Untangling Assessments: What are they all for?

At WCSU, we use the assessment terms and definitions outlined in the Vermont Multi-tiered System of Supports Response to Intervention and Instruction (MTSS-RtII) Field Guide. The goal is to provide a supervisory union wide "balanced and comprehensive assessment system" that:

• Identifies students who require a closer look (screening); 
• Investigates and analyzes learning difficulties (diagnostic); 
• Informs "core" instruction (formative); 
• Monitors progress (progress monitoring); and 
• Verifies learning over time (summative).

Various common assessment tools are used to provide a full picture of students’ academic and/or behavioral knowledge, abilities, and dispositions. This is the point in developing the WCSU Local Common Assessment System, which is admittedly a work in progress. It's important to note that currently we are at the beginning of this process, especially in mathematics.

When we look at how math is being assessed across WCSU, we see a host of assessments. Not all of these assessments are common across the supervisory union. Not all of them are aligned with our non-negotiables. As we continue to move forward, we will be replacing and revising these assessments to create more cohesion and alignment.

The aim of this blog post is to take a look at some of the assessments that we are using right now and to provide a clear message for those of us who use them. What are these assessments? How should they be used? How should they influence our instruction? How should they influence grades and reporting?