Assessment and Instruction Interconnectedness

The close connection between instruction and assessment is a defining characteristic of effective classroom instruction.

Teachers make decisions about how to deliver or modify any given lesson based on assessment that the teacher continually collects and reviews. Formative ssessment, for example, is an ongoing process that takes place alongside instruction. Rather than a more traditional definition of assessment where it is used as a means to assign a grade or score after a lesson is completed, assessment should be used in a classroom as the basis for modification—before, during, and after the implementation of any lesson.

Just as a tailor would not make a suit of clothes without first collecting measurements and ideas about the style preferences of a client, a teacher does not plan instruction without first collecting “measurements” about students’ strengths, interests, and differences, and determining which type of assessment to use. The tailor metaphor continues as we consider that the client comes back for fittings and the tailor makes adjustments based on the results of the fittings. Similarly, teachers assess during the learning to see how much students have learned. Additionally, the teacher should maintain records for each student and hold regular conferences with opportunities for student reflection and steps for student growth. The results of assessments inform instruction.

According to McTighe and Brown (2005), “Responsive teaching demands diagnostic and ongoing assessments of student progress in relationship to required content and performance standards. Through this process, teachers will decrease skill and knowledge gaps, and will accommodate students’ demonstrated strengths, interests, and personal learning goals” (p. 237). Differentiated instruction results when teachers provide clear performance and feedback and prompt interventions to direct learning (Chapman & King, 2005). Instructional strategies target students’ current levels of knowledge and skill.

The video below discusses many forms of assessment that are popular today.

Chapman, C., & King, R. (2005). Differentiated assessment strategies: One tool doesn’t fit all. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

McTighe, J., & Brown, J. L. (2005). Differentiated instruction and educational standards: Is détente possible? Theory Into Practice, 44(3), 234–244.