Pretesting to Track Progress
Teachers do not need to give assessments only after teaching a lesson. In fact, it can often be useful to test students before a lesson in order to determine their understanding of the subject. For example, if you are reviewing basic addition facts in second grade, assessing students first can help you find any weak points students might have. Additionally, teachers of language arts can give spelling pre-tests. They can then use the results to determine if a student should continue to study the regular spelling list or be given a new “challenge” list.
Pre-tests can also give you a basis for determining how much students actually master from your classroom activities. You can see if they have increased in knowledge and understanding when compared to post-tests. Some teachers even base their students' grades on the amount of increase between the pre- and post-tests.
Measurement and evaluation is probably the most valuable of all courses offered in colleges of education. This is because creating valid tests is a difficult proposition. Make sure that you review the information you learned there and avoid common pitfalls of test creation.
If you follow this route, make sure you avoid using exactly the same questions on both tests. Students will eventually catch on that they can simply study exactly what was asked on the first test to do well on the second one. However, you should blend some of the same questions in with new ones to measure improvement and achievement. You should use your own observations of student achievement and progression in combination with the results from these tests. This is a common practice used in the elementary school setting and should be included in middle and high school.
