The purpose of the assessment of and for student learning standard is to outline a variety of ways that teachers can effectively use assessments, and the information gathered from them, to develop expectations for students, create lesson plans, adjust classroom content, provide feedback, and more. It is very important that teachers properly model this standard so they can develop appropriate goals, create lesson plans tailored to students’ levels and abilities, accurately assess student achievement, and increase student motivation and self-efficacy.
Below are examples of assessments that teachers can utilize to help gauge each student’s starting level and academic progress throughout the year.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessments are assessments used throughout a unit to determine how well students are understanding the content. Formative assessments can range from short, informal discussions to quizzes or games that can help a teacher determine which aspects of a unit that students are struggling with. Below are two examples of formative assessments I used while student teaching.
Summative Assessment
Summative assessments are given at the end of a unit to show how well a student has mastered the content. Many people think of exams or tests as summative assessments, but there are other options, as well, including project-based assessments, presentations, and more. Below are two examples of summative assessments I used while student teaching.
Here is an example of a summative assessment I used at the end of a two week unit on electricity: Electricity Test
Reading Assessments
There are various types of reading assessments that can help teachers better gauge the reading level of students. Below are several examples of useful reading assessments that range from fast, informal assessments to more detailed, formal assessments.
Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI)
The Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) outlines how to administer informal, detailed reading assessments for students. This manual offers several ways to determine a student’s reading level and comprehension based on the type of reading material, what type of information the teacher is looking for, and what grade level the teacher is working with. The QRI can provide teachers with information about specific issues a student may be having with decoding, remembering, or comprehending words and passages.
Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) is a set of tests designed 
by the University of Virginia to help teachers gauge a student’s understanding and knowledge of basic literacy fundamentals such as spelling, reading fluency and comprehension, and concept of word. It provides teachers with insightful information that can be used to differentiate instruction and recognize students who need additional support. It can be administered through their website which walks you through the steps. PALS assessments are fairly quick and easy to administer, but provide invaluable information about a student’s literacy development.
Running Records and Three-Minute Reading Assessments
Running records are ongoing reading assessments that teachers can quickly and easily administer to students throughout the year. They provide teachers with valuable information about a student’s current reading fluency as well as their progress over time. Such data can be used to differentiate instruction and determine which level of books each student should be provided. A 3-minute reading assessment is a type of running record that measures a student’s word recognition accuracy, fluency-automaticity (wcpm), comprehension, and several other fluency attributes such as reading expression and smoothness, etc.
Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA)
The Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA) is a spelling screening assessment used by teachers to gauge the spelling stage of their students. The DSA begins with a spelling inventory screening which starts with simpler spelling words and gradually increases in difficulty as the test goes on. Teachers can count the number of words correctly spelled to get a predicted spelling stage for each student. Using this information, they can then administer a feature spelling test just below the student’s predicted level. From there, they can administer more tests depending on how well the student does. The DSA is an extremely useful tool for teachers to learn more about each student’s spelling strengths and weaknesses. It not only provides them with information about which stage each student is currently spelling in, but it also provides more detailed information about which spelling features they have perfected and which they still need work on. Teachers can use this information to determine starting points for lessons and to break students into groups for differentiation
For further information, please see my Professional Practice Standard Paper on Assessment.