Throughout grad school, I was a little surprised to learn that assessing comprehension was actually much more difficult than I had ever known. Prior to that, I thought we could ascertain a student’s level of understanding by simply asking them a few questions and having them respond in oral responses, written responses, or even in reading quizzes. I discovered that each of these come with limitations, since we can not truly get into someone’s brain to see what it is they are thinking or understanding. Each type of comprehension check requires a rather indirect expression of what the brain is experiencing. In meaning making assessments that require writing, the assessment assumes that the student is capable of writing skills strong enough to confidently put words to the page expressing what it is they know or think. This format favors those who have a gift for written expression. In those that require an oral response, the assessment assumes that the student has the vocabulary to express their thinking or even the comfort level with the assessor to speak freely. In multiple choice questions, the assessment assumes that the questions have construct validity (they measure what they say they are going to measure) and that students actually understand the item or do not struggle with other factors like negative stereotype threat or even test anxiety. For some students, they are just good at taking tests; they might not even be particularly knowledgeable about the content, but they can sniff out the correct answer on instinct.
Even with the limitations of these various forms of evaluation, we need to assess our students for understanding. And we need to do so frequently, so that we can keep students in that “just right” place of learning known as the zone of proximal development. Understanding the limitations of each assessment simply means that it is best to avoid overusing any one of them on a regular basis.
Here are a few types of engagement checks that focus on assessing a student’s understanding.
Concept Checks. I like to use a concept check about two or three weeks into a term. They take about five minutes and they are a good way to both check for understanding and to refresh student memory. I choose five key ideas from the previous weeks and list them in the first column of a sheet. Then I have four more columns: I Don’t Know It, I Think I Know It, I Know It, and I Know It So Well I Can Teach It. I ask each student to assess themselves for each concept and put a check mark into the box that best represents their level of understanding for each row. After a minute or so, I tell them to take one idea they checked as “I Know It” or “I Know It So Well I Could Teach It” and talk about or teach it to the person sitting next to them. I then call on three random students to share out an idea they know best.
Thought Boxes. This activity works really well for articles. For this, I will print off an article and draw four to six boxes in the margins of the article (spaced evenly throughout). I then tell students to read the article and to put their thinking into the boxes as they do so. I tell them that I am looking for their understanding of the text, their ability to analyze or evaluate the text, and their ability to identify at least one author move or writer’s choice. I typically do one thought box article activity per term, but for the first one, I usually model the process for them. Reading through their thought boxes offers a great deal of data. It helps me to gauge their general level of understanding, their level of investment in the activity, and their ability to look more deeply into a given text.
Most Important. I frequently employ the “Most Important” protocol for rich discussions. For example, on the day I do the “Elements of Fiction” lesson / review, I will end class by having students do a whip around. In it they give their name, the title of their book and what they feel is the most important element of fiction in their particular book and why they think that. I also use it for whole class readings. For example, as we read the opening chapter of Just Mercy, I told them ahead of time that I would be asking them to identify the most important detail of the chapter and that they would be expected to defend that choice. In one history class, I saw a teacher have students come to the board to write out the most important idea of a chapter they had been assigned. The board was filled with a variety of ideas and the ensuing discussion was an awesome way for students to “roll around in” and better understand some of the critical ideas of the text.
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