Standard+B3+Uses+appropriate+assessment+techniques+to+guide+instruction

**Evidence/Activity/Anecdote:**
I struggle some with assessment. I feel like grade 3 students are over-assessed sometimes at our school. I whole-heartedly believe that both formative and summative assessment is crucial in the classroom. It is essential to monitor what students already know and what they need to know in order to master the standards and benchmarks. I’ve made an effort to do more informal assessment this year. I have intentionally not marked all work. When I do mark work, I’m making an effort to do with students so they can read my comments and understand them. A great example of how I use both formative and summative assessment to guide my instruction is in science. The **Physics of Sound Unit** that I teach every year is from the FOSS Science kit. After each investigation in the unit, there is a //Response Sheet// to make sure students can articulate and apply what they have learned in the investigations. The response sheets are completed independently. This quick assessment gives me a clear indication of how students are progressing and how I am to pace further lessons. My instruction is guided by the progress on the response sheets. There is enough flexibility within the unit and within my class to add review lessons in addition to enrichment lessons. For the culminating summative assessment, students have to create a home-made instrument that can play different pitches. The third grade team sends home a packet that has very specific project guidelines; project deadlines; and a rubric. After students make, write about, and present their instruction to the class, they complete a rubric for their self-assessment. I then complete this same rubric to assess their work. Evidence that I used for this standard is the physics of sound packet that students get; and example of a science response sheet; and an example of my science assessment and tracking sheet.