Assessment

I really enjoyed how the book opened up with assessment by relating it to our lives. We really do use assessment everywhere and do not realize we are using it. Some examples were how we assess what to wear after knowing the weather. Also, we assess the food and service at a restaurant. When it comes to the classroom, assessment should be more than something to just cross off the list of things to do. In my opinion, checklists and records are the best way to  show you results of different students. I agree with Cunningham that assessment should be natural and a productive part our literacy instruction as an educator.

I really thought the checklist on page 216 of attitude interest was really beneficial. I would like to use this in my classroom. I think it is very important to know what your students like to read and how they view reading. A project you could do for this is telling the students to go home and bring back their 3 favorite books. They then present to the class why its their favorite and so on. 

Questions to Consider:

What are some things you want to have a checklist for in your classroom?

What are your own personal experiences with standardized testing?

This is a self evaluation. I think these are very important. This might work well for students who are struggling with fluency. You could have the checklist taped to their desk or with them when they are in a reading group.