EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT | ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Educator Spotlight

Feb 17

Written By Josh Morales

Credit | eSchool News

Practical Strategies for State Assessments

By Stephanie Clagnaz, Ed.D. | LEDbetter

As we approach the high stakes testing season, educators try to balance instructional time between engaging students in rigorous daily academic standards while simultaneously preparing them for the demands they will face when taking state exams or other high stakes tests. We’ve selected a few strategies that you can use throughout the year so that they become a regular part of good instruction. When we use strategies such as these as a part of our daily instructional process, there is less of a need to stop teaching grade level standards in order to find time to prepare students for high stakes tests.

Use Formative Assessment Data to Identify Gaps

The use of formative assessments to clearly understand what standards students have mastered and those instructional areas in which they need further review is the key to helping students to prepare for high stakes tests. Formative assessments occur daily within ordinary instruction and provide teachers with key information regarding next steps to take with students. Whether using an exit ticket as a quick assessment of a daily lesson or simply questioning students to ascertain their grasp on a lesson objective, teachers’ response to what formative data reveal is our #1 recommendation when considering test preparation for students. When data reveal that students need reteaching, clarification, or practice in any given standard, pulling students independently or in small groups to reteach a standard as an ongoing, continuous part of instructional practice is imperative.

Chunking the Text

Throughout the year, teach your students how to chunk longer pieces of text. This strategy, sometimes known as Chunk and Chew or Stop and Jot, requires students to stop after each paragraph or section of a longer text to record a sentence or phrase that summarizes that specific chunk of the text. Students may record their section summary in the margin of their test booklet or if allowed, on a piece of scratch paper. At the end of the longer text, a quick review of their section summaries will help them to understand the meaning of the text as a whole. This strategy is helpful for all students, but particularly important for struggling readers or English learners.

In-the-Moment Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are often questions that contain phrases like “which answer most” or “which answer best”. These questions require learners to carefully consider each answer choice before selecting their response. To prepare students for these kinds of questions throughout the school year, create multiple choice questions with answers given by your students. For example, when reading aloud or solving a math problem, pose a question and ask each student to write down their answer on a sticky note or small piece of paper. Use student answers to serve as your multiple choice possibilities.

How can Ledbetter help you? We offer school-specific professional development sessions and coaching to empower educators to use strategies throughout the school year. Our sessions are designed to meet the specific needs of each professional learning community and are tailored to address your unique and individualized needs. For some schools, addressing the instructional staff as a whole makes sense, while others prefer to meet in small grade level or content-specific groups. Our goal is to honor what you identify as your professional needs. Email us today for more information!

To learn more about how we can support you, please email excelerator@led-better.org, or schedule a call with us.