Types of assessment 

Teachers have an understanding of what students need to learn and are expected to learn at various stages.

Children are learning all the time and this learning is not dependent upon what other children may be learning.

Teachers keep detailed records of what students do over a period of time enabling them to see a students development.

The multigrade classroom allows teachers to assess what a student can do and then extend them from there.

If a pupil writes wun instead of one the teacher knows that this pupil understands letters and sounds they represent. The teacher then decides whether the pupil is ready to be introduced to the spelling of the word one or if there are other priorities for the students development.

Children dont fail in multigrade classrooms. They continuously progress and they participate in assessing their progress.

They are made to feel that they are responsible for their learning and are always winners in the attempt.

Also, the younger children are stimulated by and model the behaviour of the older children, and older pupils act as tutors for their younger classmates while reinforcing their own learning process.

A multigrade classroom where continuous progress is encouraged and assessed works well because every child is unique and has an individual model and timing for growth.

Such a classroom provides opportunities for children to build progressively on their developing skill and knowledge base as they work toward the learning results.

There is respect for different learning styles.

Teachers structure a supportive learning environment where children feel successful, develop positive self-concepts and are helpful and sensitive to others.

Assessment in a multigrade class is continuously and spread over several years. There is a continuity over time that multigrade provides.

The pupil benefits from having the opportunity to stay with the same teacher and classmates and experience the same teaching style, assessment methods and other classroom routines over a two year ( or longer) period.

In a multigrade classroom there is time to recognize that a childs social and emotional needs are as important as academic needs.

Because the teacher values children as capable learners, she uses open-ended projects to provide for a wide of abilities and interests. During this time, the teacher can observe, assess and document what each child does and how it is done.

Each child is accepted at his or her own place on the developmental learning continuum. The teacher takes time to assess, evaluate and plan next steps for each child. Separate subjects are replaced by an integrated curriculum which engages children in meaningful activities that explore concepts and topics relevant and meaningful to the lives of the children.

In a classroom where all children are learning at different rates and are not all the same age, there should be little competition.

By helping each other, students reinforce their own understanding of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Conversations are encouraged as the children talk through their work in progress. These conversations help them understand just what they have learned.

Teachers should try to avoid long queues at their desks of children waiting for work to be marked. These children are wasting good time.

They quickly get bored and become restless. Its useful for you to have other activities ready for them to carry on with their own. This allows you to call one child at a time to your desk.

Many teachers find it more satisfactory to actually leave their own desk and move around the room. They sit beside individual children and help them and check their work in this way. This friendlier, less formal approach- particularly appropriate in the family atmosphere often found in the best multiclasses.

Some ideas:

Why not let children mark some of their own work?

Or make self-check work cards with

-         answer keys

-         a progress sheet in an exercise book or on the wall.

What about introducing routines for children to mark their friends work partner marking or for older; children to check younger ones?

These kinds of approaches can relieve the busy multiclasses teacher of some of the tedious, mechanical marking that is always necessary. In this way, you are left more time to spend in helping individuals with problems and in monitoring general progress.

Being a learner in a multigrade classroom does not negatively affect

Academic performance

Social relationships

Attitudes.

Learners activity

Make a performance card/report per pupil, to record their performances.

To see the progress but also to see which child needs remedial education.

Since the teacher cannot be everywhere, or with each pupil simultaneously, the teacher shares instructional responsibility with them. A context of clear rules and routines makes such shared responsibility productive. The pupils know what the teacher expects

-         They know what assignments to work on.

-         When they are due

-         How to get them graded

-         How to get extra help

-         Where to turn assignments in

Learners activity

Find yourself some more rules and routines.

Two very important learners objectives

a.     Learn how to help one another and themselves.

b.    Develop independence.

Note: When a young pupil enters the classroom for the first time, he or she will receive help and guidance not only from the teacher, but also from older pupils. In this way they also learn that the teacher is not the only source of knowledge.

Kinds of Assessment

Assessment, recording, and reporting are important elements of teaching but they have to be manageable if the information they yield is to be useful to you, the pupils and others. As with planning it is best to think at three connected levels:

      *   Short-term

·        medium-term

·        long-term

a.    Short-term assessment:

Short-term assessments are an informal part of every lesson.

Their purposes are to:

·        Check that children have grasped the main teaching points in a particular lesson or unit of work, whether they have misunderstandings that you need to put right, and whether they are ready to move to the next activity.

·        Give you information which helps you to adjust day-to-day lesson plans.

For these short-term assessments what you assess will be closely matched to your teaching objectives. There are two ways to make them:

·        During every lesson:

You will absorb and react to childrens responses, see

-         whether they are confident or hesitant with new work

-         decide whether they need extension work or more help

-         Or if groups need to be adjusted

In a multigrade class you might aim to keep a special eye on one of them on a different day each week, perhaps questioning the children informally to check specific knowledge, skills and understanding.

If you notice any difficulties or misunderstandings, try to adjust your lesson and address them straight away.

If necessary continuing in the next lesson or two.

Use the plenary part of the lesson to acknowledge individual and collective achievement and effort.

·        At intervals:

You can supplement your daily observations.

An out-of-class or homework exercise or activity at the end of a unit of work can give you useful information on who has learned what and who needs extra support.

Or you might occasionally give the class a short, informal test of rapid recall.

Older pupils could answer written questions, while younger ones write answers to questions which you give them orally.

Homework and informal test of this kind should be followed immediately by marking and discussion with the whole class to give pupils feedback on their performance and what they need to improve. At the same time you can make sure that any errors are put right and the merits of different methods discussed.

Short-term assessments dont need to be recorded, since they are for your immediate action and attention. But you may decide to keep your records, because they can help you to clarify patterns in performance over time or responses to specific teaching or support.

b.   Medium-term assessments.

Their focus should be on what you are unsure about, not on what you already know.

·        Review and record the progress children are making over time in relation to the key objectives, what they know and can do, whether they can apply their skills in a new context, and whether any weaknesses remain.

·        Identify childrens progression against individual targets, so you can give them and their parents feedback and set new targets.

·        Help you to plan work over the next half term.

·        Provide you with information to feed into end-of-year assessment.

You will need to mark any written task that is part of medium-tern assessment to give feedback to children to make corrections to their work, so constructive written comments are more helpful than mere ticks and crosses or scores out of 10. The marking, feedback and corrections should be done as soon as possible while children can still remember how they approached the task.

Childrens progress towards the key objectives needs to be recorded.

The easiest system to use is a class record of the key objectives; a summary sheet for the whole class, with the key objectives appropriate for the class down one side and childrens names across the top:

Your class record can be kept in a folder with your supplementary notes. You will use the same file in the next year when the class will go to the next grade.

c.    Long-term assessment:

Towards the end of the school year you will need to assess and review pupils progress and attainment against school and national targets, drawing on your class record or key objectives and supplementary notes.

·        Assess pupils work against the key objectives of the year.

·        Assess pupils work against national standards.

Assessment, evaluation samples:

Science: 1. Evaluation sample after a topic the tree.

The teacher will make a list of the local and national trees.

So this test can be taken of after having learned about on or several trees.

These worksheets can also be used in the activity book

All the trees that are present in the school garden or play area.

Grade 1 + 2 + 3 + 4

All the trees that are present in the village.

Grade 2 + 3 + 4

All the trees that are present in the District.

Grade 3 + 4

All the trees that are present in the Province.

Grade 4

Make a chart of one tree

2. Evaluation of the attitude of multigrade children.

Evaluation and assessment tool

SCHOOL PROGRAM STUDY GUIDE THE MULTIAGE CLASSROOM A SELF STUDY INSTRUMENT FOR SCHOOLS.

Low = not yet/rarely/to a small degree.

Moderate= sometimes/ to a moderate degree.

High = usually/frequently/to a large degree.