Softening the edges : assessment practices that honor K-12 teachers and learners : (using responsible assessment methods in ways that support student engagement)

With foreword by Cassandra Erkens The assessment process can be a rich experience for you and your students. With Softening the Edges , you'll discover how to design and deliver differentiated instruction and assessment to address learners' diverse intellectual and emotional needs. By creating an effective assessment architecture, you can ensure your students are invested in their own learning and have the confidence to face any learning challenge. Examine how to use self-assessment, formative assessment, summative assessment, and preassessment in ways that cultivate a positive culture of learning. This book will show you how to use assessment responsibly to build enriching relationships among teachers and students: Spot the indicators of hard and soft edges in classroom practices to differentiate instruction and assessment for learning. Learn how to educate for the whole child to meet students' cognitive, physical, and ethical development needs and support their social and emotional learning. Examine the importance of a learning continuum to smoothly guide students and increase student engagement and positive learning experiences. Visualize the qualities of a shared space that supports students' learning targets. Contents: Foreword by Cassandra Erkens Chapter 1: Assessment and the Whole Person Chapter 2: Instruction and Assessment Planning Using a Learning Continuum Chapter 3: Preassessment Chapter 4: Formative Assessment and Feedback Chapter 5: Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Chapter 6: Summative Assessment Chapter 7: Systems of Reporting Appendix: Sample Learning Continuums When teachers develop an effective assessment architecture, they prevent harmful hard edges and support all aspects of students' growth and their own experiences as teachers. Discover the difference between soft edges and hard edges regarding alignment between students' and teachers' needs and the assessment practices that are meant to meet them. With this book, equip students with the skills to show proficiency in the learning goals and the confidence and learning strategies they need to be able to face any learning challenge in the future. Chapter 1: Assessment and the Whole Person Chapter 2: Instruction and Assessment Planning Using a Learning Continuum Chapter 3: Preassessment Chapter 4: Formative Assessment and Feedback Chapter 5: Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Chapter 6: Summative Assessment Chapter 7: Systems of Reporting Sample Learning Continuums This book asserts that assessment must have soft edges, smoothly guiding students through their learning and engaging them so their confidence grows and their experiences are positive and relevant. It explores the difference between soft edges and hard edges regarding alignment between students' and teachers' needs and the assessment practices that are meant to meet them and how to spot indicators of hard and soft edges in classroom practices