Activating Assessment for All Students

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Activating Assessment for All Students is a practical 'how-to' guide for teachers of mathematics and science. It details the connections among mathematics and science teaching, learning, and assessment. ... As educators, we know that assessment is much more than examination of student work. We also know that we must meet the needs of all students through differentiation. Activating Assessment for All Students supports our ability to make both a reality. The book comes with a dual recommendation for classroom teachers and professional development leaders. For the classroom teacher, it suggests ideas and structure for assessing and differentiating. For professional development leaders, it yields a good topic for a book study or action research project. * Teaching Children Mathematics * Activating Assessment for All Students presents a fascinating overview of the importance of differentiated teaching and assessment in the classroom. Hamm and Adams take educators through the entire process of differentiation in the classroom through activities and clearly written examples. The authors share a variety of differentiated activities and assessment tools that provide teachers with a toolbox to keep students actively engaged and give students ownership of their own learning. The authors also share their scientific research base all the way through teacher selfreflection. The book allows educators to understand when it might be necessary to reteach and when it is time to move ahead. The reader is presented with a bounty of examples, both in activities and assessments, in math and science. . . .This book is an excellent tool for any educator, whether he or she is new to teaching or a seasoned veteran. This would actually make an excellent book study for a Professional Learning Community or any group of educators. * Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School * The first two chapters of this book are devoted to discussing differentiated learning and informative assessment methods. Professionals looking for research-based information will be pleased. * Mathematics Teacher * Activating Assessment for All Students, second edition, clearly delineates the importance of Informative assessment as a process which naturally stimulates expression of ideas, peer feedback, and teacher-led discussion. . . . Hamm and Adams effectively demonstrate how teachers can use science and math strategies in learning to plan and evaluate instruction and assessment techniques in their well-researched and documented chapters. Diversity in student population, ability level, and learning style all speak to the need for-and the importance of differentiated instruction and assessment of teaching math skills to include reasoning and problem-solving and of science skills to include collaborative inquiry, critical thinking, and communication. The points for discussion and sample lesson plans serve as a quality guide to possible research, discussion, and active lesson planning in the implementation of prescribed ideas and suggestions. -- J. Bird, teacher of special needs children, Sacramento, California The second edition of Activating Assessment for All Students provides teachers with a variety of formative and performance assessment tools to guide curriculum planning, lesson design, and use of adaptive teaching strategies to foster student success. Mary Hamm and Dennis Adams present differentiated classroom activities, plus many ideas to improve instruction so that students will be actively engaged in their own learning. The authors provide a clear, realistic and useful approach to informative assessment. This book serves as a useful guide to gather information in order to "know your students." -- Cindy Mazoch, teacher, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Activating Assessment for All Students provides an interesting look at the value of differentiated teaching in the classroom. The authors discuss recent research in cognitive science including an examination of Multiple Intelligence Theory and its relevance to the modern classroom. The book canvasses a variety of assessment tools for both individual and group learning. From portfolios to collaborative inquiry, the authors include a number of practical assessment models with a strong emphasis on Math and Science. They also highlight the importance of both formative and summative assessment while also making recommendations for teachers' self-reflection as part of the leaning process. -- Meaghan Storey, Teacher, New Brunkswick, Canada This basic "how-to" guide for implementing differentiated instruction uses formative assessment in elementary and middle school science and math classes. There are chapters on how to use these techniques for improving student learning, portfolios and other alternatives to traditional summative assessment tools, and collaborative learning and problem solving in science and math classes. A chapter of sample lessons rounds out the book.This book is exactly what it purports to be-a training guide for using diverse teaching techniques to teach a diverse student population....But what makes this book worth recommending is its excellent use of examples and practical guidelines for implementing differentiated instruction. It's one thing for a book on teaching to say that a lesson should include something for those students with musical-rhythmic intelligence; it's another to suggest "sing the fours multiplication table to Jingle Bells" and explain how. The wealth of such practical suggestions for specific methods for how to plan a differentiated instruction lesson for elementary and middle school children makes this book stand out on the crowded professional development bookshelf. * National Science Teachers Association * This book, part of the Exemplary Science series, provides excellent examples and practical guidelines for implementing differentiated instruction....The wealth of such practical suggestions for planning a differentiated instruction lesson makes Activating Assessment for All Students a standout on the crowded professional development bookshelf. * The Science Teacher * Activating Assessment for All Students is both innovative and practical. It is a unique and compelling guidebook for teachers and others who are interested in assessment and differentiated instruction. Special attention is given to how formative assessment practices can help elementary and middle school students learn science and math. Mary Hamm and Dennis Adams present precisely the kind of standards-supported activities that can motivate even the most reluctant learners. The book is grounded in a constructivist approach to differentiated instruction and informative assessment that opens exciting learning opportunities for an increasingly diverse student body. It encourages educators to reflect on their teaching practices-while building a conceptual framework for new directions and new assessment strategies. -- Rebecca Angeles, professor of information and decision sciences, University of New Brunswick, Canada