Step 4:

With students, develop a plan to capture evidence and report learning.

Guiding Questions
  • What are the purposes of assessment for this activity?
     What assessment activities can be built into the on-going teaching and learning process?
     What assessment guides, rubrics and other tools do we need to develop for this learning activity?
  • What can I do to make sure learners have a clear understanding of what will be assessed?

Step 4 focuses on designing on-going assessment activities that are embedded in the learning activities and instruction planned in Step 3. In this step you will clarify the purposes for assessment, determine what will be assessed, and identify or develop tools that you will use to record student progress. Educational assessment serves a variety of purposes. It may be diagnostic to determine what a student already knows. It may be conducted as part of a credentialing or accountability process. It may be used to monitor student progress for instructional and motivational purposes. Assessment carried out as part of a teaching/learning activity will usually be done to determine student progress so the teacher and learner know what is being learned as the activity is carried out.

EFF considers four “dimensions of performance” in helping students to think about how well they can perform a task:
  • What content knowledge, vocabulary, and strategies do you know?
    How much effort is required?
    How much help do you need?
  • In how many situations can you carry out this task?

While you might measure learning through “pencil-and-paper” assessments such as quizzes or multiple choice tests, research suggests that performance-based assessment is a better measure of and support for learning. Observing and documenting the various dimensions of performance as students carry out learning activities is one way to embed assessment. The Toolkit provides Tools and Supports to help you plan how to do this.