Informal and Formal Checkpoint

From our last PLG which I unfortunately missed we have been asked to think out some key checkpoints to see if our intervention is working as well as what we can do to change things to make it better. Below I have outlined some of the ways that I have informal checkups on my learners and how my intervention is working. 

Guided Reading - Informal
This is the best way to be able to complete an informal check in on how the students are going. As I have outlined in previous posts by taking notes during guided reading and having these reflections as anecdotal notes has been a quick way to check in to see if students are able to understand inferring questions as well as new vocabulary that they come across. The follow up tasks from our guided reading sessions also provide a good place to see what the students have learnt and how they applied that knowledge to what they are doing. 

Along with informal checkpoints there is also the need for formal checkpoints. Formal checkpoints allow you to check systematically how learners are experiencing the intervention and whether it is beginning to have the impact on learner outcomes. I have outlined some of the ways that I have completed formal checks to see where my learners are at throughout the year. 

Running Records - Formal
I have completed running records at mid-year testing as well as throughout the year to see how the students are progressing and if the intervention has been impacting learner outcomes. This is a great way to see quickly what areas that the students are still needing to work on. 

Key into Inference - Formal 
Through this tool I have been able to have very quick formal assessments of my students to see how they are going. This tool shows very quickly and clearly if the students are able to infer with small sentences or short paragraphs. The great thing about this tool as that I am able to work with a group of students who are needing extra assistance and then extend the students who have understood. 

PAT and e-AsTTle - Formal
PAT tests are the tests that we complete at the beginning and the end of the year so these are the overall formal assessments that I will be able to use to see shift between the beginning of the year and the end of the year. I have also completed some e-AsTTle tests throughout the year that has provided data for me to look at and decide the next steps for these target learners. 

I think it has been really good to see which types of checkpoints I have used throughout the year as our inquiry starts to wrap up as this has allowed me to think about how I can show these changes and the different forms of assessment that I have used.