ASSESSMENT TECHNOLOGY

Technology in the classroom has numerous benefits. It helps the students, the digital
native generation, learn with the assistance of tools that they use every day. So how can it help
the teacher? Technology and immediate feedback in the form of data helps the teacher
determine student cognition of an assignment. No longer is a teacher waiting until the end of the
quarter or semester to determine if they were teaching the standards so that their student fully
comprehended the material. Student feedback allows teachers to adjust their teaching strategies
to differentiate the lesson to fit each individual students learning style. (Myers 2008).
Technology supports the teachers in that it provides immediate assessment data. Whether it is
formative assessment or summative assessment, the teacher, through technology, now has access
to data analyses to make their instruction strategies work effectively.
Technology to Facilitate Ongoing Efforts to Assess Student Learning
Teachers and administrators are continuously trying to find ways to evaluate students
comprehension of common-core standards. Technology helps facilitate these efforts to assess
student learning. Technology allows the teacher to prepare a test, quiz or assignment using
software or computer applications and receive immediate data to assess if the student
comprehended the content. Immediate feedback is beneficial to the students learning as it
allows the teacher to adjust their teaching strategies to accommodate the students learning
ability. There are web sites and software technology that assist teachers to track and assess
students progress as well as their own performance. Technology helps facilitate communication
between the student and teacher to increase the dialogue that may have once been lost in the
masses. The use of blogs, email and text opens up those lines of communication to assist the

student to understand, ask questions or seek assistance when they are not in the classroom
together. The use of these applications that have the ability to summarize a students
performance not only helps the teacher to teach, but helps the student to learn more efficiently.
Data Director: Data Director is a web-based data and assessment management system
used by our school district. Educators at all levels transform information into achievement by
making sense of complex data (Houghton, Mifflon, Harcourt, 2011). Data Director helps
educators make sense of a huge range of tracking and reporting of testing. The educator simply
makes out a test or uses a standardized test. The data is collected and performance analyzed
through collective reports. This software is a summative assessment for our quarterly valuations
done in each class at the end of the quarter to determine what if the student comprehended what
the educator taught during this period.
Socrative: Socrative is a website that lets teachers engage and assess their students
educational activities on tablets, laptops and smartphones (Socrative 2014). Socrative uses real
time questioning to give a teacher instant results to gauge the whole class level of
understanding. This saves teachers time so they can further discuss areas of instruction that may
need extended teaching or adjust their focus. The teacher registers on the website and begins
developing a test, quiz or short answer document. They can then instruct the students to begin
working on the document. Socrative will give the teacher immediate feedback on each
individual students progress. The teacher can then determine what areas may need further
instruction or what parts the students have mastered. This is a great tool to use for a quick
review of the material that was just recently instructed on like after a lecture.
Kahoot: Kahoot is a website that creates quizzes, games, even surveys using any device
that has a web browser (Kahoot 2014). This is a fun innovative way for teachers to quiz students

on material instructed by creating games and other fun activities to assess their comprehension of
a subject. Kahoots game like features of vibrant colors and sounds makes learning seem like
play. The instructor can develop group activities or individual activity. It can also be used for
students to create their own Kahoot to use as a review for an upcoming test. Kahoot does not
keep permanent data feedback to let the instructor track growth, but its immediate feedback lets
the instructor keep the students engaged in instruction while giving the teacher a quick formative
assessment.
Formative and Summative Assessments
Formative assessment is the evaluation of student learning based on specific time span at
multiple points. A formative assessment can be in the form of an activity, quiz or game in order
to assess the knowledge developed and the mastery of a subject. Google docs, Socrative and
other interactive websites or software can be used to give the teacher immediate feedback on
what the student has comprehended and what they may have to go over again to make certain the
instruction was clear.
Summative assessment is a more formal assessment in the form of tests, standard or
otherwise, to determine the students ability to recall information previously instructed.
Summative assessments can be after a unit of instruction such as a mid-term or final. Your local
state or district may require summative assessments to determine the growth of a student in a
certain area of instruction. Examples of these are like STAR reading tests or NWEA for
language arts, math, science, social studies and reading. The software programs give permanent
data that the administrator and teacher can use to target a certain group that is not showing
growth or place interventions for those that are not reaching their targets in those areas of
instruction.

Pros and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Assessment

The advantage of using technology to facilitate assessments is that the instructor and/or
administrator receive immediate or permanent feedback of data. The analyses of the data and
recording thereof, determine where the students knowledge and comprehension level compared
to national and state standards. Whether this is an immediate assessment to see if the student
comprehends a small subject of instruction or based on multiple units of instruction, it is
important that instructors have access to this information. Technology enables the process of
obtaining this data to be creative and more engaging for the student and teacher.
A disadvantage of using technology to facilitate assessments is that some software used
for formative assessments give immediate feedback but do not allow a permanent data bank for
the instructor to see growth in the student or compare yearly by classes. Some assessment tools,
such as Data Director, are better suited for obtaining permanent data and allow an instructor to
see growth. Another disadvantage of using technology is that students become accustomed to
being entertained in the classroom. It then becomes a constant task of the instructor to invent
new and creative projects to be able to keep their students engaged.
A teacher should use every tool available to them to modernize their instruction and
assess the students knowledge of the subject. Technology provides an innovative process of to
keep the student engaged in the instruction as well as allowing the instructor to see where
progress is occurring.
The importance of assessment technology in connection with the ISTE standards is that
technology allows the teacher to utilize each component of the ISTE standards. Current national
standards for technology in teacher preparation also emphasize the importance of developing
skills and competencies for using technology (Niederhauser, Salem, & Fields 1999) Using

technology, the teacher can enrich their practices to keep the students engaged and improve their
learning by providing positive models by facilitating and inspiring their students.
In order to know what works and what does not work in teaching today, one must assess
the students knowledge. We can test and test and test, until the poor student is no longer able to
perform well on a test. If we engage them in activities and games using technology, then an
instructor can assess if the student has knowledge of the subject. Technology allows the
instructor to prepare and gather data for immediate response. The instructor can then use this
data to analyze their form of instruction and the students mastery of the subject. All while both
having a fun and creative interaction.

References
Myers, S. (2008). Formative and Summative Assessments. Research Starters Education
(Online Edition)
Houghton, Mifflon, Harcourt (2011) The Riverside Publishing Company. Data Director
(software). Available from http://riversidepublishing.com/products/DataDirector
Socrative 2014 by Masteryconnect. Available from http://www.socrative.com/index.php
Kahoot 2014! Available from https://getkahoot.com/
Niederhauser, D. S., Salem, D. J., & Fields, M. (1999). Exploring teaching, learning, and
instructional reform in an introductory technology course. Journal Of Technology &
Teacher Education, 7(2), 153-172