Formative Assessment, Target Goals, and Misconceptions

*This blog post was updated Dec. 31, 2014

Understanding the formative assessment action plan and the content in which you're setting goals for  will set everyone up for a more successful learning experience. You  want to first ask where are my students? This information gives better direction and focus. Then you will decide what are the specific target goals. Where do you want them to go? This  sounds right... easy enough. You probably already do this, right?

This is where my misconceptions and learning occurred. Stating these objectives or writing them so students can refer back is not enough. Our students must understand these objectives. They need to see examples of poor, okay, and excellent work. They need to be able to assess  and self reflect. They need to know what they are working towards or they will never meet our goals.

I've been struggling with my fourth grade students and their ability to answer comprehension questions. I thought if I can teach them how to restate the question that they would get it.  They learned the strategy of removing the question words but they  still aren't really understanding the question. Just before break I had a breakthrough with one little guy when I had him think about the skill they were studying and how he could use that knowledge to help him understand how to answer the question. The light bulb shines bright. This moment has stuck with me and when we get back from break I'm going to share this knew knowledge with the rest of the group.

I plan to use a KWL chart to begin our weekly selection and use it as a working document throughout the week as we make progress towards our goal.

If you would like to hear more about how I plan to continue this journey of using formative assessments to target goals make sure to follow the blog so  you don't miss a thing!