Pre-Assessments

Are tools and techniques used to determine what students know and for the
teacher to gain information about students outside of school interests.

Purposes of Pre-Assessments
Differentiate instruction
Guide whole-group instruction
Plan learning activities that address varying levels of readiness
Determine which students have/have not achieved mastery of specific objectives
Identify problems that might cause students difficulty with mastery of an objective
Form flexible groups
Determine mastery level of individuals or small groups

Examples

Carousel Brainstorm - Chart papers containing statements or issues for student consideration are posted around
the classroom. Groups of students brainstorm at one station and then rotate to the next position where they add
additional comments. When the carousel stops the original team prepares a summary and then presents the
large groups findings. A Carousel Brainstorm is an active, student-centered method to generate data about a
groups collective prior knowledge of a variety of issues associated with a single topic.
Concept Maps - Ask students to create a "map" of ideas connected with a topic. They should consider how the
topics link to each other and use lines or "linking" words to join the concepts together and describe the relationship.
They can then revisit these maps later in the study (using a different color marker to add new ideas) or draw new
ones that reveal their expanded understanding.
Four Corners Inquiry Students are given an opportunity to formulate their own views and opinions. Students are
asked to consider the topic and determine whether they strongly agree (SA), agree (A), disagree (D), or strongly
disagree (SD) with a statement. They are then asked to move to the appropriate corner of the classroom identified
with one of the options. Students should discuss their positions with the others in their group and present their
opinions to the rest of the class.
KWL Charts - K-what does the student know? W-what does the student need and want to know? L-what did the
students learn? This is an effective pre-assessment tool and summative evaluation tool. The "L" can also be used
them as part of an open-ended question on a test allowing the students to share the depth of knowledge that was
gained in the unit of study. Click here to access a KWL Chart
Think - Ink - Pair - Share - A way to get students to reveal what they know or believe about a topic is to begin by
having them commit their thoughts to writing. To assess what the group knows, have students discuss their ideas in
pairs, and then to share them with the large group.
Turn & Talk - During a lesson, there may be opportunities to have the students do a turn & talk activity for a few
minutes. This allows students to talk about the information presented or shared and to clarify thoughts or questions.
This is an effective alternate strategy to asking questions to the whole group and having the same students
responding. All students have a chance to talk in a non-threatening situation for a short period of time.
Yes/No Cards Students make a card with Yes on one side, No on the opposite side. Teachers ask an introductory
or review question. Students who know the answer hold up the Yes card, if they dont know the answer they hold
the No card. This is very effective to use when introducing vocabulary words that students need as a knowledge
base for a specific unit of study.