JoinThe Prepared Practitioner: An Assessment Primer
Although the title of this month’s column may make your skin crawl—read on. Everyone should understand a few basics about the “A” word. Being able to distinguish formative from summative assessment and criterion-based from norm-referenced testing helps not only teachers, but also parents, the larger community, and students. In a school system awash in assessment data, helping others understand where the data comes from and how it is meant to be used becomes critical. Together, we can turn the “A” word from “awful” to “awesome” (or at least “all right”)!