Assessment Nirvana.....

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

     I never thought I would ever put those words together...."assessment" and "Nirvana".  If you were to have asked me last year, I would have described it as the book title, "Alexander's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day".  Thanks to the timu program and a perfect storm of stuff, it actually might work out that something i did worked well.

     

     Here is the scoop.  First, i used the mosart test from harvard and some multi tiered questions on modeling.  I put them into a google form (with permission).  Kids took it on a wide variety of devices.  I got the results and graded it with "flubaroo".  I pasted the raw data and flubaroo results into a pre existing spread sheet that I created.  The spreadsheet did a couple of things.  First, it color coded all the answers based on if they were right, wrong or a documented misconception.  at a quick glance i can tell what kids know, do not know, or think they know but don't.  next each question was put into a category ("bonding", "periodic table", etc).  Finally, i linked each question to a site i created that has a list of pogil, timu or amta activities i can use for that topic.  the results have also started a great conversation with other teachers.

     also, thanks to bob worley, i think i might have a hoffman apparatus that works.  i made it with lead electrodes, some cheap tupperware, marine epoxy and , thanks to cincinnati bell, a modem charger that gives 12 volts.  I will keep you posted on this one.....