Pre-assessment: importance and strategies
The importance of pre-assessment of both a student's cultural and educational backgrounds cannot be stressed enough. It is imperative for teachers to gain an understanding of where a student came from and to what degree they "identify with their own cultures as well as the students' level of acculturation" (Herrera & Murry, 2011, p. 101). While some students new to the United States may have had a strong educational experience in their home country, other newcomers may have had limited or interrupted schooling. Effective educators use the information gathered from such pre-assessment to plan instruction and learning experiences with the CLD student in mind. Areas of pre-assessment should include: sociocultural/acculturation biography, first language biography, second language biography, and school/academic knowledge biography (2011, p. 101).
Setting aside intentional time at the beginning of the school year to "set the stage" is essential to later success. I begin the year with a learning styles assessment, as well as writing assignments with the intention of knowing the students in the class. I query them on interests and their personal relationship with reading. Knowing that I will later ask them to digest large amounts of text, I ask about their study habits and places they can fully focus on reading. I also utilize my district's information management system, Infinite Campus, to assess areas beyond what the student themselves might tell me such as test scores, home language, length of time in our school system, etc. These kinds of "research" conducted on students is "essential in order to provide culturally responsive instruction" (Fairbairn & Jones-Vo, 2010, p. 21).
Setting aside intentional time at the beginning of the school year to "set the stage" is essential to later success. I begin the year with a learning styles assessment, as well as writing assignments with the intention of knowing the students in the class. I query them on interests and their personal relationship with reading. Knowing that I will later ask them to digest large amounts of text, I ask about their study habits and places they can fully focus on reading. I also utilize my district's information management system, Infinite Campus, to assess areas beyond what the student themselves might tell me such as test scores, home language, length of time in our school system, etc. These kinds of "research" conducted on students is "essential in order to provide culturally responsive instruction" (Fairbairn & Jones-Vo, 2010, p. 21).
pre-assessment ideas and strategies
Pre-Assessment via Tests and Surveys
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Pre-Assessment via Classroom Activities
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