How Often Should I Assess My Students?

Teaching with Valor Podcast: A Veteran Teachers Perspective

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"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Teaching with Valor, where we take deep dives into the everyday questions that teachers face in their classrooms. I’m your host, Don Fessenden, and today we’re exploring a question that goes right to the heart of teaching: How often should I assess my students?

Assessment is one of the most crucial aspects of teaching because it gives you insight into how well your students are learning and where they might be struggling. But the big question is, how often is enough? Do we assess too much, potentially causing stress, or too little, risking that we miss where our students need help? And how can we strike the perfect balance between formative and summative assessments?

In this episode, we’ll break it down for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. We’ll talk about the different types of assessments, their purposes, and how frequently you should be incorporating them into your lessons to get the best results for your students. Plus, we’ll look at how ongoing assessments can inform your teaching practice day by day.
Show Notes
For more information on this topic checkout the following resources:

• Edutopia – Formative Assessment Strategies: www.edutopia.org
• Rick Wormeli – Fair Isn’t Always Equal: A book on differentiating assessments for all learners.
• Kahoot: An interactive platform for formative assessment.
• Google Forms for Teachers: A tool for creating quick quizzes and collecting student data.
• TeachThought – Assessment Tools: www.teachthought.com

Stay tuned for more episodes, and remember, every student is unique, and every classroom can be a place where all students succeed. Keep teaching with valor!