www.jmmstudents.weebly.

com
Jessica Malik
EDU 225
February 11, 2016
Mr. M
Video Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tTcCImSxBo

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Part 1: Assessment Technology

WEBSITE LINK FOR YOUR ONLINE QUIZ:
http://jmmeducation.polldaddy.com/s/third-grade-summative-mathassessment
RUBRIC OR ANSWER KEY FOR YOUR QUIZ:
1) 16

6) 1

2) 38

7) 7

3) $300

8) 675

4) 8

9) Divide 25 by 5

5) Divide 150 by 30

10) 28

Part 2: Blog Post

Assessment Technology
Technology has become the star in the classroom. Teachers use it in their
everyday instruction and student learning has benefited from it. Student
progress has always been measured through assessments, usually given at
the conclusion of a lesson. Assessments can measure how much a student

has learned and how much more they need to be educated on. Teachers are
able to use both web-based and software programs to create assessments
and monitor student progress. They can also use this method to administer
the tests. Technology is helpful in student assessment because it provides
immediate feedback, information useful to improve instructional programs,
and motivation and entertainment to students.
Technology to Facilitate Ongoing Efforts to Assess Student
Learning

Teachers can utilize many different types of technology to facilitate and

assess learning. The technology provides instant feedback that the teacher
can use to help students who may not be following the material. It also can
be used to adapt lessons for students with disabilities and cater to multiple
learning styles at once (Salend, 2009). Teachers also find it more engaging
and motivating for the students as these tools provide quick feedback and
are fun to use. Some software being used in classrooms are classroom
response clickers, WriteToLearn, and web-based programs that create and
administer assessment tests like Star assessments.
Classroom Response Clickers
Classroom response clickers are remote control type gadgets that allow
students to answer questions on an interactive whiteboard asked by the
teacher. This technology can be used during lessons to assist a teacher in
knowing if enough students have mastered the content and the teacher can

proceed (Salend, 2009). The data collected from the clickers is tabulated and
immediately available to the teacher, allowing the teacher to modify the
lesson if her students need additional assistance. This software can provide
feedback to the students at the teachers behest. This can be used before,
during, or after a lessons. Its versatility and multiple functions make it
attractive to teachers looking for immediate information on their students.
The most effective way to use the clickers is during the lesson so that
teachers can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson plan. This
is a great tool for students who are reluctant to participate because of
timidity.
WriteToLearn
WriteToLearn is a web-based software program that teaches reading
and writing. It has multiple parts, all encouraging the student and
communicating the results of the students work to the teacher (Landauer,
2009). The first part of WriteToLearn prompts the student to read and
summarize called Summary Street. This section focuses on reading
comprehension. The second part is called Intelligence Essay Assessor which
the students write essays on topics the software generates (Landauer, 2009).
This section gives an initial score to the essay and then continues to give
feedback with each re-write. Summary Street scores the summary written by
the student and gives specific feedback on content and length. What is great
is that the teacher is able to choose the reading material based on the
students grade level which is generated from the library. The specific scores

and feedback the students receive with this program helps students become
self-motivated learners. Teachers are able to track progress, assign tasks,
and monitor the students work (Landauer, 2009). This software is especially
useful to teachers as it gives immediate corrections and the student does not
have to wait for the teacher to point out their errors or make suggestions for
stronger writing. It is a great way for teachers to see their students
strengths and weaknesses and create individualized lesson plans for those
who are not as strong. This would best be used for formative assessments.
Star Assessments
This tools is a web based program where students can take tests both
teacher and state generated. It is available for use on any device that
connects to the internet. It tracks students progress, provides reports to
teachers, can predict future test scores, and suggest intervention for
students who need it (Renaissance Learning , 2015). This tool is an excellent
program for summative assessments. The teacher does almost no thinking
as a report is generated for each test and reports on many different things. It
can even pick up on frequent patterns of incorrect answers and alert the
teacher to a topic that needs more instruction (Renaissance Learning , 2015).
This program can also generate tests that meet the common core standards
and is state specific. A teacher can use this program for every test. The only
con is that it may promote the teacher to teach around the material on the
test, so it is important for the educator to make sure that the lesson plans
are still within standards but teaching to produce well rounded students.

Formative and Summative Assessments

There are two main types of assessment used by educators. Formative
assessments are small tests or quizzes given by the teacher to gauge how
much a student knows prior and during a lesson (Gunter, 2015). They collect
this data from their students to get insight on what level their class is on and
what lessons would be the most effective. Technology can be used to collect,
compare, and contrast the information quickly. Most technologies, like the
clicker or a web based poll can give data almost instantly. Summative
assessments are given at the conclusion of a lesson plan. It is given to
determine how much of the lesson the students comprehend and what may
need to be re-instructed. Web based assessments are a great tool for
summative assessments and easier for the teacher to track their scores and
pick out the topics and problem areas for students.
Pros and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Assessment
Both formative and summative assessments have their pros and cons.
The pros of summative assessments are that they provide motivation and a
goal for students. Most students who know that how well they studied and
participated in class will culminate into an exam, will work harder to score
higher. Another pro is that summative assessments can give a teacher an
idea on how effective their teaching was. If the whole class underperforms,
there may be a part of the lesson plan that needs adjustment. A con of
summative assessment is that teachers who work in schools where test
grades account for their job security will tend to teach around the contents of

the test. Students should be taught a subject in full, and tests should be a
review of those topics. Also, summative assessments put a lot of pressure on
the student to perform and low scores are not always a true reflection on the
students comprehension (Summative Assessment: What Teachers Need to
Know, 2013). To avoid this conundrum, students who do not get a passing
grade should be given another chance to take the test. Formative
assessments are a great way for teachers to get to know their students
individual needs and personalities. This is one of the pros of this type of
assessment. Since they are smaller tests given throughout the lesson,
students tend to score better, if they are scored at all, and teachers are able
to be more effective. With formative assessment, teachers are able to check
for understanding before the conclusion of the lesson and be able to reinstruct if needed (Summative Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know,
2013). One con of formative assessment is that these rely on complete effort
and attention from the student. If they are not graded, students may not
care enough to put forth their best effort or answer honestly which can give
the teacher an inaccurate report and cause delays. Also, the curriculum may
call for a quickly paced procession through the material and not allow for
multiple formative assessments.
Concluding Paragraph for Software to Support Assessment
Overall, there are countless programs for teacher support when it
comes to assessments. The clicker, WriteToLearn and Star Assessments
are all great tools to facilitate learning. With the data that can be quickly

collected from all types of programs, teachers can build more effective
lesson plans and become more effective educators. If teachers can utilize
the technological tools and incorporate it into their assessment practices.
The choices of technology, though similar, are not limited to the ones
mentioned. There are many more and some which can be tailored to meet
any need the educator has.
Conclusion
Overall, assessments are a necessary part of education. They are able
to gauge the knowledge level of students while also providing the teacher
with information on how to be more effective. Formative assessments
have the ability to allow teachers to modify lesson as they are teaching
and summative assessments give the teacher an idea on how effective
the teaching was overall. With the different types of technology available,
a teachers job with assessments is becoming quicker and simpler.
Students are able to test in ways that were not possible in the past. There
is a lot of potential for quality educators and excellent and successful
students. Hopefully, the future generations will benefit from the changes
being made to the education system and how we utilize technology.
References

Gunter, G. &. (2015). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology in a

connected world (Vol. 8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Landauer, T. K. (2009). A New Formative Assessment Technology for Reading and
Writing. Theory Into Practice, 48(1), 44-52.

Renaissance Learning . (2015). Retrieved from STAR Enterprise :

http://www.renaissance.com/Products/Star-Assessments
Salend, S. (2009). Technology based classroom assessments. Teaching exceptional
children, 41(6), 48-58.
Summative Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know. (2013, February 27).
Retrieved from Concordia Portland Online: http://education.cuportland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/summative-assessment-what-teachersneed-to-know/

References
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