Assessment

Assessments are an important part of education for teachers, students and parents. The Krajcik article discusses a "three-phase method" for assessing student understanding: gathering information, assembling and presenting assessment information, and evaluating assessment information. The first phase, gathering information, is a formative assessment of what the student knows and understands.  This can be done through tests/quizzes, classroom discussions or interactive projects.  The most effective formative assessments will tell you what misconceptions the student has, and how their thinking about the subject forms those misconceptions.   Phase two, assembling and presenting assessment information, is where the teacher gives feedback about the formative assessment to students and parents. The teacher then uses this information to inform further instruction and assess student understanding - evaluating assessment information, phase three.  The teacher may need to change a lesson plan, or extend the current lesson to suit the needs of the students.