Assessment
"Measurement is not to provide numbers but insight." -Ingrid Bucher
Vocabulary Assessment:
Planning Vocabulary Assessment
When it comes to instruction, many believe that assessments are the last step and are to be given at the end of an instructional period. In reality, assessment should be one of the first steps, one of the last steps, and part of everything that occurs in between. Rita Bean and Allison Swan Dagen have developed four general guidelines when developing vocabulary assessments.
- Assessment of students' vocabulary development should focus on formative assessment data collected throughout the school year.
- Vocabulary instruction should be based on data collected from formative assessments.
- Students should participate in assessing their own progress.
- Multiple measures should be used to determine vocabulary growth.
Planning Vocabulary Assessment
When it comes to instruction, many believe that assessments are the last step and are to be given at the end of an instructional period. In reality, assessment should be one of the first steps, one of the last steps, and part of everything that occurs in between. Rita Bean and Allison Swan Dagen have developed four general guidelines when developing vocabulary assessments.
- Teachers should think about the goals and purposes of the assessment.
- Teachers should use authentic measures of vocabulary progress.
- Teachers should plan for ways to assess depth of understanding.
- Teachers should be aware of comprehension connections.
Monitoring Students' Learning
- Have students draw a picture representing the meaning of the word
- Ask questions to the whole class. Have them answer in choral response or with hand gestures
- Teachers can ask students
- -To define the word: "e.g.- 'Tell me what does enormous mean?'"
- -A question about the word: "e.g.- 'What is something that is enormous?'"
- -To demonstrate meaning of the word through signals: "e.g.- 'Point to the picture of something that is enormous.'" (Spencer, Goldstein, & Kaminski, 2012, p. 27)
- One student is asked ten questions about the meaning of vocabulary words. The rest of the class holds up green, red or yellow lights to show if they agree, disagree, or are unsure of the student's answer.