Melissa Ogas

EDU 225
December 5, 2015
Instructor Sell

Part 1: Assessment Technology

I really liked the learning center in www.netop.com it is an online assessment tool that I think I
would use. It seems simple to use and is free. It gathers information on the students and tracks their
progress in real time. It allows teachers to evaluate what the students are learning there are flexible tests
of multiple choice, match drop and drag, sequence drop and drag, fill in the blank. I think it would be
good for the students because grading is automatic so you can see what the student has mastered, and
areas where they may need extra help. Teachers can export scores and compile into folders and create
gradebooks. The students will like it because it gives them automatic scoring. They get instant feedback. I
think it would be a great tool to use for my class.
Part 2: Blog Post
Introduction

Assessments are important in order for both the teacher and the student to see whether or
not a student is progressing in a skill or academic task. There are two main types of assessments
used by teachers that help in this process. They are formative which is a gathering of information
over time and shows in depth measurement of skills. The other is called summative and it is to
see if the student is getting a concept at any moment such as a quiz. Online assessments help
teachers gather data so they can use it for both types of assessments. Then lessons can be created
to suite the class. Also progress can be sent home for parents to review. (Teachers Discovering
Computer (TDC) 2015, Ch. 6, pg. 320)
Technology to Facilitate Ongoing Efforts to Assess Student Learning
There are a host of different software programs allowing teachers to utilize technology to
facilitate the ongoing efforts to assess student learning in the classroom. Technology plays a big
part in education today. Through the use of technology students are able to not only see a lesson
but the graphics used create a visually stimulating, lesson that comes alive before their eyes.

Some of the software used in the classroom can also be used at home by the student. One is IXL
which tracks students progress every time they log in. There are others like AR quizzes which
track reading levels and reading comprehension. The best form of assessment is the rubric
because the student knows what is expected and they can follow it themselves. A Learning
Management System (LMS) Teachers can see everything a student sees, but teachers also have
additional instructor rights, which allow them to create or modify curriculum content and to track
student performance. (TDC, pg.299)
(AR) Accelerated Reader
Accelerated reader is great because it measures the reading level of the students. This is
particularly useful in a primary setting where kids reading level is very important for them to be
able to test well on Benchmarks. AR are quizzes that the students take after the reading of a
book. Depending on the book they could get higher points for a more difficult book. The library
has a list of books that can be tested. At the end of the quiz the student is asked to rate this book.
The students with high points get a trophy at the end of the school year. Because they can get
more points for the higher the reading level it encourages the students to push themselves to read
harder chapter books. Teachers have access to the AR scores and can encourage students to work
harder during the year.
IXL
This is a program that encourages students to learn through games. It gives the students
instant rewards and goes on to harder levels after passing each initial level. Because this software
incorporates several subjects the student has more variety. They can learn math skills through
practice or spelling, or even sentence structure. It is fun and vibrant and captures the students
attention for long periods of time. Teachers love this because they can see right away where the

student is in the levels. Teachers can track and compile file folders for scoring on report card or a
gradebook. Teachers can plan lessons teaching concepts they know the student is struggling with.
That makes this software a very useful tool. www.ixl.com
Istation
Istation is a software program that I can say I will use in the future because it is one that
we currently use at the district where I work. It offers lesson such as early reading and the
assessment for that content is as follows: Phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, alphabetic
decoding, vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, fluency. Istation is computer adaptable teaching
and provides 24/7 access to hundreds of teacher resources. Immediately available reports that
track scores, identifies intervention needs by individual student and classroom, and identify the
appropriate teacher intervention resources. Manuals, user guides, quick links to easy self-help
resources. You can use other subject matter in istation as well. Such as: Reading and Writing,
Math, and Spanish. www.clint.net

Formative and Summative Assessments

Formative assessment is the process of evaluating of a student at a specific time. Using
the gathering of data such as assignments and activities to see that the student has mastered the
skills and content. Summative assessments can be done any time. They are done in the form of
quizzes or short tests to see that the short term concepts are mastered before moving on to
another concept. eAssessment is an internal part of online evaluations (TDC eBook, 2015,
pg. 320) eAssessment, istation, and IXL are a few assessment tools that can help teachers to track
the skills that have or have not been mastered.

Pros and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Assessment

With all technology there are or can be glitches or lost information. Teachers dont all
have the experience using technology. Not all schools use the same technology. Those would be
the cons. The pros might be that using this technology tools to assess students would make
tracking easier. It would keep all information in one location. It would be less time consuming
for the teacher. Also in using tools that help to create lessons tailored to the specific needs of the
student. This would make it more personal.
Should a teacher only use technology to assess student learning? Why or why not?
Teachers should not use only technology tools in order to assess students because on line
tools dont get the students involved in their education. A rubric would be a much better choice
because it allows the student to see what is expected therefore giving the student more control.
What is the importance of assessment technology in connection with the ISTE standards?
The ISTE Standards describe the skills and knowledge they need to learn effectively and
live productively in an increasingly global and digital society. (ISTE.org 2015)
Concluding Paragraph for Software to Support Assessment
Teachers and educators must use the ISTE standards for students to be sure that skills are
being met according to the criteria. If teachers use both a rubric along with online assessment
tools then they should have all that they need to ensure that students are meeting their content
mastery skill levels. By keeping a close eye on and managing students by using both forms of
formative and summative evaluating students then they will know and see where the student
need improvement.

References
www.iste.org 2015
www.netop.com
www.ixl.com
eAssessment.com
http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/cengage/2014/Teachers-discoveringcomputers_integrating-technology-in-a-changing-world_ebook_8e.php
ClintISD.com