No matter our goals, even the most worthwhile ones, if we do not assess them to find out what students have learned, then we will never know if we have reached those goals. We will spend time discussing best practices in assessment, paying particular attention to how and when to use formative and summative assessments. We will dig into best practices in designing assessments, as well as how to analyze assessment data for information on how to help teachers better teach and reteach concepts. We will also begin thinking about how to use data as an educational researcher, and start to identify needs in the classroom that can be addressed in an Action Research project. This course will meet once a week during the fall semester, with some exceptions for flexibility around your placement school’s schedule and your work sample. Reflections on the assessments you use in your classroom will be discussed in this course, as it will be a time to process and share ideas about what works and what doesn’t in relation to your curriculum. Another important facet of this course will be discussions, activities, and presentations related to our readings. Topics will include how to formulate a variety of assessments designed to show student learning or performance, how to use assessments to further student learning, dealing with high stakes testing, and more. A central piece of this course will be practicing making formative and summative assessments.