Happy Monday, everyone! Can you believe it's July 1st!? Slowwww down, summer! Please! I beg you! I hope everyone has been enjoying their time off {and for those of you not out of school yet...how is that possible???...I hope the end of your year is in the near future!}. Seeing so many teachers still in school makes me wonder-do you have year-round school? My district threw the idea around a few years ago but everyone was up in arms about it so they never proceeded with it. THANK THE LORD.
Anyhoot, today's post is all about Math assessment. If you are like me, you like to make your assessments in between big tests 'short and sweet.' I've found that if I do that, I am more likely to do it more often, which is what needs to happen anyways. Assessment is a tricky thing. It was something I struggled with during the first few years of teaching. I never knew when to asses and what to assess. I used to do a ton of assessments one-on-one, as well as informally assessing kids with their slates. The one-on-one thing had to go last year when I had 25 first graders and no support staff to help. The slate thing also got tossed out the window last year because let's face it: 25 kids crammed on top of one another on the rug while I "assess" them isn't ideal. I mean, who wouldn't look at the slates around them? They were practically in each other's laps!
I've always mixed in some sort of quick check for Math over the years, but I found that I wasn't always consistent. Sometimes I would use a scrap of paper and other times I'd have something formal prepared. I also noticed that if I didn't have the assessment copied well before I wanted to use it, it just wouldn't happen. I would get to a lesson and be like, "Man! I wish I had a quick check for this!" So low and behold, last year I created a pack of "Quick Check Assessments" for Math! With 2 on a page, these puppies were simple copy, slice in half, and pass out. Having 2 different assessments for each skill was also convenient because I could re-assess the same skill later! These worked like a charm throughout the year! I got lots of good feedback on them from my teaching partners, as well. I decided to make a second pack to include more skills. Each pack is around 40 pages and all skills are Common Core Aligned. I made this for my first graders but this would be appropriate for higher level kindergartners as well as second graders in RTI. I know you will like them! I have mine all printed off and stored in a binder so I can quickly snag them for planning each week.
*If you have previously purchased the first set, please re-download as I've changed the border. These sets will be on sale for today only {JULY 1}...20% off! Click the cover pictures to head to my shop and download the preview to check out the formatting!
xo
Megan
Anyhoot, today's post is all about Math assessment. If you are like me, you like to make your assessments in between big tests 'short and sweet.' I've found that if I do that, I am more likely to do it more often, which is what needs to happen anyways. Assessment is a tricky thing. It was something I struggled with during the first few years of teaching. I never knew when to asses and what to assess. I used to do a ton of assessments one-on-one, as well as informally assessing kids with their slates. The one-on-one thing had to go last year when I had 25 first graders and no support staff to help. The slate thing also got tossed out the window last year because let's face it: 25 kids crammed on top of one another on the rug while I "assess" them isn't ideal. I mean, who wouldn't look at the slates around them? They were practically in each other's laps!
I've always mixed in some sort of quick check for Math over the years, but I found that I wasn't always consistent. Sometimes I would use a scrap of paper and other times I'd have something formal prepared. I also noticed that if I didn't have the assessment copied well before I wanted to use it, it just wouldn't happen. I would get to a lesson and be like, "Man! I wish I had a quick check for this!" So low and behold, last year I created a pack of "Quick Check Assessments" for Math! With 2 on a page, these puppies were simple copy, slice in half, and pass out. Having 2 different assessments for each skill was also convenient because I could re-assess the same skill later! These worked like a charm throughout the year! I got lots of good feedback on them from my teaching partners, as well. I decided to make a second pack to include more skills. Each pack is around 40 pages and all skills are Common Core Aligned. I made this for my first graders but this would be appropriate for higher level kindergartners as well as second graders in RTI. I know you will like them! I have mine all printed off and stored in a binder so I can quickly snag them for planning each week.
*If you have previously purchased the first set, please re-download as I've changed the border. These sets will be on sale for today only {JULY 1}...20% off! Click the cover pictures to head to my shop and download the preview to check out the formatting!
Megan
Love these! I'm going to go check them out.
ReplyDeleteThese look great! (I don't think I'd like year round school either!!)
ReplyDeleteJennifer
First Grade Blue SKies
Year Round School-hmmm...would love to do research on this topics...benefits vs. concerns, etc. Thanks for all your wonderful posts. Stop by anytime!
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic! I wish you taught grade 6! I think that having multiple assessments for all subjects/topics is essential. Now that I am here....I would like to invite you to come and link up with a special Back to School with Bloglovin LInky! http://teachingisagift.blogspot.ca/2013/07/back-to-school-with-bloglovin-blog-hop.html. While you are linking up, you can download a great freebie and enter to win your own personal laminator!
ReplyDeleteSidney
Teachingisagift
Hi I am a first year teacher and will be in first. How often do you use these quick checks? Do you do them right after a lesson or the following day in the beginninng? Sorry for the gazillion questions :-)
ReplyDelete