8 questions for educators as they use assessments to support student learning

4. What resources do I need to use this assessment for its intended purpose?

Sometimes we can’t use an assessment for its intended purpose because other elements of a teaching and learning strategy get in the way. For example, a teacher focused on a strict scope and sequence for instruction for every student may have difficulty using an interim assessment like MAP Growth to differentiate instruction based on students’ individual learning needs. Look for a match between an assessment’s intended purpose and your teaching and learning strategies, and advocate for change where other policies, procedures, and common practices prevent you from using high-quality assessments to their full potential.

5. What can this assessment provide to our school that other assessments cannot?

Different assessments are better at different things. Formative assessment processes are ideal for proposing evidence of student learning in the moment and supporting students in becoming self-directed learners. Interim assessments like MAP Growth help teachers identify student needs across a content area, help teachers and administrators gauge progress toward learning goals, and help predict performance on state-mandated assessments. Purposeful summative assessments allow students to demonstrate what they’ve learned while providing administrators with important information about student learning overall.

When choosing new assessments, start by examining the gaps in your current assessment strategy. Having a clear understanding of those gaps will help you identify the types of assessments you may need in the future.

6. How will my students understand and use this assessment?

Students react to the assessment process in many different ways. Many students relish the challenge of demonstrating what they know, and they welcome opportunities to improve on their past performance. For other students, however, assessments can trigger fear, self-doubt, frustration, or even panic. These students may not understand how the assessments will be used, and they might even worry about how the assessment will reflect on them as individuals. How you talk to students about their assessment results and use them in instruction plays a big role in whether their experience is positive or negative.

7. How can I talk to students’ families about the purpose and uses of this assessment?

Families are among the most important stakeholders in the assessment process. Because a student’s caretakers can’t sit in your classrooms every day, assessments serve as a valuable source of information on how their child is doing and what they can do to support their learning. Make sure that families have what they need to prepare their students for assessments, understand the data they see from assessments, and build skills alongside their student over time.

8. How will this assessment support student learning?

The objective of every assessment should be to support student learning. The more you know your assessment tools, triangulate data between assessments, and provide students with the support they need to do their best, the more helpful assessments will be in meeting your most critical needs as an educator.

When you find yourself lacking clarity on how best to use the formative, interim, and summative assessments in front of you, try asking these eight questions before you get too far into the assessment process. They can help you not only better understand an assessment’s real purposes and uses, but also ensure that your students get the most value and meaning from it.