Diagnostic and Formative Assessments

Our teachers use diagnostic and formative assessments to aid curricular planning, guide differentiated instruction and assess students’ knowledge, skills and understandings. Diagnostic assessments are pre-tests that provide information on what students already know and can do. Formative assessments are on-going assessments that provide specific feedback to teachers and students for the purpose of guiding instruction to improve student learning.

Our primary diagnostic tool is AIMSweb. All students are assessed in reading and math three times a year using AIMSweb. Our parents are given AIMSweb reports about their children at every report card conference. We also use the Developmental Reading Assessment 2 with our struggling readers to gain additional information on how to best support them.

We use several kinds of informal and formal formative assessments at Rowen. Examples include, but not limited to: teacher made tests, AIMSweb progress monitoring tests, Exemplars Performance Tasks, Map Skills, cornerstone assessments, etc.