What Student Assessment Looks Like in a K-12 Blended Environment

The way we teach and learn has changed drastically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve gone from virtual to hybrid to a mix of face-to-face models that mirror the traditional K-12 classroom. This has not only changed what schools look like but how we approach teaching and learning during this pandemic. With that said, one model that can potentially be adapted to fit our current needs is the blended learning model, especially since hybrid education seems to be here to stay.

Instruction in a blended learning environment can take place via online learning and in a supervised environment away from home.¹ Blended learning combines active learning in both online and offline environments to give students control over the process and progress of their learning. While there are different approaches found within the blended learning model, in this article, we will focus on what assessment looks like and how the best practices of blended learning can work for our current classrooms as we prepare for the 2021-2022 school year.

Summative vs. Formative Assessments

Before we dive into the best practices of blended learning, it’s important to understand the difference between two of the main types of assessment: summative and formative. While the end goal for assessment is to track student progress and master levels and use this information to inform instruction, each type of assessment plays a unique role in the learning process. Summative assessments are usually formal methods that measure student achievement and specific learning outcomes at the end of a semester, term, or unit of study.² Summative assessments take place in controlled environments where students must demonstrate what they have learned or show mastery of specific benchmarks or standards. Some examples of summative assessments include benchmark or unit tests, a culminating project or portfolio at the end of a unit, a state assessment, or a standardized test such as the SAT.

On the other hand, formative assessments are more diagnostic and differ in that they provide the instructor with ongoing feedback that can help adjust instruction when and where needed. Formative assessments aim to provide insight into learning loss, the curriculum students have mastered, and what they have difficulty with. Some examples of formative assessment include but are not limited to classroom polls, exit tickets, visual representations to show what students have learned, and impromptu quizzes. Let’s dive into how each one plays out in a blended learning environment.

Making Assessment Work in a Blended Learning Environment

Planning out your assessments and leveraging classroom technology tools for assessment are critical steps for setting up effective practices for the blended learning classroom. Fortunately, formative assessment can easily be implemented using the platforms or tools that are already in place to effectively monitor student progress. By using the right assessment tools, instructors can consistently track learning loss and student proficiency of specific standards.

Instructors should leverage technology tools for summative assessment in online learning environments. PowerSchool Performance Matters has pre-made item banks that can be used to build tests and quizzes that allow for seamless integration with Schoology Learning. There must be intention and purpose for the assessment technology educators choose to use. Teachers should take full advantage of online assessment tools by tracking usage as well as analyzing data collected within those tools. This will assist in tracking students’ progress and assist teachers in adapting instruction to remediate learning loss, if necessary.

Formative Assessment Practices for the Blended Classroom

As with any strategy, tool, or platform, it is best to evaluate what each has to offer and how it can help measure student progress and learning loss. When considering classroom assessment tools, in particular, look for those that integrate seamlessly with the other tools teachers and students already use. For assessment strategies, look for those that can be personalized for students and used both in-person and on-screen.

One of the most versatile formative assessment strategies for the blended learning classroom is the check-in. Check-ins are informal questions that the teacher poses either at the beginning, middle, or end of the lesson to gauge student understanding of the topic or concept being covered. With both in-person or virtual instruction, students can simply answer the question being posed with a thumbs up, thumbs down.

Dipsticks are a form of check-in. They are quick and help teachers check for both learning and emotional well-being. With dipsticks, the teacher poses a question to check for understanding. Students can then:

• Respond orally
• Respond with a physical motion like a thumbs up or thumbs down
• Respond through written response with a sticky note³

Other modifications for responses include:

• Students show numbers 1-5 to show understanding through rating with their fingers or using the stoplight approach
• Students show the color green to show they are good to go, yellow, to show they still have questions, or red, to show that they don’t understand and need more time or help
• Students in a virtual setting use emojis or GIFs to respond

The best part about check-ins is that they can be inserted into any part of the lesson and require little to no planning or extra preparation. Additionally, they give you immediate feedback on where students are.

Exit tickets are another effective formative assessment strategy to try in the blended learning classroom. Exit tickets are usually quick written responses that students submit at the end of class to show their understanding of the lesson that was presented.4 Much like check-ins, exit tickets require a student response to gauge their understanding and also to help the teacher adjust instruction if necessary.

The traffic light strategy helps sort out exit tickets into similar needs, questions, or responses. The three piles reflect the traffic light:

• Green, for those responses that are good to go
• Yellow, for those responses that show the student needs more clarification or a check-in
• Red, for those responses that need extra support to review or reteach the concept

By sorting the responses with this method, teachers can make modifications for their learners after each lesson.

PowerSchool Performance Matters is a comprehensive assessment solution that’s built to help monitor student progress and support instruction. Pre-built assessments are ideal for use in an in-person setting or virtually. Students can easily access their assessments through their learning management system, and teachers have data for every student at their fingertips.

Summative Assessment Practices for the Blended Classroom

When considering summative assessment in the blended classroom, it is worth noting performance and project-based learning approaches. Performance-based strategies like portfolios, projects, or podcasting are a great method to measure several learning standards and objectives at once and also provide the learner the opportunity to apply and showcase what was learned. Performance-based summative assessments, like portfolios, also challenge the learner to put together artifacts to demonstrate concepts, which is a higher-order thinking skill.

Oral presentations also remain a reliable and flexible form of summative assessment for the blended learning classroom. Oral defense and presentations allow the learner to explain their thinking and understanding of topics or concepts.⁵ These opportunities in which students orally explain or defend their learning are crucial for the learning process and can be seamlessly integrated into the blended classroom.

Perhaps the most underrated type of assessment is student-created products. When we talk about summative assessment formats, they are often teacher-created or driven and offer little to no wiggle room for expression or creativity. However, if we are to promote higher levels of thinking, we must offer opportunities for our learners to show us what they know. What better way than having them manipulate the content? Students can use tools like Canva—an online tool for creating graphics—to create original products. Teachers can take advantage of the infographic section, which allows learners to create their own infographics on a subject.

Furthermore, infographics could potentially be a suitable replacement for the typical five-paragraph essay. Another tool worth noting is YouTube Studio, where students can upload and edit images, videos, and recordings to create a new video. Tools like these offer an open-ended and flexible approach for students to manipulate different types of media to showcase their understanding.

In conclusion, formative and summative assessments can both measure student learning and progress, but it is important to take advantage of strategies that allow for greater choice and student ownership. Further, this is a time for educators to step outside of the conventional ways of assessing student learning by implementing performance-based projects, oral presentations, and student-created products that offer a wider range of opportunities for personalization. Finally, teachers can leverage the power of integrated classroom technology and adapt traditional forms of assessment to take advantage of what a blended learning setting offers.

Resources

1. Horn, M.B. and Staker, H. (2014).  Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2. https://www.graduateprogram.org/2020/04/formative-vs-summative-assessment-whats-the-difference/
3. https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-ways-do-formative-assessments-your-virtual-classroom
4. https://www.edtechupdate.com/assessment/blended-learning/?open-article-id=11129666&article-title=exit-tickets-as-formative-assessment-in-a-blended-learning-classroom&blog-domain=wherelearningclicks.com&blog-title=where-learning-clicks%C2%A0
5. https://www.edutopia.org/article/formative-assessment-distance-learning