Tap Out! A Quick & Fun Way to Formatively Assess Almost Anything!

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By Rita Platt

Looking for a fresh, fun way to quickly and easily assess your students’ progress? Try having them

 

“Tap Out!”

Step 1:

Tape the numbers 1 through five on your door frame.

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Step 2: 

Create a rubric for students. You can use a specific rubric or a very generalized one. Lots of examples here.

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Step 3: 

Teach students to read and use a rubric.  Click here for a good prezi by Elisabeth Babin on how to read them. Students will the Superman video and rubric!

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Step 4:

As students walk out the door, have them “tap out” by touching the number that corresponds with their self-assessed levels on the rubric.

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Step 5:

Use the information. Record it on a clipboard and use it to differentiate, accelerate, and remediate. This is a great way to set up:

  1. flexible groupings,
  2. decide on who needs more instruction,
  3. prepare for peer-tutoring,
  4. decide who you need to confer with, and
  5. generally decide what comes next in your instructional sequence.

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Step 6:

Follow up with your kiddos! Continually work with your students to ensure they understand how to use the rubrics and the important of self-assessment. Children who learn to accurately gauge their own levels of understanding are better equipped to move forward than those who don’t.

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For more on the importance of self-assessment. Click here and here.

 

Try the “tap out” method and let us know what you think!


Rita Platt (@ritaplatt) is a Nationally Board Certified teacher. Her experience includes teaching learners of all levels from kindergarten to graduate student. She currently is a Library Media Specialist for the St. Croix Falls SD in Wisconsin, teaches graduate courses for the Professional Development Institute, and consults with local school districts.