Differentiated Instruction A Guide For World Langu... - (5 Differentiated Assessment) PDF

5
Differentiated Assessment
Once again, in assessing students, we can’t assume that “one size fits all.” The method of
evaluation used should be a continuation of the type of differentiation used in the unit. In
other words, assessment should be linked to:
Method of performance during practice of a skill or concept

Student learning styles
Level of cognitive ability (Bloom’s Taxonomy, DOK, or another)
Student skill level (ACTFL novice-intermediate etc.)
In a differentiated classroom there should also be separate grades given for three aspects:
Growth (changes in performance/knowledge/skills from beginning to end of the unit)

Achievement (actual standards-based performance)
Effort
Other than those basic concepts, there’s actually nothing special or new about using
assessment in a differentiated situation. Assessment, as always, should:
Be part of every day’s activities: students should be assessed before, during, and at the
end of an instructional day or unit.
Be planned backward: Decide on the final assessment before ever planning the unit.
What is the goal? What must students do? Design the summative assessment, and then
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choose everything else to lead students to success; this makes it simpler to decide on
formative activities as well.
Ask students to apply the knowledge and skills gained in basically the same way they
have practiced that knowledge and those skills. There should be a clear match between
the expected outcomes of a unit and the tasks provided as the assessment.
Be formative: Use formative assessments as a “temperature check” not just to measure
knowledge but to give feedback to both teacher and student on how well students are
doing, where there are gaps in learning, where students still have questions where
students have exceeded expectations, too. Research clearly shows that formative
Blaz, Deborah. Differentiated Instruction : A Guide for World Language Teachers, Routledge, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwsau/detail.action?docID=4415709.
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assessments have the greatest effect on learning.
Be timely, meaning that results are quickly available to the student.
Extend rather than merely measure knowledge.
Never surprise students. Tell them what they’ll learn, how to learn it, and how they’ll
know they’ve learned it—no pop quizzes, no surprise categories. Again, test what was
taught, in the same manner in which it was practiced.
Have clear criteria (a checklist and/or rubric) that communicate how students will be
assessed.
Formal assessments often take the form of short performance tasks such as a skit, dictations,
or quizzes or tests over the entire contents of a unit. They may be standardized, book-
generated, or homemade alternative/performance assessments, written or spoken or both,
open-book, oral or take-home, individual or partner or group tests. The form most talked-
about right now is the IPA (Integrated Performance Assessment).
Informal assessments show even more variety. Methods like Graffiti, Ticket Out, filling out
graphic organizers or mind maps, journal entries, or just worksheets, easy homework,
Classroom Assessment Techniques, or your own observations are good examples. Other
possibilities include:
Self-evaluation
KWL
Peer evaluation
Video
Portfolio
Extended-time activities such as Genius Hour
Deleting some options on a quiz or test
Actual parts of a test taken separately over a longer period and assembled for a final
grade (such as doing the speaking portion separately from the written)
JiTT (Just in Time Teaching): students receive feedback online
CATs
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are ungraded activities that provide feedback for
both teacher and student on learning progress, with less work than traditional assessments
(tests, papers, etc.). CATs mostly take the form of asking students to respond to questions such
as:
What was the most important thing learned during this class?
What important question do you have that is still unanswered?
What was the most confusing part of the (lecture/discussion/homework/film, etc.)?
Who does what to whom, where, how and why?
What is a real-world application for (topic)?
These can also be graphic organizers to fill in, an envelope with a question written on it to
which the student writes a response and slips it into the envelope, or an online questionnaire.
All data received from this is used to guide instruction.
Self-Assessment
I am a big fan of self-assessment, as it affects student future performance and confidence. In

Chapter 3 I talked about using a list of “can-do” statements (and the ACTFL National
Standards are built around “can-do” statements) both to motivate and to document growth.
Students should revisit these statements from time to time to mark progress and set goals.
A formal self-assessment at the end of each chapter or unit test is also a good idea. I include
one or more “reflection” type questions such as these:
I feel (circle one) comfortable somewhat comfortable uncomfortable about my ability

to_____ (“big rock” from unit).
– I thought it was easy to._________
I enjoyed._________
I was pleasantly surprised that I could._________
I still need more work on._________
I learned._________
(“Big rock”) was easy somewhat easy not easy for me._________
Circle all strategies you found helpful:_________
video workbook pages partner work listening to recording

rebus story journal entries verb grid grammar song
reading class website learning groups Design-a-Day
flash cards other_________________________________________
I look closely at these responses, noting activities students found helpful, their perceptions
of comfort with material, etc. I also, of course, use their actual performance on the assessment
as well.
A good self-assessment has three parts: a self-monitoring (awareness of their own thinking
or actions, such as completion of activities or achievement of benchmarks), a self-judgment of
the data (how much progress has been made toward learning targets), and self-reflection
(what students can do to improve, and setting a specific goal).
Since most of the activities in chapters 3 and 4 can be used as formative assessments, I will
primarily discuss summative assessments for the rest of this chapter.
Use Choice
Students who are evaluated primarily on one skill that they don’t have (or think they don’t)
quickly get discouraged. I cannot stress enough the importance of using choice in assessments,
as well as in teaching strategies, or in making sure that the assessments reflect the choices
students have made in their learning strategies.
“Show What You Know” Assessments
This type of assessment is simply when a student is allowed to demonstrate his or her
knowledge/mastery of the required skills in a form that the student chooses.
“Skip”: This type of choice can be as simple as allowing students to do any five out of
eight essay questions, or answer six out of ten questions asked of them (writing or
saying “skip” for the unanswered ones to show that they did think about which ones
they were less sure of). I might design a fifty-five-point test and allow students to skip
any five points (and, since no section has only five points in it, they must still do parts
of all of it). I believe this approach mimics real life in any career. If I’m asked to help
on a project at school, I can generally choose between leadership or helping roles, or
whether I read, write, speak, or just provide refreshments (kinetic activity!) Allowing
students to use the chapter skills in the way they are most comfortable with just makes
sense to me.
Open-ended questions are another form of choice, allowing students more leeway in
their responses: pick two famous people off the list provided and describe them using
two adjectives each; choose three time periods in a typical school day, and for each, tell
what you would usually be doing then; plan a picnic for four friends and tell what
you’d buy and where. I like using the words choose and tell because those could be
written or oral, live or online, and I often give my students a choice of those formats.
Another form of “show what you know” is Genius Hour, discussed in Chapter 3, which
involves a written proposal by the students that describes how they intend to display
their knowledge. Every such proposal must have enough of an in-class component that
you know it is the student’s own work.
“Bingo” Exams
Another variety of test is a bingo-style assessment. In each box of the Bingo grid is a
performance activity involving using the target language (TL) to speak, read, listen, or write.
Examples: count from one to twenty; greet the teacher and ask how she is; list the months; tell
three things you like and two you don’t. If students can do it without errors, they get a stamp,
and they may try a second time before it is crossed out as no longer valid. So, students choose
which parts of the grid they’d like to try for a “Bingo” (five in a row, horizontally, vertically, or
diagonally) for an A; four is a B; three is a C; and two is a D. Students appreciate having some
control over their assessment, as well as the fact that it can be done over a period of time
instead of just one day. I find that most students prepare carefully since they only get two tries
to pass. This takes longer to administer than a standard test, but the students get, in general,
better grades and are more motivated.
Contracts
With a contract, students choose what they will do (the depth and quantity of work) for an
agreed-upon grade. The contract is in writing, with clear penalties for late or unsatisfactory
performance. Students who fail to “compact out” of a specific unit might design a contract for
learning, with the teacher allowing them to work on enrichment activities during the portions
of class instruction that the teacher agrees the student has mastered.
Students would definitely need assistance to stay “on track” and complete the project on
time. Checklists such as the ones in Appendix A would help. A detailed step-by-step plan for
completion, with one step to be completed each day, monitored by both the student and the
teacher, would be useful. I would suggest using both.
Figure 5.2 is such a step-by-step plan.
Figure 5.1 Bingo Assessment
Figure 5.2 Project Planner
Tiered Assessments
Since tiered lessons are tri-level (low, middle, high) it makes sense that the assessments for the
end of a differentiated unit could be equally stratified. After practicing the skills at varied
levels (see Chapter 3 for a variety of tiered lessons, as well as instructions on how to make a
task easier or more difficult), the final product or test would be adjusted to the manner in
which students learned the skills. For most of the tiered lessons given as examples in Chapter
3, the easiest assessment would be to have students select one of their “practice” activities to
do, without books or reference materials, as a grade for that unit.
If you are planning to give each tier group a different form of performance assessment, play
careful attention to the following considerations.
Would students think each is comparable in terms of time and effort?
Stronger students shouldn’t be asked to do more work just because they can. They will resent having to do
something much more difficult for the same grade, and you’ll hear from their parents as well. Think
“separate, but equal” when choices are offered.
Do options allow for a variety of learning styles, interests, prior knowledge, and/or
readiness?
Don’t despair at having to have several assessments; a variety of assessments is much less repetitive and boring
to grade!
Use Context
As language teachers, we should all be using practice activities as well as assessments that put
use of the language in context: make students use the language as they will/would have to in a
TL situation or country. In such contexts, a multiple choice test will just not do; put students in
a hypothetical situation and ask them to perform. Such an assessment is called an “authentic”
or “alternative” or “performance” assessment, and there are entire books written on this topic,
including mine. So here is a very short summary: Authentic assessments ask students to
analyze, apply, and sometimes synthesize what they have learned. Even though students may
not be able to choose their own topics or formats, there are usually multiple acceptable routes
towards constructing an acceptable product or performance. And, you as a teacher get a
glimpse inside the student’s head in viewing these constructed response answers.
IPA: Integrated Product Assessment
Currently a hot topic in education, especially world languages, the IPA is just a grouping of
performance assessment activities on the same topic, chosen specifically to reflect the three
modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational.
Figure 5.3 (Based on ACTFL National Standards)
Guidelines for developing an IPA:
1. Activities must be authentic.

2. Activities should always be engaging.
3. Activities should be varied.
4. Activities should be focused around the unit theme.
5. Activities should force students to use the TL.

6. Activities should not be easily found online or in the text; students should have to
create the product.
I particularly like the presentational aspect, and here is where differentiation is most often
used. Before doing IPAs, I would have students write a story. They dutifully did it, without
excitement; it was all about me (the teacher) and what I expected/wanted. When it became
something shared on a blog, or posted for a Museum Walk (see Chapter 4), but with their
choice of format, there were students outside my door when I came in at 7:30 A.M.; I got
videos, pod-casts, animations, and more. Choice is very important.
Figure 5.4
Because performance-based assessments like these are complex, they are scored using
rubrics or checklists indicating levels of performance on a variety of parameters.
See the ABCs list in Chapter 4, the matrix lists in Chapter 3, or the Gardner’s-oriented list at
the end of this chapter for many ideas on products.
Following is a sample IPA, differentiated by choice.
Unit: Places in Town
Context: We have several exchange students coming to our school this fall. The principal has
asked this class to meet them and help them know our town better and feel comfortable here.
Interpretive Task [RL 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and RI 1, 2 and 6 // 1.2, 3.2]
View one of several videos featuring a foreign student talking about his or her home town (note: these often accompany
texts, but can also be found online). OR
Read an article or letter in which a student writes about his or her home town. Compare and contrast this information
with what is available in the town where your school is located (size, number, age, looks, variety, etc.) OR
Use Google Maps. In Street View, visit the student’s home town, noting the types of buildings you see (and don’t see) in
the downtown area.
Interpersonal Task [SL 1, 4, 6 // 1.1, 1.3, 4.1]

Given a card with information about the exchange student they will be accompanying, two students will talk about
where to take the new student, based on the likes and dislikes on the card, in what order they should visit them, and give
reasons for their choices (i.e., “First we should go to the zoo, because X likes animals”). They will submit an agreed-upon
written plan for the visit.
Presentational Task [W2, 9 // 1.3, 2.2, 4.2]

Write an article for the school or local paper about the student and his or her favorite places in your town. OR
Make a video/Powtoon/Animoto about where you took the student and if he or she liked it or not. (This can be done as a
partner activity where one plays the role of the student and the other the American host.)
For all: include places he or she would still like to visit in the future.
Other strategies that involve placing things in context include the following.
Personalized assessment
Here I will just remind you of previously discussed, personalized assessments: the students
who chose their own vocabulary words to be tested on and wrote the quiz they would later
take; students who proposed a project (PBL or Genius Hour), outlined how they would
accomplish it, and suggested criteria for its evaluation; and those on a WebQuest whose search
led them in different directions and to different end results. All these students would have
unique content and should be tested in a unique manner.
One more way to personalize, however, is called a “focus on growth” assessment. Using
your classroom observations, students’ scores on assignments, and comments made by the
student on self-assessment questions and by partners in various groups, you can compile a sort
of report card/update—using a spreadsheet, a chart or whatever method you find easiest—to
give the student. If he or she knows you notice effort as well as success, and that classmates
approve or disapprove of his or her behavior, it may make a difference.
Partner and Group Testing
Consider allowing students to choose if they wish to be tested alone, with a partner, or in
small groups. Each person should still receive an individual grade, but for some students, the
thought of an exam (especially an oral one) one-on-one with a teacher is extremely
frightening, and having a buddy along for moral support could result in a better performance.
Remember, once again, brain research that tells us that it is wise to recreate the learning
situation when assessing. If this material was learned and practiced with a partner, or with the
whole class interacting with the teacher, simply having a partner would allow students to
more closely simulate the learning situation, and the student will have an easier time accessing
what was learned.
Especially if you have large classes, working with groups to test has other benefits: it
somehow seems easier to manage five groups of six rather than thirty individuals in terms of
movement, and the group tests could be spread out over several class periods as well.
What does a group test look like? Usually, everyone in the group gets the same test paper.
Note: these are not multiple choice or true/false tests, but rather, ones in which students
generate compositions, graphics, sentences, respond to readings, etc. in which there may be
more than one correct answer (i.e., masculine/feminine differences, differing opinions on a
topic, and so on). Students in a group can work separately or talk to each other, but all write
their own answers. If the test is such that everyone should have an answer unique, you can
pick up all the papers. If, however, the results will be very similar if not identical, you have
two options: let the group decide whose paper will be turned in as everyone’s grade, or you
can randomly choose one student (biggest shoe size, closest birthday, or whatever) to hand in
his or her paper with the group’s names on it. (This would also have the effect of fewer papers
that you will need to read and evaluate.)
If that is too nontraditional for you, here are some alternatives that you might consider:
1. Give the test individually and then, for the last two minutes or so, let students talk to
anyone they want.
2. Give students thirty seconds before the test to talk and write down anything they
want, and allow them to use those notes during the test.
3. Give a class grade: the whole class can talk to each other, and all need to write. Then,
collect the tests and put them in a pile. Correct only the first response on the first test
paper, the second on the second paper, and so on. Everyone in the class gets the final
grade, and the class will make sure the “slackers” work, because it affects their grade.
I often do this when everyone did rather poorly on a test, re-giving the same test or a
similar one … and then giving an individual test on it later. This method encourages
the student-helping-student dynamic that brain research says is so good for long-term
memory storage.
Use Variety
Don’t always assess students in the same manner. Here are some strategies to add to your
repertoire, if you don’t already use them.
Knowledge mapping is like a mind map though not used for brainstorming, but rather for
note-taking as a year-long project, a way of taking stock of what has been learned: a strategy
used by many businesses, so teaching this to students might actually be teaching them a skill
to use on a future job as well as in your classroom. It has three parts: Survey, Audit, and
Synthesis.
Students would list what they know on the first day they begin to make the map, and then
add grammar, vocabulary, and culture to it as the class continues. I find this is a very attractive
activity for lower-level students and a good way to encourage them to take notes and
organize their thoughts as well.
I know that every time my students master a new concept, I just push them to another new
concept. This strategy helps them take stock of how far they have come since they began the
class, and is also available at semester exam time as a good listing of what might be on the
test as well as their own strengths and weaknesses.
If you have computers available, students can use programs like The Brain
(http://www.thebrain.com/).
Flex Fund
Think about setting aside a certain number of points for each grading period in a Flex Fund.
My insurance offers a Flex Fund–like discretionary funding program where I can tailor my
insurance to meet my personal needs. In a classroom Flex Fund, students may choose how
they would like to earn their Flex Fund points, which usually are assigned to be the equivalent
of one unit test grade. Options may include the following.
Class participation. Give students a rubric that explains what “good” participation is.
See Table 5.1 for a sample.
Table 5.1
Criteria Never Sometimes Always
Productive 0 3 4
Well-timed 0 2 4
Prepared 0 2 4
Accurate 0 4 8
Other categories to consider adding to this rubric might be “listens well to others, ” attends
class regularly, and non-disruptive behavior (sounds, gestures, and comments).
You also need to list (or have students help you list) activities that would apply: reading
aloud, asking productive questions, offering answers, interpretations or observations,
participating in online blogs or key pal (electronic pen pal) experiences, afterschool activities,
and so on.
Close-ups. A close-up is a somewhat short, in-depth investigation of a subject only

touched upon in class or in the book. It may involve an image or illustration, a list of
facts or examples (i.e., of a grammar point and its exceptions), a news article, or
another product. Students would be expected to present their results to classmates in
written or oral form or as a display, so everyone benefits from their research.
Leadership. Students could earn leadership points by leading a group, maintaining
order and focus in the group or class, or tutoring another student.
Notebook grades. Do you check and grade notebooks? Some teachers have students
keep very precise notebooks, divided into sections such as Vocabulary, Rough Drafts,
Grammar, Class Notes, Video Worksheets, and so on. Then they give grades based on
whether all student papers are in the notebook, organizational skills, neatness and
completeness of work, whether mistakes have been corrected on all papers, whether
notes have been rewritten and/or key information highlighted, etc.
Other teachers actually give notebook quizzes with questions (described during the
early weeks of the school year) about vocabulary words, about graded work, about
daily or chapter objectives, about handouts, or about other activities done in class. If
the notebook is properly maintained, students should be able to get 100% on the quiz.
Optional test grades. With this option, a student could choose to drop a low test score
or double a high one. He or she could also take an optional review test or a test over a
supplementary topic on which he or she has done some research or a report.
Special projects. Such projects would be a written, oral, or visual report on
supplementary readings (magazines, news articles, Internet sites) or films in the TL,
interviews (native speakers, people who use the TL on the job, other teachers who
speak the TL or have visited a TL country), displays or models for the classroom, or
other ideas students may propose. Be careful that these are not things they may simply
“lift” from the Internet. These projects could be a good way for students to make
connections with other subject areas: a book report on Les Miserables that will be done
for your class and English class, a report on a famous artist or a copy of a famous
painting for Art, and so on.
Compacting
Compacting is an assessment-based strategy thoroughly described in Chapter 5. Students are

pretested before beginning a new unit and those who demonstrate mastery of a subject then
choose accelerated or other enrichment activities such as supplemental reading, creative
activities, or projects that they do while the other students learn the concept. At the end of a
compacted unit, all students take the final assessment, even those who “compacted out” of the
unit. WARNING: There must be a reward to the more advanced students, either a higher
grade or less homework, for example, or there will be no incentive to take advantage of
compacting.
There is a compacting sheet in Figure 3.14 in this book, or use the project planner and
checklist in Figure 5.2.
Portfolios
Students have a natural tendency to save work (all those notebooks stuffed full of crinkled
papers and handouts!) and this strategy takes advantage of that. Portfolios are an effective
way to get them to take a second look at their work and think about how they could improve.
This is obviously a clear departure from the old “write, hand in, and forget” behavior in which
students consider first drafts to be final products. A portfolio is a purposeful collection of
student work that tells the story of a student’s efforts, progress, or achievement in a given area
over a period of time. A well-designed portfolio system can accomplish several important
purposes: it can motivate students; it can provide explicit examples to parents, teachers, and
others of what students know and are able to do; it allows students to chart their growth over
time and to self-assess their progress; and, it encourages students to engage in self-reflection.
Research shows that students at all levels see assessment as something that is done to them
by someone else. Beyond “percent correct, ” assigned letter grades, and grammatical or
spelling errors, many students have little knowledge of what is involved in evaluating their
work. Portfolios can provide structure and practice for involving students in developing and
understanding criteria for good efforts, in coming to see the criteria as their own, and in
applying the criteria to their own and other students’ work.
When assigning a portfolio, consider the following issues:
1. What will it look like? There must be a physical description given (what documents
are used and how they are stored) as well as a conceptual structure (work around a
theme; i.e., best work, celebration, showcase, representative, or chronological).
2. What goes in? In order to make this decision, numerous other questions need to be
addressed: What kinds of evidence will best show student progress toward learning
goals? Will the portfolio contain best work only, a progressive record of student
growth, or both? If you want to show growth, include student work from various
times during the period. If best learning, have them choose what they consider to be
their best effort.
3. How and when should items be selected? Since student participation in the selection
process is critical, to reflect on their work and monitor their own progress, materials
that are included should be dated and include an explanation for their inclusion,
called a reflection sheet (otherwise, over time, students may forget why they included
this item). Working on assembling a portfolio is a good anchor activity (students can
do it whenever they finish something else and have a spare moment in class). Early in
the school year discussions with students need to teach them to ask:
What would I like to reread or share with my parents or a friend?

What makes a particular bit of class work a good product?
4. How and when should portfolios be evaluated? Establish evaluation standards before
the portfolio is begun. Portfolios are usually evaluated in terms of standards of
excellence based on curriculum, or on growth demonstrated within an individual
portfolio, rather than on comparisons made among different students’ portfolios.
Students’ self-evaluation should explore areas needing more attention and effort as
well as what they are now currently exploring and what their goals are for this class.
A portfolio is a process, not a destination. Good portfolios result from:
Keeping the process simple

Including more than just written work

Asking students to explain and record why they chose each work sample
Maintaining a clear purpose
Ensuring students have involvement and ownership
Projects
There are basically two ways to have students do projects: as a final unit assessment (or even a
semester test), and by student choice.
As a believer in alternative methods of assessment, I have designed quite a few final
projects for my students that demonstrate everything in the unit and have taken the place of a
book-generated test. Some examples include the following.
For a unit on the imperfect versus the passé composé (Spanish: preterit), everyone in the
class selects a different (famous) painting from a folder I’ve assembled (old calendars, cut
apart). They are told that they were also there, with those people, looking at the same scene.
They must describe that day as a fond or scary or important memory: who was there, where
they were, weather, clothing, who was doing what … and then suddenly (they must use the
word soudain) something new happened. They are to tell what happened immediately after
the moment shown in the painting. I get some wonderful flights of fancy, practicing dictionary
and diction skills as well as the two past tenses. These students have choices of Content, but
not of Product.
Another example is for the book Le Petit Prince. I have students create a new chapter for
the book, imitating the author’s writing style, incorporating one or more of the characters and
the general philosophy of the book, complete with an illustration and a “quotable quote” of
their own making. It basically tests everything we focus on during our readings. However, it
may take the form of a storyboard, a postcard, a standard chapter, a video, a rap or a narrative
poem (I use a RAFT format; see Chapter 4). The students have choices of Product, but not of
Content.
Finally, for Level 1, our final project is a Family Book that we’ve been assembling since the
first day of class. As we did a new unit, we added another sentence to each page in the book.
At the end of the semester, students reviewed and finalized their writing, then sat down with
me and read me a portion of their book (or recorded it) as an oral exam.
These are all examples of teacher-assigned projects that allow students to demonstrate
competencies and knowledge.
The other type of project may not be assigned to an entire class, but to select groups. You
may remember that in compacting, students may select an activity to do while others do more
traditional unit study. A project is one of their choices. Students who have a strong interest in
a particular subject may wish to work with you, or a community mentor, to design an
independent study of their interest area.
The most important element of any project is engageability. To have a successful project,
you need to arrange for each student:
to be engrossed in learning something somewhat challenging.

to be involved in a real-world task or application.
to learn by doing.
to be able to effectively to diagnose where she or he is and what she or he should do
next.
to communicate his or her learning.
The second most important element is a good checklist or rubric, so students are aware of
what is required and are able to self-assess their success while completing the project. See the
“Managing Grades” section for more on that topic.
Managing Grades
Keeping track of grades is always a concern, and you would need to think about changes to
make in your current policy. If you truly wish to differentiate, you would give grades for
progress (growth), achievement (excellence), and effort (task completion).
Let’s begin with the last one, the easiest: task completion. This means keeping track of all
assignments and whether they have been done. Several creative teachers have a graphics
approach to this type of assessment. Remember the Tic-Tac-Toe–style Vocab Grid in Chapter
5? That could be used as an assessment: take a stamp and for each one they complete, award
up to twenty points based upon completion and accuracy (students will have used a checklist
or rubric available to them on the wall or in a folder, so there should be no surprises) for a
total of up to one hundred points after the completion of five assignments. It is easy to see, at
a glance, whether everything has been completed.
Another easy-to-use assignment is a Homework Calendar, an example of which is found in
Chapter 2. Students who are absent are still expected to have work in on the day it is due, or
the first day they return. The teacher also uses a stamp, saying: “When students arrive they are
to place their homework calendar and homework on their desk and do their warm-up. If the
homework is not out, I do not stamp it. It’s rough in September, but then it gets easier.”
If students are doing projects, make sure you break those down into steps such as: topic
handed in and approved, detailed plan, list of sources, rough draft, peer evaluation, and so on,
and dedicate a spot in the grade book for each step. If the class is differentiating for Product, it
is quite likely that students will reach these steps at different times; a glance at the grade book
(or a checklist on the wall) will tell both you and the students who is making progress and
who needs to proceed faster.
The second easiest is excellence: this would be the final grade for the project, or the chapter
or unit assessment score.
The grade you’ll probably need to think about is the one for growth. This should take two
forms: self-assessment by the student and assessment by the teacher. Both forms of assessment
should use the same rubric, one that is given to students the first week of classes.
Rubrics
A rubric is a list of explicit criteria for assessing student performance or product.

There are basically two types of rubric: holistic and analytic. A holistic rubric is a single
scale, with all the skills listed together as a unit, with descriptors of what several different
levels would look like, and points assigned. It is an overall judgment of the student work.
Here is an example of a holistic rubric for growth:
Unsatisfactory: Student demonstrates little growth. Makes little or no effort. Work consistently missing, late or partial.
Does not participate voluntarily. Problems with behavior.
Standard barely met: Student is beginning to learn a few skills. Work closely resembles that of other students, with little
originality. Work done on time. Participates occasionally.
Meets standard: Student work demonstrates consistent growth over time. Student is beginning to assume decision-
making roles. Work shows more than minimum effort to complete. Participates often in class.
Exceeds standard: Student demonstrates ownership, passion, and commitment to the subject. Works consistently on his or
her own to analyze, synthesize, organize, or apply knowledge in novel situations, resulting in unique responses. Leads
and assists classmates in studies.
Here is an example of a holistic rubric for student and teachers to use to assess behavior.
Table 5.2 Behavior Rubric
Helps facilitate classroom activity.

9–10 Exceeds the standard Demonstrates engaged, active learning throughout the period.
Makes consistently strong contributions to the classroom.
Participates in a generally constructive way.
Demonstrates engaged, active learning through part of the class
8 Meets the standard
period.
Makes some strong contributions to the classroom.
Has little negative or positive effect on the class.
May be grappling with concepts but shows little evidence of
7 Approaches the standard
learning.
Prepares, but makes little contribution to the classroom.
Has more of a negative effect on the class than positive.

5–6 Falls below the Required work or preparation incomplete.
standard Disruptive behavior makes learning diffi cult for others.
Has trouble staying on task; needs to be reminded.
Sent out of class or truant.
0 Fails to meet standard Refuses to stay on task.
Sleeps.
An analytical rubric breaks performance down into the different levels of behavior
expected, assigning each a point value (which can be weighted if desired), and which are
totaled for a quantitative measure. Here is an example of an analytical rubric for growth.
Table 5.3 Daily Performance Grade
3 Meets 4 Exceeds
1 Standard Not Met 2 Standard Barely Met
Standard Standard
Work done
Work
Work not done or well (more
Grammatically incorrect, mostly
late. than
simple sentences, correct.
Work/effort Plagiarism/copying minimum
misspellings common. Works well
Sleeping, tardiness or effort).
Work is done on time. on own or
excessive absence. Shows
in group.
leadership.
Uses English Succeeds in
frequently. No Uses a few English words. Consistently using new
Skill attempt to use new Little attempt to use new attempts to vocabulary.
vocabulary or vocabulary or structures. use TL. No English
structures. used.
Encourages
Comments are
Obeys all rules with Enthusiastic and helps
incomprehensible,
Behavior/attitude occasional reminder and others.
inappropriate or
needed. cooperative. Exceeds
disruptive.
expectations.
Here is a rubric for a weekly composition.
Table 5.4 Purpose: to improve overall writing skills, to practice current vocabulary and grammar
1 2 3 4
Does not address Addresses part of General Responds to all

Content
prompt prompt comments only parts of prompt
Several poor word Uses several new Uses many
Only uses basic
Vocabulary choices, awkward vocabulary words from
vocabulary
phrasing words recent study
Little attempt to Many errors in Some errors in
Perfect or
Grammar use “focus” “focus” grammar “focus” grammar
nearly perfect
grammar usage usage
Difficult or Attempt at
Logical and
Organization impossible to organization is Mostly logical
thoughtful
follow apparent
Failed to Several important One or two Perfect or
Mechanics/spelling
proofread errors major errors nearly perfect
Total: ________/20 points
Analytic rubrics take a lot more time to create than holistic rubrics, and more time to use
them as well, but the feedback provided is much more specific. A holistic rubric is much easier
to use in that it is similar to a “gut reaction” or “first impression” style of grading; however, in
a holistic method, you can’t weight standards (i.e., make a variety of word choices worth
double what spelling is worth) and sometimes it is difficult to decide what category a product
is in when it contains strong characteristics of two sections.
The Teachnology website (http://www.teachnology.com/web_tools/rubrics/) is a great
resource for writing analytical rubrics of many types.
Checklist: Another type of assessment tool, a checklist is exactly what it sounds like. It
takes the form of a list with a yes/no format: the student either did this, or did not. Checklist
rubrics are easy and quick to use, it is possible to weight items on this, and they are easy to
develop. This is why, in this book, I have provided checklists rather than rubrics (see Appendix
A).
Checklists are used by the student while completing the project, and then by a classmate,
before handing it in. I like to have work peer-checked for several reasons. First, students need
to have the project done a bit in advance of deadline in order to have time to have someone
else look it over. Second, students might hand in something junky if it was for my eyes only,
but they take more care if a classmate will see it. Third, there is always a chance that the
classmate, when reading another project, will see in it things that he or she could improve in
his or her own project. Finally, the fewer errors in a product, the faster the grading process
goes for me!
How to differentiate rubrics or checklists: personalize! Instead of you handing down the
scales as if they were commandments from God, enlist student input. I show students several
examples of products on the same theme (i.e., a variety of poems or posters or videos) and ask
which is the best and why—their views become the descriptor for an “A” product. Students are
more likely to remember the criteria they themselves suggest, and also soliciting their input
reinforces the idea that they are not doing this for you, the teacher, but rather, for their
classmates as the audience. They are more likely to put in effort to make a good product if
they know their peers will see it.
A few final thoughts to remember about assessment:
Assessment is not a test at the end of a unit. It is ongoing.
Students need multiple ways to demonstrate their learning.
Assessments identify both what is right and what is wrong, and suggest how to fix
what is wrong.
Figure 5.5 Performance Assessments Classified by Gardner’s Intelligences


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5

Method of performance during practice of a skill or concept

Growth (changes in performance/knowledge/skills from beginning to end of the unit)

I am a big fan of self-assessment, as it affects student future performance and confidence. In

I feel (circle one) comfortable somewhat comfortable uncomfortable about my ability

– I thought it was easy to._________

Circle all strategies you found helpful:_________

video workbook pages partner work listening to recording

“Show What You Know” Assessments

Would students think each is comparable in terms of time and effort?

IPA: Integrated Product Assessment

Guidelines for developing an IPA:

1. Activities must be authentic.

5. Activities should force students to use the TL.

Following is a sample IPA, differentiated by choice.

Unit: Places in Town

Interpersonal Task [SL 1, 4, 6 // 1.1, 1.3, 4.1]

Presentational Task [W2, 9 // 1.3, 2.2, 4.2]

Criteria Never Sometimes Always

Close-ups. A close-up is a somewhat short, in-depth investigation of a subject only

Compacting is an assessment-based strategy thoroughly described in Chapter 5. Students are

What would I like to reread or share with my parents or a friend?

A portfolio is a process, not a destination. Good portfolios result from:

Keeping the process simple

Including more than just written work

to be engrossed in learning something somewhat challenging.

A rubric is a list of explicit criteria for assessing student performance or product.

Table 5.2 Behavior Rubric

Helps facilitate classroom activity.

Has more of a negative effect on the class than positive.

Table 5.3 Daily Performance Grade

Here is a rubric for a weekly composition.

Does not address Addresses part of General Responds to all

Total: ________/20 points

Figure 5.5 Performance Assessments Classified by Gardner’s Intelligences

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