Classroom Assessment: A Teacher's Guide

Classroom Assessment Techniques, also known as CATs, are strategies educators use to gauge how well students comprehend key points during a lesson or a course.

The techniques are meant to be a type of formative assessment that also allows teachers to adjust a lesson based on students' needs. CATs are most commonly ungraded and unanimous and conducted during class time.

Classroom Assessment is a systematic approach to formative evaluation, used by instructors to determine how much and how well students are learning. CATs and other informal assessment tools provide critical information during the semester regarding teaching and learning so that changes can be made as necessary.

"The central purpose of Classroom Assessment is to empower both teachers and their students to improve the quality of learning in the classroom" through an approach that is "learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, and firmly rooted in good practice" (Angelo & Cross, 1993, p. 4).

Here are 15 best practices to follow for classroom assessment:

1.    Establish clear assessment objectives:

• Before beginning an assessment, it is important to set clear and measurable objectives.

2.    Plan and prepare assessments:

• The assessment should be planned and prepared in advance, including the format, types of questions, and the time limit.

3.    Develop assessment questions:

• Assessment questions should be developed to measure the objectives and fit the time limit.

4.    Use a variety of assessment types:

• Different assessment types can be used to measure different objectives, such as multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essays.

5.    Use rubrics:

• Rubrics can be used to evaluate student performance and provide feedback for improvement.

6.    Use assessment strategies:

• Strategies such as peer- and self-assessment can be used to reduce the burden on the teacher and to engage students in the assessment process.

7.    Provide feedback and use it to inform instruction:

• Feedback should be provided to students and used to improve instruction.

8.    Use technology:

• Technology can be used to automate assessment processes and provide more accurate and timely feedback.

9.    Assess in a variety of contexts:

• Assessments should be conducted in a variety of contexts to ensure that they are valid and reliable.

10. Utilize data and analytics:

• Data and analytics can be used to identify patterns and trends in student performance.

11. Involve students in the assessment process:

• Students should be involved in the assessment process to help build ownership and engagement.

12. Provide timely feedback:

• Feedback should be provided promptly to ensure that students can act on it.

13. Integrate assessment with instruction:

• Assessment should be integrated with instruction to ensure that it supports learning.

14. Monitor student progress:

• Student progress should be monitored to identify areas of concern and provide additional support where needed.

15. Evaluate the assessment process:

• The assessment process should be evaluated to ensure that it is effective and to identify areas for improvement.

Find out more about Classroom Assessment 😉

Let’s start with a few short videos:

1.     Classroom Assessment Techniques (YouTube Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQfAisfMjhU

2.     Assessments in the Classroom: Education Conference & Live Chat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzonQiJNk5Q

3.     Classroom Assessment Techniques

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ogt0yI8xA

Let’s dive deeper into Classroom Assessment:

4.     50 Examples of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)

• Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning

https://cetl.uconn.edu/resources/teaching-and-learning-assessment/teaching-and-learning-assessment-overview/50-assessment-techniques/

5.     Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs):

Low-Stakes Strategies to Assess Active Learning

https://ctl.columbia.edu/.../reso.../assess-active-learning/

6.     Using Classroom Assessment Techniques

-          Carnegie Mellon University – Eberly Center

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/assesslearning/CATs.html

7.     Classroom Assessment – The Basics

-          Assessment Network

https://www.assessmentnetwork.net/blog/epic-demic-assessment-after-the-interlude/toolbox/best-practice/classroom-assessment/

8.     Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind (PDF)

-          Via Manitoba Education

https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/full_doc.pdf

9. Alternative Assessment

- via EBSCO

https://tinyurl.com/mn62jn2w

10. 25 Alternative Assessment Ideas

-via We are Teachers

25 of the Best Alternative Assessment Ideas - Book Report Alternatitives