5.4.5 How Good Was That? Meaningful Ways to Assess Gifted and Talented Student Learning

Thinking about the last lesson you taught, how well did gifted students master the lesson's objectives? Did everyone experience learning success? Did your gifted and talented students grow proportionally to less advanced learners? How do you know? In the vast continuum of learning, summative and formative assessments can provide essential answers to the question, "How well did all students learn today?" For educators, it is essential to be masters at observing and documenting learning, varying approaches to learning, asking guiding questions to promote learning, and providing the appropriate structure, resources, and environment for learning. Where does assessment enter the learning process? Assessment drives every part and phase of the learning process. Reliable assessment data and effective assessment practices are crucial to gifted and talented learners. For advanced learners, formative and summative assessments inform teaching practices, guide teachers in modifying content to meet student learning needs, and create essential pathways to accelerated learning options. For gifted and talented students, assessment is critical to developing and promoting services and program options. This session briefly walks participants through the role assessment plays in the learning process. Summative assessment provides an essential framework for understanding student learning and progress. Typically, summative assessment sorts students and organizes them in rank order. Evaluative data are essential for teachers understanding the beginning, mid, and end points in student learning. Valid summative assessments measure student learning for the purpose of accountability, and in many instances, justify gifted and talented services. Formative assessment involves ongoing and varied methods for collecting data that measures student understanding of a designated task. From focused pretests and interest inventories, to innovative formative assessments, the presenter identifies sources from which meaningful information can be obtained and discusses the process of capturing essential data that drive instruction and document learning growth. In summary, assessment must assist teachers in modifying instruction in order to meet the learning needs of gifted students. There are many interesting ways and methods to assess student learning. Unless assessment is tied to lesson objectives, provides meaningful insight into learning, and guides future instruction, assessment can be viewed as wasted effort. The presenter, a two-time National Board Certified Teacher with 20 years of gifted and talented education experience, shares the vital (and exciting) role assessment plays in planning, modifying, and delivering instruction – in brief, the key to unlocking a gifted student’s full learning potential.

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