Mod 5 Discussion: Formal and Informal Assessments

One formative assessment I have used successfully in the past is a performance-based rubric for book reports. Students used the rubric while they were working on their reports to self-check their progress and again during peer review before turning in the final product. This was successful because the rubric clearly communicated the criteria being scored and helped students understand expectations at each level of performance. As stated in the module, rubrics are authentic tools used alongside real reading and writing tasks and serve as reminders of what writers should pay attention to. Students were able to revise more effectively and demonstrate stronger final work because the rubric guided them throughout the process, not just at the end.

One formative assessment approach from this module that I would like to use moving forward is an analytic rubric used during a gallery walk for book reports. An analytic rubric breaks the assignment into specific criteria and allows students to evaluate each part separately, which aligns with the module’s description of effective rubric use. During the gallery walk, students would review peers’ book reports using the rubric, providing focused feedback based on clearly defined criteria and performance levels. This approach is formative, performance-based, and authentic, and it encourages peer review and student reflection. Using the rubric in this way would help students better understand quality work, recognize their own strengths and areas for improvement, and strengthen both reading comprehension and writing skills.