Post #2 - Mandy Hyde

1. Informal:involves spontaneous, unsystematic observations. An example: a ticket out the door that assesses students' understanding of material in class that day.

2. Paper-Pencil: involves written responses. An example: tests with open ended questions where students can express and expand upon their answers.

3. Standardized: developed by experts for use in many schools. An example: TCAP tests that measure students mastery of subjects across the state.

4. Criterion-Referenced: indicates mastery or nonmastery of specific topics. An example: a science worksheet measuring mastery of using scientific tools such as thermometers, measuring cups, tape measurers, and balances. 

5. Traditional: assesses learning separate from real-world tasks. An example: traditional spelling tests. I am not much of a fan of traditional spelling tests, but it is widely known so it is a good example. 

I would like to use all of these types of assessment in my classroom because i believe they all offer different aspects of a learning community. I do believe that both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments have advantages, but I do not like putting too much emphasis on the results as far as individual classrooms go.