Informal Assessment

25.The process of gathering incidental information about learning progress or other aspects of students’ behavior and making decisions based on that information is best described as:

a.informal assessment.

b.formal assessment.

c.summative assessment.

d.criterion-referenced assessment.

26.Of the following, what is the primary purpose of informal assessment?

a.To provide teachers with information they need to assign grades

b.To ensure that students are meeting academics standards

c.To help teachers make the many decisions they must make every day

d.To provide teachers with information they use to communicate with parents

27.Which of the following are sources of information that are used in informal assessments?

1.Walking among students as they work on a seat-work assignment

2.Hearing students’ responses to questions

3.Observing student behavior on the playground

4.Hearing a teacher describe a student’s achievement from the previous year

a.  1, 2, 3, 4 b. 1, 2, 3c. 1, 2, 4 d. 1, 2

28.Informal assessments are sometimes unreliable. Of the following, which is the best explanation for this lack of reliability?

a.Teachers don’t get the same information from all students, so informal assessment provides an incomplete picture of learning and development.

b.Informal assessment often involves observation of students’ behavior, which cannot be reliable.

c.Informal assessments occur during learning activities, and assessments are conducted after a unit of study is complete.

d.Informal assessments are limited to assessments with young children, so they aren’t reliable with all learners.

Items 29 and 30 are related.

29.Thelma Wilson is working with her kindergarteners on basic sounds and letter recognition. In the process she calls on several students, and each one answers successfully. “It looks like they get it,” she smiles to herself, so she decides to move on to another skill. Of the following, Thelma’s actions best illustrate:

a.informal evaluation.

b.formal evaluation.

c.informal assessment.

d.summative assessment.

30.Of the following, which is the best assessment of Thelma’s conclusion, “It looks like they get it”?

a.It is likely to be reliable, since each of the students she called on was able to answer correctly.

b.It is likely to be valid, since basic sounds and letter recognition are important goals for kindergarteners.

c.It is invalid, since she only asked the students questions rather than using a paper-and-pencil assessment.

d.It may not be reliable, since she didn’t get information from all her students.

31.Which of the following is the best example of an informal assessment?

a.You give your students a pop quiz covering the multiplication of fractions.

b.You devise a rating scale to assess each part of an in-class presentation by your students.

c.You devise a set of criteria for scoring an essay test.  You use the criteria in scoring your students’ essays.

d.You call on each student in your class in a question-and-answer session, and they’re all able to answer.

32.You are conducting a question-and-answer activity on the climate and economics of Russia.  Your students respond well, and you conclude that they are ready for a test covering the content.  Of the following, your conclusion best illustrates:

a.a formal assessment.

b.an informal assessment.

c.a criterion-based assessment.

d.a performance assessment.

33. You are monitoring students as they play on the playground before school, and you see that Jared generally seems to be alone and rarely plays with the other children. You decide to confer with the school counselor to see if he has information about Jared’s social development. Which of the following is the best description of your observation and conclusion?

a.It is an informal assessment, since you gathered information about Jared and made a decision.

b.It is a formal assessment, since your goal was to promote Jared’s social development.

c.It is a form of performance assessment, since you’re observing Jared’s behavior rather than his responses on a paper-and-pencil test.

d.It is an important part of your job as a teacher, but, because it isn’t related to academics, it isn’t part of the assessment process.