Easy Video Assessment

Student learning can be hard (or easy) to assess. So many times people think of assessment as nothing more than a paper and pencil test. Probably with some multiple choice options and an essay section at the end.

That is certainly one way to assess a child’s knowledge about a certain topic.

But, there are several types of assessment that can sometimes be forgotten – and those assessments can be some of the best to showcase what students really know (and can apply in the real world).

Need some authentic assessment tips? How about some simple assessment tools for the classroom? Organized Classroom has you covered.

Need some authentic assessment tips? Those assessments can be some of the best to showcase what students really know and can apply in the real world.

Most teachers can relate to the dread of standardized testing.

It is the culminating event that students and teachers are supposed to “show what you know.” As we all know, a student’s intelligence is not measured by one test on one given day in the school year.

Students are full of random facts, how they treat others, and background knowledge that only they have.

They are like snowflakes: No two are the same.

So why in the world would one type of test show all that knowledge in just 2 hours?

How about educators take back the testing methods and instead be able to prove to administrators, parents, and other stakeholders what each child truly is knowledgeable about as it pertains to grade level expectations.

At that point, we will be able to know just how far each student has come throughout the year and in their individual needs.

You might want to check out:

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Saving Grading Time
How to Set Up Student Data Folders
Self-Assessment for Students
Quick Informal Assessment Hacks

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What is in your Assessment Toolbox?

Having a variety of assessment methods allows teachers to see a clearer picture of students’ strengths and weaknesses in order to narrow the curriculum focus where needed. The learning process suddenly becomes much easier to see when you know what to teach.

Here are a few different assessment choices. All should be used regularly throughout the school year:

Higher Order Thinking Assessments: Make sure to use Bloom’s Taxonomy to measure higher level skills, such as applying, analyzing, and evaluating.
Multiple Choice: This is the type of test most “adults” think of when they imagine testing in the classroom. It is a great way to pre-assess students to see what they know about a unit/chapter before you actually teach it. You can find out very quickly in many cases that you can skip certain sections of the chapter when you notice 80% or more of your students already understand some of the concepts. That allows you to spend more time on the standards that they have not yet mastered. {And gives you some much needed breathing room too.}
Real world situations and authentic tasks: Have students utilize problem solving using real life examples. Not only do they get to flex their interpersonal skills muscles, but they just might come up with a unique solution to fix an ingoing issue within the local community.
Traditional assessment: This is an exam that can be done via paper and pencil or even newer assessments are now completed entirely online. They may include matching, short answers, or even essay questions at the end.

Examples of Performance Assessments for Educators

Need some ways to incorporate authentic assessment into your lesson plans? I love this little mini recorder from Learning Resources for all sorts of things in the classroom.

I love how light it is – I mean really light, so you could pop it in your pocket if needed.

And it is magnetic, which is super handy too.

But the coolest feature was the idea that students can just press a button (there are only 3 to choose from on the machine which makes it pretty much foolproof), and be able to document so many things in the classroom!

One quick note: This particular video recorder will only capture 30 seconds at a time. While that is not optimal for a huge assessment, it is feasible for showing short fluency passages. It can help to improve student fluency tone, but having immediate playback for students to see and hear.

Students can demonstrate a quick project they have completed. This allows you to view their higher level thinking skills without needing to assess individually or take an entire class period for students to present their projects.

What about explaining a math problem via the video? I love this solution because some students hate showing their work. Why do we require them to show their work? So we know they understand the why and the how. If you ask students to record the why while show you the paper with the how, they are far more likely to explain with more words than “I just knew how to do it.”

What about using it for center directions? I know how we all hate smile through gritted teeth when the same students ask multiple times for the directions again during small group time.

Video Book Report in 30 Seconds or Less! How about a fun way for students to share their latest independent reading selection with you? Make sure to grab the prep worksheet below!

Here is an idea: Take the mini recorder, place it on a metal cookie sheet, and then place all the rest of the center materials on the tray as well, including handouts, manipulatives, scissors, writing utensils, etc.

Then, when students arrive at the center, they can watch the video of you (yet again) explaining the directions, and they will also have all materials at their fingertips! That could certainly be a wonderful solution to the constant interruptions when students aren’t sure what to do.

This particular recording device will only hold one 30 second video at a time, but you can download the video right to a PC or Mac! So, if you are having students doing video assessments, just make sure to have it hooked up to a computer for easy transfer and safe-keeping of each video. Then the next student can record again.

This unit is also charged with a USB cord right from your computer, so no worrying about dead batteries in the middle of the day when you can’t get to more.