Assessments

Assessment is an extremely important component involved in early years literacy. It is a means to which teachers can gain a better understanding of their students and their learning capabilities as well as a way to better understand teaching. Assessment also offers teachers a chance to evaluate their activities, enabling students to achieve the most out of given tasks. When thinking of assessing the students tachers should take into account the following questions: (the following questions can be found in ) ASSESSMENT OF READING: Teachers assess students reading for many different reasons, including; understanding a students level/ability, learning about the way in which students read and areas on which they need to improve, and also to use when communicating with parents. In order to successfully assess students when reading we complete Running Records or a record of reading. The following is how we use a running record. Included are the differnt types of errors and the ways in which we mark them.
 * In which settings is the child successful in getting things done?
 * In which settings does the child need further support?
 * In which settings does the child appear comfortable?
 * When does the child seem confused?
 * In which contexts does the child work alone?
 * In which settings does the child prefer to work with others?

http://www.readinga-z.com/newfiles/levels/runrecord/runrec.html

An example of student and teacher during a running record. http://www.readington.k12.nj.us/7711082421652670/lib/7711082421652670/Picture_1.JPG

[|Click for: An example of a Running Record]

ASSESSMENT OF WRITING: Teachers use assessment of writing to learn more about their students strengths and weaknesses when writing. This may be when looking at grammar, including punctuation and spelling, as well as looking at the structure of children's writing and their ability to put sentences together. Once an assessment has been completed teachers are able to provide feedback to both students and parents. Teachers can also use the assessment to analyse their activities and then provide correct and useful educational activities.

A SAMPLE OF AN ASSESSMENT OF A STUDENTS WORK AT LEVEL 1

Sample at Level 1 – Robbie’s Book
As a stimulus for writing, the letter from Robbie Fencham was read to the class. Following class discussion students responded to Robbie’s suggestion by writing about something they like to do. Students were expected to work without assistance from their teacher, but were encouraged to use their usual classroom resources, including discussing their work with other students. They were also encouraged to illustrate their writing. The activity was completed in one 45-minute session which included 20 minutes for writing. The key elements of the standard addressed by this task are: Students: … write personal recounts and simple texts about familiar topics to convey ideas or messages. … use conventional letters, groups of letters. … are aware of the sound system and the relationships between letters and sounds in words when spelling. The following samples illustrate the kinds of responses that students typically produce when they have achieved the elements of the standard addressed by this task. The student writes a simple sentence about a favourite video. (Students) … write personal recounts and simple texts about familiar topics to convey ideas or messages. The student forms words, using most letters correctly, for example, ‘the’ and ‘was’. (Students) use conventional letters, groups of letters. The student makes plausible attempt at spelling ‘video’ and ‘fun’. (Students) … are aware of the sound system and the relationships between letters and sounds in words when spelling. http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/maps/maps_domain/eng/writing/level1.html#robbie1
 * Context**
 * Key elements of Writing Level 1**
 * Sample**
 * Annotation**
 * Writing – Level 1**
 * Key element of Writing Level 1**
 * Writing – Level 1**
 * Key element of Writing Level 1**
 * Writing – Level 1**
 * Key element of Writing Level 1**

ASSESSMENT OF COMPREHENSION: "Teachers can use comprehension questions-from simple to more complex-to gauge a child's understanding of the text."  When asking comprehension questions, teachers refer to the various types of comprehension questions. These include; Literal...on the line: questions which generally refer back to the text; Interpretive...between the lines: questions where the children must think between the lines and interpret what is not necessarily written on the page; and Inferential...beyond the lines: these questions make the reader analyse what is beyond written words and often ask for their own persona interpretation. 