilia-inspired educator my approach to assessment is based on developmentally appropriate practice, authentic assessment and documentation of learning through multiple modalities and pedagogical documentation. The standards that I base my teacher made assessments are from Teaching Strategies GOLD and I use their online platform to enter student data and run reports to stay up-to-date on learning trends. From the GOLD standards I design my own assessments or provocations that match learning objectives. The other assessments I use are from Handwriting Without Tears Assessment Booklet. I work with a team of teachers to reflect on student learning and help combine our teaching knowledge to develop curriculum on a weekly basis. I create a holistic approach by incorporating authentic assessment experiences throughout the classroom environment so that children encounter them on a daily basis and by documenting it I can analyze their growth and development. The environmental provocations or assessments I design and the anecdotal notes I take of the experience serve as diagnostic, formative and summative assessments throughout the year. I also ask the children to think about their learning through higher-order and open-ended questioning. In addition, I use "Thinking Routines" like "See, Think, Wonder" to help children think more deeply and for me to better understand their thinking. Based on the continuous assessments I create differentiated instruction to guide each child's learning needs and experiences. Students with special learning needs are given even more accommodations to scaffold their learning and assessed more often to suppor their learning experience. To see my various uses of assessment please click on the buttons below:
My assessments are a critical part of providing the type of learning environment every child deserves. Through the various forms of assessment I administer I have a greater understanding of the learning needs that each child has and can create individualized lessons and interventions to help them reach their learning goals throughout the course of the year. The ongoing feedback students are given through authentic teacher questioning helps appropriately scaffold their learning. When assessment is combined with authentic and developmentally appropriate experiences children's actual learning is highlighted, facilitated and developed. In addition, my use of children's "Big Goals" tracker helps students engage in reflecting on their learning and development and share it with their first teachers, their parents. Authentic assessments and ongoing reflection are the cornerstone of my comprehensive teaching practice of which I highlight throughout the Assessment Portfolio section.