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All students have a different learning styles and different test-taking abilities. Personally I'm not the best test taker on paper but I can demonstrate my knowledge verbally or hands-on. With this being said, how do you decide assessments for students who test differently? As teachers in the classroom, are we able to pick and choose various formative assessments for our students or do they all have to be provided the same way?

Hi Jasmin,

I agree students have different test-taking abilities. I wonder that question also can a teacher use different assessments' for different students or was it what the district or state say it will be. Culture Responsive Teaching is giving all students the chance to learn on equal platform, in which the state has lack in one area and not another. But coming to take charge that all students needs the same access no matter what school it is. There assessment testing to me should be done the same. 

Students possess diverse learning styles and test-taking capabilities. I, for instance, may not excel in written exams but can effectively exhibit my knowledge through verbal or practical means. Given this, how can educators determine the appropriate assessments for students with varying testing approaches? As instructors, can we select different formative assessments tailored to individual students, or must they all be administered uniformly?

I agree! I believe that is important to use a lot of different assessments so everyone has a chance to show what they know. My district is so test heavy with frequent benchmark tests that I no longer give tests in science. Instead I use teacher observation, notebooks, exit slips etc.

I try to be fair to my students. Fair is not equal. I do not test them equally. Rather, I test them based on their needs. Some of my students have assessments that include more visuals - pictures, diagrams, etc. My visual learners are better at testing when they have something visual to refer back to. When I have time, I reawlly like creating tests that meets the needs of the majority of students in the class. If visual aids help everyone, why would I not include it on the test for everyone?

I agree with Hannah. If visual aids help everyone, why not provide them for everyone? When I tweak assessments for a few, I find that the adjustments really would benefit everyone. Since I teach kindergarten, it is extremely important that I provide visuals for my kiddos. They also learn quickly where to find resources (for example, where are the number charts, color words, and vocabulary words in the room?)  I also pay close attention to the learning intention and the success criteria. If they are to demonstrate, that could be orally, with a picture, taking a computer test, etc. Many of my students are just learning English. They struggle to remember the names of things. Sometimes, I ask them to 'point to ' the correct answer. As long as they are providing me with the correct answer on their own, it doesn't matter how -it matters that they were able to demonstrate knowledge.