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INITIAL & ONGOING ASSESSMENT |
Ongoing Assessment
“Ongoing assessment has to do with [learning]
activity that occurs continuously. [It] has less
to do with written reports and far more to do with the interactive,
dynamic roles of
both teachers and learners. It has to do with responding
to learners' questions
every day and with actively noting the kinds of questions
learners ask, the ways in which learners respond to print and oral
communications,
the kinds of mistakes they make, the ways in which
they go about correcting their own mistakes, and the ways in which
[others] might
correct them. This kind of ongoing observation and
assessment is inseparable from good teaching practice. Janet Isserlis”
“ What you See: Ongoing Assessment in the ESL/Literacy Classroom” Adventures in Assessment, Volume 2. Ongoing assessment can be defined as assessment that happens at any point after the initial assessment and before the exit assessment. It allows both the instructor and the student to examine the progress towards the short-term goal, what changes need to be made and how well the training plan reflects the current situation. Ongoing assessment usually involves both formal and informal components. It should be done with the student, not to the student. Informal assessment can include something as simple as asking, “How’s it going?” or an impromptu review of a learner’s work. Formal assessment includes planned for and assigned activities, tests and demonstrations. You can find more information about demonstrations in the next section. The Ottawa-Carleton Coalition for Literacy’s Handbook for Literacy Tutors (http://www.occl.ca/pubs/ongoing/ongoingI/Module1.pdf) provides the following suggestions that can help you plan for and incorporate both formal and informal assessment activities into all aspects of lesson planning and teaching. Although this resource was developed for literacy tutors, it contains excellent information that is also useful for paid instructors.
You will also need to determine a way to track and document student progress. This can include checklists of mastered skills, anecdotal documentation of observed progress and self-assessments completed by the student. This step will help ensure that students know they have made progress and have concrete evidence to prove it. This evidence is important to the student as well as to the program! In Assessing and Evaluating Literacy Learning (2004), Paul and Kennedy discuss a number of tools that can be used for ongoing assessment, including portfolios, journal writing, peer evaluation and progress reports. This resource is available to students enrolled in the Adult Literacy Educator program offered at a number of Ontario colleges. You can find out more about the Teacher of Adults: Literacy Educator Certificate program at http://www.adultliteracyeducator.com/about.htm. |
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