Types of Reading Assessment Activities

Summative Assessments

End of Year tests, Final tests. Percentiles attached, and student promotion may be tied to scores. High anxiety for all parties, historically biased against minorities. Standards based, on a state by state basis.

Benchmark Assessments

Precursors to summative assessments, help teachers, administrators and others determine students who are likely to fail the summative assessment. Not graded, although teachers may decide to attach scores to gradebook independently. Typically determined by district, aligned to state standards.

Achievement Tests

Tests such as the SAT, ACT, ASVAB and the like, for the purposes of college acceptance or military service. Tests specific skills rather than a specific set of standards.

Teacher observes students, watching for signs of misconceptions or concepts with which students need help. This is a daily, ongoing type of assessment that teachers do without announcement and students don't realize is happening. No anxiety on the part of the student, gives a more honest assessment of student proficiency.

Bell-ringer, exit tickets and the like. Grade not necessarily attached, but may be. Students know that they're being asked to perform on a small level, to show understanding or mastery of a single concept, or small group of concepts. Can be done very quickly and as part of every class.

Real-world tasks or passages, not something students cannot relate to and show little interest in reading. If students are engaged in the text, they are more likely to retain the information and comprehend the important details

Application: an authentic assessment is one that tests a student's mastery of the concept in such a way that makes sense to the student. For example, many word problems in mathematics are authentic assessments in this way, because the trend has been to create such assessments so students will see the point of using that knowledge

Activities take the form of an authentic assessment, or should. Activities that use the concepts being assessed to solve problems that students see as worthwhile problems to solve are ones that students are likely to take seriously and put effort into solving.