How do you create and administer assessments?

1 Define your purpose

Before you create any assessment, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to assess and why. What are the learning outcomes or goals that you want your students to achieve? How will you use the assessment results to inform your instruction, grading, or reporting? How will the assessment fit into your curriculum and schedule? Having a clear purpose will help you choose the appropriate type of assessment, format, content, and criteria.

2 Choose your type

K-12 education can benefit from a variety of assessments, depending on the purpose, subject, and grade level. Formative assessments are ongoing evaluations that allow you to monitor and provide feedback during instruction. These can be informal, like observations or exit tickets, or formal, such as quizzes or portfolios. Summative assessments are used to evaluate learning and performance at the end of a unit or course. These can be standardized tests or teacher-made exams, projects, or presentations. Diagnostic assessments are used to identify prior knowledge, skills, or misconceptions before starting a new topic. Performance assessments require students to demonstrate their knowledge through a product or process, such as simulations, experiments, interviews, essays, posters, or videos. All these types of assessments can help you plan your instruction, differentiate your instruction, and address any gaps in understanding.

3 Design your format

Once you have chosen your type of assessment, you need to decide how you will present it. Will it be multiple choice, short answer, essay, oral, etc.? How many questions or tasks will you include? How much time will you allocate? How will you score or grade the assessment? You should factor in validity, reliability, fairness, and alignment when designing your format. Validity ensures that the assessment measures what it is intended to measure and reflects learning objectives and standards. Reliability produces consistent and accurate results while minimizing errors or biases. Fairness respects diversity and provides equal opportunities for all students to demonstrate their learning. Alignment matches instruction and curriculum and supports student learning and motivation.

4 Create your content

When creating the content of your assessment, you should consider using clear and concise language to avoid any ambiguity, jargon, or slang. Incorporating multiple sources and formats of information, as well as higher-order thinking skills, will allow your students to apply, analyze, evaluate, or create - not just recall or understand. Additionally, you should vary the types of questions or tasks to avoid any repetition or overlap. Lastly, providing rubrics or criteria can guide your students' expectations and performance.

5 Administer your assessment

Finally, when administering your assessment to your students, you should review the assessment objectives, format, content, and criteria with them and provide any necessary materials, instructions, or accommodations. Additionally, you must follow the assessment rules and policies to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of the assessment. It is also important to record and organize the assessment data and evidence in a safe and accessible place. By taking these steps, you can ensure that the assessment is conducted in a secure, ethical, and supportive environment.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?