F E A T U R E S P R I N G 2 0 2 3
FOUR STRATEGIES FOR EQUITABLE ASSESSMENT
Jennifer Jarnagin , Resource Coordinator
BUILD IN SCAFFOLDS
Asking students to identify the case and number of a noun ? The tense and voice of a verb ?
Formatting this as multiple choice in which students circle the correct case or a word bank so students know which terms to consider , for example , allows students to demonstrate their understanding without the stress of recalling the correct names and spellings of each possible answer .
It can be easy to confuse terms like conjugation and declension , so giving students a narrower range from which to select their answers allows for more accurate assessment of their abilities .
Similarly , if there are a few words that students need to read a current story or chapter theme but these words are low-frequency and will not be encountered again in your curriculum , why not provide their meanings for students ? This will allow students to focus their mental energy on more important tasks than remembering words that will have little impact in their learning overall .
INCORPORATE CHOICE
By giving students choices , we are empowering them to think critically about their understanding and choose options that best allow them to demonstrate it . Some ways to add agency to assessments include :
selecting from multiple prompts choosing which passage or sentences to translate providing students with pictures and they select which ones to describe in Latin giving students a bank of terms from which they must select ten to include in their writing
There is no need to rewrite your assessments entirely , but looking for areas where you could provide options helps put students in charge of their learning .
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