Why You Need an Assessment Plan at the Beginning of the School Year

Love this simple assessment plan. Keep me on track with assessing students all year long!

Why an assessment plan?

That email comes. Grades are DUE! You scramble to get the last few grades in. You are stressed, the kids are stressed, and the quality isn’t what you wanted.

One way I try to beat the stress is to create an assessment schedule.

Creating Your Assessment Plan:

Take an evening or two and plan out assessments for the year. If you are new to teaching or a new grade, you may need to just focus on one quarter for now, and then do the rest a bit later.

Taking this time will save so much stress. Here are a few questions to guide your plan:

What projects do you want students to complete?
What quizzes? Tests?
How will you grade participation? Will you use observations? A ticket out the door? Interviews? Conferences?
How much will homework count toward the total grade?
What dates should study guides be ready? (My advice – have study guides ready to give out the first day of the unit. This is the easiest way to have students master the standards and parents have plenty of time to help them study).
What date are grades due to the office? (For you new teachers – they are usually due a week and a half before that end of quarter date.)

Of course this will change, but this assessment schedule will help guide your planning for the year and take out that last minute scramble when you get the email that grades are due!

(Want a copy? You can get one in the link below).

Yes! I want a copy of the assessment schedule!