Video Summary

The video “Using Assessment to Guide Instruction” demonstrates the assessment used by teachers to measure student performance. Dr. Jeanne Paratore leads a workshop of practicing teachers in discussions of assessment strategies used in their classrooms. The teachers reveal how, when, and where they assess their students while Dr. Paratore relates how these assessments directs instruction.

I learned that there are many important aspects to assessment. Although it is very important that assessment need to be done in formal ways, such as running records, assessments need to be done throughout the day during daily classroom routines. The assessments need to reveal how students are doing with comprehension; use of language and word level; reading narrative and expository text; reading with peers or alone. Assessments should be gathered as teachers teach. This ongoing assessment should be used to dictate what is being taught.

During my observation in a first grade class, the teacher sometimes assessed students during centers. While students were busy doing the assigned center, the teacher would formally assess one or more students by doing running records. She would also assess students during the entire day. In fact, when she noticed a student was incorrectly writing the letter "b", she sat with the student during free time and explained to the student the difference between "b" and "d". From there, she gave the students some words to practice with at home.