Pre-assessment in lesson planning refers to the process of evaluating students’ knowledge, skills, and understanding before instruction takes place. It is conducted at the beginning of a lesson or unit to gather information about students’ prior knowledge, misconceptions, and readiness to learn new material.
The purpose of pre-assessment is to help teachers understand what students already know and can do, so they can tailor their instruction to meet the needs of individual learners or the class as a whole. By assessing students’ prior knowledge, teachers can identify any gaps or misconceptions that may hinder their learning and make informed decisions about how to proceed with the lesson.
The format and content of the pre-assessment depend on the subject, grade level, and specific learning objectives of the lesson.
The information gathered from pre-assessment enables teachers to design effective instruction, differentiate their teaching strategies, and provide appropriate support or extension activities based on students’ varying levels of understanding.
*Pre-assessment can take various forms, such as quizzes, discussions, concept maps, diagnostic tests, or observations.
*Pre-assessment usually takes place towards the beginning of a unit or series of lessons. In this course, since we are writing single lessons that may or may not be the first lessons in a unit or series of lessons, pre-assessment is not necessarily required.
Informal assessment in lesson planning refers to the ongoing, non-standardized methods of gathering information about students’ learning progress and understanding DURING instruction. Unlike formal assessments, which are typically planned and structured evaluations with specific criteria and scoring, informal assessments are more spontaneous, flexible, and often embedded within the instructional activities themselves.
Informal assessments are designed to provide teachers with real-time feedback on students’ learning, allowing them to make immediate instructional decisions and adjustments. They provide valuable insights into students’ learning needs, progress, and areas of strength or weakness. They inform instructional decisions, help identify gaps in understanding, and guide teachers in adjusting their teaching strategies to better support student learning.
Informal assessments may include: observations (throughout the lesson), questioning with open-ended questions that probe for explanations or engage students in dialogue to assess their understanding and reasoning, listening to students talk with each other, or small performance tasks (usually during hands-on activities where students can demonstrate their understanding).
*Informal assessment happens throughout the lesson and constantly helps the teacher understanding where students are in the learning process.
*Preparing questions ahead of time - that anticipate how students may respond - is one of the strongest ways to informally assess students. Ask questions that prompt students to explain their thinking, explain how they understand something, or explain how the results could be different by using a different approach.
Formal assessment in lesson planning refers to the structured and planned methods of evaluating students’ learning outcomes and achievement using standardized measures and criteria. These assessments are typically more comprehensive, systematic, and often occur at specific intervals.
Formal assessments serve several purposes, including: 1) evaluating learning (measuring the extent to which students have met the desired outcome), 2) grading and reporting (can be used for grades), 3) accountability (can be used to assess effectiveness of instruction).
Formal assessments are important for evaluating student learning and providing a comprehensive view of students’ progress. They help teachers make informed decisions about instructional strategies, identify areas for improvement, and provide feedback to students on their performance.
*Formal assessment needs to happen at the end of the lesson - to determine if students ‘know’ and are able to ‘do’ what’s described in your lesson’s objective or goal.
*Formal assessment is typically something different from an Exit Ticket.