Checking For UnderstandingAn Overview of Douglas and Nancy Freys’

Formative Assessment Techniques for your Classroom

Craig J. Wisniewski

Why Do We Need to Check for Understanding?

In research conducted on closing the achievement gap between racial and ethnic groups, studies found that almost half of African American and Latino students

indicate that they understand the lesson about half the time, or less. The same is true for between one-quarter and one third of Asian American and white students.

African American and Latino students also reported less understanding of the processes being taught and

less comprehension of assigned reading materials.

Newsletter of the Minority Student Achievement Network (2003)

how teachers can effectively increase

students’comprehension

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by using different techniques of oral

language

by using a variety of writing assessments

by using projects and performances

by using tests and assessments

by using different types of questioning techniques

1. What are the various methods a teacher can use to check for student understanding?2. How can teachers use these methods to better support our district grading initiative of 80/20?3. How can teachers help students develop good study skills?4. How does checking for understanding foster staff collaboration?

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how teachers can effectively increase

students’ comprehension

.

by using different types of questioning techniques

such as

by using a variety of writing assessments

such as

by using tests and assessments such as

by using different

techniques of oral language

such as Tests:1. Multiple Choice2. Short Answer3. True or False4. Essay

Assessments1. Pacing Guides2. Instructional Materials and Arrangements3. Common Assessments4. Consensus Scoring and Item Analysis5. Revising Pacing Guides, Reviewing Assessments, Reteaching, and Forming Intervention Groups

1. Accountable Talk2. Value Lineups3. Retellings4. Think-Pair-Share5. Misconception Analysis6. Whip Around

1. Response Cards2. Hand Signals3. Audience Response Systems4. ReQuest5. Socratic Seminar

1. Interactive Writing2. Read-Write-Pair-Share3. Summary Writing4. RAFT

Using Oral Language (Speaking and Listening) to Check for Understanding

• Accountable Talk• Students are taught how to be accountable with each other (staying on task, using accurate and

appropriate information for the topic, and thinking deeply about what their partner says) to forward the conversation and deepen their understanding of the topic at hand

• Value Lineups• Students develop in-depth knowledge by enabling them to explore core concepts and understanding

problems by first analyzing their beliefs and then listening to positions held by others

• Retellings• Students process large segments of text, think about the sequence of ideas or events and their importance,

and then summarize, orally, what they understand

• Think Pair Share• Students discuss their responses with peers before sharing with the whole class

• Misconception Analysis• Students have an opportunity to discuss, often in small groups, misunderstandings they have about the

topic at hand

• Whip Around• Students make a list of at least three items in response to a question; every student then stands up and as

one student calls out his/her answer, other students cross that item off their list. When all items are crossed off their list, that student may sit

Questioning Techniques to Check for Understanding

• Response Cards• Index cards, signs, dry-erase boards, magnetic boards or other items are

simultaneously held up by all students in class to indicate their responses to a question or problem

• Hand Signals• Thumbs up, thumbs sideways, and thumbs down to indicate understanding,

confusion, or a misunderstanding

• Audience Response Systems (ARS)• A handheld electronic device commonly used with PowerPoint

• ReQuest• Reciprocal questioning is a process in which students ask and answer questions as

they read

• Socratic Seminar• Engaging a group of learners in a conversation and a series of questions

Writing Assessments to Check for Understanding

• Interactive Writing• Allowing students to share the pen or dry erase marker with the

teacher in whole or small groups

• Read-Write-Pair-Share• Students read the material, write in response to the information,

engage in a partner conversation about what they’ve read and written, and then share their ideas with the whole class

• Summary Writing• Students re-write what they have read, viewed, or done

• RAFT • Role: What is the role of the writer?• Audience: To whom is the writer writing?• Format: What is the format for the writing?• Topic: What is the focus of the writing?

Using Projects and Performances to Check for Understanding

• Readers’ Theatre• Students read directly from scripts to tell a story or inform an audience using intonation,

facial gestures, prosody and gestures

• Multimedia Presentations• Students share what they know as they combine text, graphics, video, sound and even

animation

• Electronic and Paper Portfolios• Students collect items to reflect a body of work

• Visual Displays of Information• Students represent their knowledge in a nonlinguistic fashion using images or movement

to do so• Graphic Organizers• Electronic Software such as Inspiration or Kidspiration• Foldables• Dioramas

• Public Performances• Students perform their presentation

Using Tests to Check for Understanding(tests should be used to check student understanding

and to help plan instruction)

• Multiple Choice• Gauges students understanding fairly quickly

• Short Answer• Measure if students can accurately recall specific information

• True or False (Dichotomous Choice)• Determines if students understand the correctness of

statements of fact, if they agree with opinions, if they can define terms, or if they understand a principle

• Essays• Requires students to consolidate their understanding of a

topic, organize their thinking, and present it by providing an opportunity for students to synthesize or evaluate information

Using Assessments to Check for Understanding (assessments should be used to check student understanding

and to help plan instruction)

•Pacing Guides

• A sequence of Standards-based instruction

• Instructional Materials and Arrangements• Selection of instructional materials, strategies, approaches and arrangements

to curriculum

• Common Assessments• Pre-determined points (no less than every six weeks) in which a group of

teachers create and administer their own assessments

• Consensus Scoring and Item Analysis• Teachers meet to discuss results, disaggregate it into subpopulations, and do a

test item analysis on questions to check for students understanding and misunderstandings

• Revising Pacing Guides, Reviewing Assessments, Reteaching, and Forming Intervention Groups