Have you been looking for some effective first grade assessment tools to use in your classroom? Here is a list of assessment tools that you may want to consider when testing your first graders.
Unlike upper grade students who commonly use written tests or work to assess student progress, younger students reading and writing skills are not developed enough to show what they know. Therefore, other first-grade assessments can be used to meet their needs.
1. Checklists
A checklist is a first-grade assessment tool that lists certain concepts or behaviors that students should know. Teachers can easily check each item on the list noting whether the student has met the objective or not.
Checklists can be done over a long period of time, or for one set of objectives for a specific time.
Here are some examples of checklists first-grade teachers may use:
- Letter/number recognition
- Letter sounds
- Sight words
- Phonemic Segmentation Fluency
- Nonsense Words Fluency
Here is an example of a First Grade Quick Assessment Checklist.
2. Interactive Responses
Interactive responses can be a quick way to assess what students know. Students are actively participating in the lesson by responding to the teacher’s questions all together.
It provides immediate feedback to the teacher, who can make note of students who may be having difficulty with a certain concept or adjust their instruction.
Some examples of interactive responses:
- Students give a thumbs up or down
- Write answer on white board
- Turn to partner and respond
- Digital classroom response systems
3. Teacher Observations
One of the most powerful assessment tools for first-grade teachers is observation. As students practice skills teachers can observe and make notes on whether student is understanding a skill.
Some teachers carry a pad of sticky notes and write down their observations about their students. Then they place these notes in a notebook with a page for each individual student. Teachers can go back to these notes when creating small groups, filling out report cards and meeting with parents.
4. Conference
Students at this grade level often know more than they can show you in a written assessment. A short individual or small conference can be the best way for a student to show their understanding of a skill.
Conferencing is also a way for the teacher to give students direct feedback on what they are doing well and what they still need to work on.
A teacher may hold a conference for all subject areas, but most teachers hold reading, writing and math conferences.
5. Journals
In first grade, journals are a way to show what a student knows using words, pictures, numbers or diagrams. First-graders can organize their thoughts and summarize information in their own words.
Journals can be used in the following subject areas:
- Reading
- Writing
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
- Art/Music
- Technology
Here are some examples of journals I used in my classroom.
6. Rubrics
Rubrics are used to assess first-graders knowledge by describing a student’s level of performance on a certain skill or concept. They can assess the following areas:
A process that a student showed:
- Physical skill: playing an instrument
- Use of equipment: logging into a computer
- Oral communication: reading aloud
- Work habits: works independently
Products that a student has completed:
- Construct object: science experiment
- Written Work: report
- Other academic products: math diagram, Venn diagram
Using rubrics allows teachers to zero in on specific student objectives they would like assessed.
Grab a free First Grade Writing Rubric here!
7. Portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of each student’s work over a period. This could be for the full year, marking period or semester.
Portfolios are organized by subject and hold examples of student’s work. It allows the teacher, parents and student to see growth in all subject areas.
First Grade Assessment Tools
First grade assessment tools provide teachers with valuable information about each one of their students. It allows them to modify instruction to meet the needs of the students and provides a total picture of each student’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner.
Find some more assessment tools and ideas in my store, The Teaching Scene by Maureen.
To read more blog topics check out my blog, “A Guide to Using Literature-Based Units of Study.”
