Making a Difference

2. Establish a focus
A busy classroom contains so much potential assessment information that 
even a full-time observer could not record it all. Decide what assessment 
information you need to help with your instructional decision making, and 
then select an assessment strategy that will focus on that in an ef
fi
cient way. 
The following guidelines may be helpful.
Focus on learning outcomes. 
• 
Consider what students are expected to 
know and be able to do related to the speci
fi
c learning outcome. For 
example, asking students the name of the interpreter from yesterday’s 
social studies 
fi
eld trip does not form the basis of an assessment 
strategy. A question for ongoing assessment would be, “How is 
listening to a senior citizen interpret an historic site an example of 
research?”
Focus on sequential learning
• 
. Identify any outcomes that act as 
a critical step in a sequence. In other words, students really should 
not proceed until they have achieved this outcome, or really need to 
proceed because they have achieved it. These outcomes should be the 
focus of an assessment 
for
learning strategy. 

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Part 1—Making a Difference
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Meeting diverse learning needs with differentiated instruction
53
3. Select and use the strategy
Consider the following guidelines when choosing an assessment strategy. 
Choose a strategy that aligns with the purpose and focus for 
• 
collecting the information. 
Ensure that the strategy actually assesses 
what you are aiming to assess.
 
Pick a strategy that students enjoy
• 
. Students often enjoy informal 
ongoing assessment strategies because they are quick, engaging and 
low risk. Varying strategies adds to the novelty and enjoyment.