Quick Checks for Understanding-Formative Assessment

Using formative assessment is a proven technique for improving student learning that works both in the classroom and virtually. Formative assessments are designed to check for understanding and provide students with feedback and support. They are one of the most effective ways to improve student learning. I understand that virtually, there is still a need to cover large amounts of information and develop many skills in less time than we are used to, but by not taking the time to check for understanding to ensure that students understand a concept or can effectively apply it, will hurt student achievement. 

 

 Thankfully, teachers can use practical formative assessment techniques as a quick "pulse check" to gauge students' understanding.

As teachers, we do not need to reinvent our traditional formative assessments completely; however, we need to modify them to work in our current situation. Formative assessments might feel harder now in a virtual setting- you can't monitor the room and look over a student's shoulder-but they do not have to be more challenging. Here are some techniques that can be applied across grades and subject areas in virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning environments.  

1. Show Me

Ask students to display a designated hand sign to indicate their degree of confidence in their understanding of a concept, principle, or process. Examples include:

• Thumbs Up- I understand_______and can explain it in my own words.
• Wave hand- I'm not entirely sure about____and I'm not sure I could explain it.
• Thumbs down- I don't understand yet and cannot explain it.  
• 1-3 Rating- Students can show you 1- Do not understand, 2- Kind of Understand, or 3- Fully understand.
• Color system- Green-go ahead, I get it, Yellow-Still processing, or Red-Stop! I don't understand.

Self-assessment and self-reporting can be inaccurate, so use random calling to select students with their thumbs up and ask them to explain. Virtually students may also use designated emojis to signal their understanding. 

2. Choose One

Present students with a few choice statements or questions containing understanding or a common misconception and have them select a response (true or false, agree or disagree) via a poll, chatbox, whiteboards, or hand signal. This efficient technique is handy to check students' prior knowledge or potential misconceptions before beginning new instruction. Examples include:

• True/False- E.g.-When dropped from the same height, a bowling ball will land before a marble.
• Agree/Disagree- E.g., Is this an example of a noun?
• Digital Journal-Google classroom or Seesaw- Students can respond individually to prompts like K-W-L or a 3-2-1 (3 things you found out, 2 things you found interesting, and 1 thing you didn't understand) chart.

3. Create It

A visual depiction, such as graphic organizers and concept maps, can be used. Students can create a visual representation of information and then explain their graphics. Virtually students can post their maps via Seesaw, Google slide, Nearpod, or Jamboard. Examples include:

• Thinking Maps-Examples
• Flow map- to show events in a story
• Circle map- to show words with ____ sound
• Tree Map- to organize phonic patterns with many spelling
• Bubble Map- to show what plants need to grow
• Double Bubble- to compare and contrast two stories
• Collages, sketches, art, music, and/or drama to share their thinking
• Write a poem or song.
• Act out a chapter from a book.
• Draw or paint the life cycle of a butterfly.

4. Troubleshoot 

One of the most productive and useful quick checks involves troubleshooting. Pose students with a common misconception or a frequent procedural error. See if they can:

  1. identify a flaw or error.

  2. fix the mistake.

Their responses will provide a glimpse of the depth of their understanding.

Examples:

• Present a rough draft of writing/sentences and ask students to help correct grammatical errors.
• Have students review a multi-step math problem, find mistakes, and correct them.
• Place students in Breakout rooms with a partner with a rubric to evaluate each other's assignments and give each other feedback.  

5. Summarize 

Having students summarize what they are learning is an effective means of increasing comprehension and retention of new material and insight into whether students grasp essential ideas. Examples include:

• What's the big idea? Type in chat, record on Flipgrid or Seesaw.
• Record a one-minute video summarizing a story you read.
• Type what you learned today and submit it on Seesaw or Google classroom.

6. Practice 

Understanding is revealed when students can transpose their learning to different situations. One of the best checks for knowledge is to see if your students can apply the material in its context. This involves having students create and/or solve new examples to illustrate the learned concept. Using the knowledge can also mean solving the same type of problems independently as an Exit Ticket. Examples include:

• Create and have students solve "real life" word problems.
• Locate an example of a concept learned.
• Find examples in real life.
• Eureka Math Exit Tickets

While these quick checks can provide valuable information about the effectiveness of teaching and student learning quality, they are not ends in and of themselves. This information should be seen as the first step in a feedback cycle. Then, the next steps are to act on that feedback-reteaching something that many students may not have learned, correcting mistakes that may be displayed, and/or providing scaffolded individual instruction to students in need. When students are given feedback, they have to be given opportunities to use it, such as revising, practicing, or correcting. This way, students can be assessed on revisions with progress noted, and new learning goals can be set.  

Positively Teaching,  

Randi Muehlen