Helpful Assessment Terms

Use the following definitions to help you understand the district's use of the terms.
 

1. Balanced assessment -A balanced assessment system in one in which a variety of assessments are used, for a variety of purposes and communication about results facilitates student involvement and ownership of learning. 
2. Diagnostic assessment - When assessment results provide important insights into the student's current skills and knowledge.  Used before teaching to target specific areas of need.
3. Dispositions – a type of learning target which defines one’s opinion and/or appreciation for a given discipline.
4. Formative assessment- Happens “during” the learning process. Used to determine student needs and make future instructional decisions. Not used for a grade.  Allows the teacher and student to know how much learning has taken place against the defined learning targets.  Answers the questions: What do students know now?  What comes next? 
5. Summative assessments – Measure learning after it has occurred to see if it did. Allows educators to make statements about learning at a certain point in time. These “statements” may include grades, report card comments, or in the case of state level tests, comparisons to a normative sample or standard.
6. Learning Target - A learning target is a statement of intended learning based on standards, indicators, benchmarks, outcomes, objectives or whatever may guide your instruction.