Chapter 8- "What Do I Do with All These Sticky Notes?" Assessment That Drives Instruction.

     On the first day of class, Tovani walks into her 12th grade college prep class and tells the students, "Before you read anything, I want you to ask yourself, 'What's in it for me?'  Don't read for your teacher or your parents or your friends.  Read, write, and think for yourself," (pg. 101).  The kids are happy with being selfish people in the class, however when Tovani asks if they have questions, the kids are only focused on the tests and how the tests will be graded.  Tovani says of course there will be assessments, but not in the way that they are used to.  Tovani says about assessments, "But the good news is, I'm not looking for one right answer.  There will be lots of possible answers.  It will be hard for you to fail if you are willing to share your thinking," (pg. 102). 
     Grant Wiggins writes, "The aim of assessment is primarily to educate and imrove student performance, not merely to audit it," (pg. 103).  Tovani says that assessments should tell students specific things they are doing correct and specific things they need to work on.  Assessments should also give students many opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge on the given topic.  I feel as though we, as educators, should feel the same way about testing or assessing our students.  We need to remember there is no one right assessment that will answer all of our questions and doubts about our students.  You have to assess students multiple ways and make it a learning experience for them.
     Another important technique to remember is goal setting.  Helping your students set goals in the class and on specific assignments helps them to succeed in the class.  This can also be a form of assessment.  When the students meet a specific goal they had made for themselves, they could get a certain amount of points for meeting their goal.  Goal setting is a very important skill to teach children and being able to use it as an assessment tool is a great idea! 
     Tovani uses conversation calendars to keep up with her students.  Teenagers have a bad reputation because they are so dramatic and it is a very hard and trying time for them.  As educators, we work with that stereotype everyday and need to find ways to connect with our students and make school and learning a positive experience for them.  The kids can write anything they want in their little square for the day and turn it in.  The teacher will reply to what they wrote and give it back in a prompt manner.  This is a way to connect with the students on another level.  By connecting with the teens and knowing how they think, the teacher will be able to better teach them.  Some ideas for making a conversation calendar work are as follows:

• Have a tray in the room where the calendars will go everyday.
• Respond to the student's calendars on a daily basis.
• Make the calendars worth the students time.
• Decide consequences on lost or neglected calendars.
• Consider who will use the calendar and when.
• Experiment with different ways to use the calendar.

Another idea to use in the classroom is a reading response log.  This gives students a chance to read a book, write a summary, and keep notes on what they are reading in order to hold their thinking about the book.  They can turn their journals in for points and it can be another form of assessment where the students do not get nervous and full of anxiety and can barely perform on the test itself. 
     Tovani recommends keeping a file for each student in the class with work that really portrays who that student is as a person and showcases their identity.  She also pushes for quick conferences.  These do not have to be parent- teacher conferences or parent- student- teacher conferences.  These can happen with the teacher just walking around the room and speaking with children on an individual level while they are doing independant work.  Tovani says, "Conferences are perhaps the best assessment tool I have," (pg. 113).  As educators, I think this is a great tool to use to not only connect with the students, but get a feel for how they are doing in the class with the lessons. 

So... Here is what works:

• Decide what is IMPORTANT to assess.
• Design assessments as CHECKPOINTS for understanding.
• Use a VARIETY of assessment tools.