Making Assessment Elementary

by James Strickland and Kathleen Strickland

Is it possible to keep assessments authentic and meaningful, and still satisfy district mandates to focus on tests? In Making Assessment Elementary , Kathleen and James Strickland prove that it is and provide lots of ideas for making assessment an enriching, informative process for teachers and students alike. Filled with classroom suggestions, Making Assessment Elementary reflects what the Stricklands have learned working with countless educators and students. In addition to the eight chapters outlining the "hows" and the "whys" of assessment, their book contains almost fifty reproducible forms that can be put to immediate use. An accompanying CD-ROM features all of these classroom assessment forms as well as numerous variations for different grade levels. In writing Making Assessment Elementary , the Stricklands kept returning to elementary classrooms to collaborate with talented teachers and students. Above all, their book is a collection of stories gathered from conferences, inservices, classroom visits, and even Internet discussion forums - stories told by teachers from Oak Park, California, to Greenville, Pennsylvania, from Nevada to Missouri and Georgia. What the Stricklands have learned about assessment and evaluation invites teachers to move forward and change the way they teach - so that through assessment the children in our classrooms inform our instruction and reflect on their own learning. According to the Stricklands, "Such changes can't help but breathe life into our teaching, making our own learning exciting and challenging." Readers will find Making Assessment Elementary more than a reference book; it is a point from which to proceed, grounded in the belief that good teachers use such resources to enhance their expertise and reflection.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0325002002
• ISBN13: 9780325002002
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.7" x 11.0"
• Age Range: 5 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 5

Customer Reviews

Elementary Teachers-Check this Out!

At last! Here is a practical book for elementary teachers that covers all the critical issues of an assessment text, yet reads as easily has a self-help book. The Stricklnds have obviously spent time in actual classrooms with real teachers. They explain multiple authentic assessment strategies and give teachers permission to "tweek" them so that they work for young students. The CD Rom alone is worth the price of the book. Every checklist, rubric, survey, etc. that is in the text is available as a template for the buyer to personalize and copy for classroom use. I'm using this book to review for the National Teacher Certification and am finding it invaluable.