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Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop

Analyze the Video | Assessment and Accountability

Watch the video, "Assessment and Accountability," taking notes as you watch. After you watch, jot down your answers to the questions below. If you prefer to watch the video in segments, pause the video when you see the next chapter heading.

Video Summary

In this video, Professor Kathryn Au discusses standards, benchmarks, rubrics, portfolios, and high-stakes tests. You will also see classroom examples that illustrate the strategies and research Professor Au describes. As you watch the video, consider the following questions:

  • How do standards and benchmarks inform assessment?
  • What role can students play in their assessment?
  • How can teachers prepare for high-stakes tests?
  • How does assessment focus instruction?

How do standards and benchmarks inform assessment?

In this segment, Professor Au discusses the importance of linking assessment to grade-level benchmarks and instruction. (If you are watching the video in segments, you will find this image at the beginning of the video.)

  • How can you build assessment into your instruction?
  • How can you document ongoing classroom assessment?
  • What is the difference between standards and benchmarks, and how do they impact your teaching?
  • How do end-of-the-year benchmarks influence daily assessment?
  • How can you make anecdotal records useful and manageable?

What role can students play in their assessment?

In this segment, Professor Au discusses using grade-level benchmarks to guide students’ collection of evidence. (If you are watching the video in segments, you will find this image approximately 10 minutes into the video.)

  • Discuss your experience using rubrics. What changes might you make after watching the video?
  • How can students use rubrics to guide learning?
  • Describe how portfolios are developed and how they can be used as an assessment tool.

How can teachers prepare for high-stakes tests?

In this segment, Professor Au suggests ways of preparing high-stakes tests, while warning of their limitations. (If you are watching the video in segments, you will find this image approximately 17 minutes into the video.)

  • Why are high-stakes tests not always accurate measures of student learning?
  • What are the best ways to prepare students for high-stakes assessments?

How does assessment focus instruction?

In the final video segment, Professor Au focuses on how teachers use assessment to inform instruction. (If you are watching the video in segments, you will find this image approximately 24 minutes into the video.)

  • How does assessment help differentiate instruction?
  • How can you use assessment results to create small, flexible groupings in your classroom?
  • Based on what you learned in the video, what changes might you make in your assessment practices?

Series Directory

Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop

Credits

Produced by WGBH Educational Foundation. 2006.
  • Closed Captioning
  • ISBN: 1-57680-815-7

Workshops