Informal Assessment: A Story from the Classroom

Vincent, M.L. and Wilson, L. (2006). Informal Assessment: A story from the classroom. Mathematics Teacher 89 (2), 284-292.

In this article, Informal Assessment: A Story from the Classroom, Mary Lynn Vincent, a twenty year veteran mathematics teacher, worked in collaboration with Linda Wilson of the University of Delaware to revitalize her means of assessment in the classroom. Vincent experimented with various means of observation and documentation, in the form of rubrics and checklists, to determine a holistic and effective way to document not only the student’s procedural, factual and computations knowledge, as traditionally assessed through written assessments, but to assess their problem solving, communication and critical-thinking skills. In the end, she choose observation and checklist as the preferred means of recording and assessing these skills.

I felt that this article was most useful as the teacher offered excellent examples of how, when and why she choose the types of assessment that she used. Furthermore, she referenced the NCTM standards multiple times throughout the article, indicating that she is attuned to the best teaching practices and makes good pedagogy a daily part of her teaching repertoire. I also appreciated that the author provided examples and non-examples of how to use each strategy. The reader is able to learn through Mary Lynn Vincents mistakes and triumphs in the classroom and apply the information to his/her own subject and grade level.