Michael Martinez

Assessment Tools (Pre, Post, and Instructional)

Assessments are the key to measuring student understanding and comprehension.
It is important to include a variety of assessments that appeal to different learning
styles and levels of understanding. I try to use a mix of summative, formative,
traditional, and authentic assessments. The assessments I use in class are designed
to align with my objectives, which align with the content, literacy/numeracy, and
21st Century Skills standards.
For this unit students were given pre-assessments for each new topic that was
presented. The first topic covered was credit. The pre-assessment for this topic was
a worksheet that asked them questions about credit. The pre-assessment is linked
in this website under Credit Pre-assessment. In the pre-assessment students were
provided a digital version of a document that asked them about the many aspects
that go into calculating a credit score, how to improve their credit score, and where
they can find their credit score. While this is a summative assessment, the way it
was utilized it made it more formative.
The first formative assessment of the unit was the credit research formative
assessment. The same worksheet that was used for the pre-assessment was utilized
to complete online research. Students used online resources and performed guided
research that helped them find any information they didnt know and support the
information they thought they knew. This helped them gain new knowledge and
build upon their prior knowledge. It also enabled students to utilize technology in
their learning.
The second formative assessment was done after the 5 Cs of Credit lesson. Once
students were taught about the 5 Cs of Credit, they were divided into groups and
asked to act as loan officers. As a group students read scenarios about potential
loan applicants and had to decide whether they would approve or deny the loan.
Their decisions had to be based on what they learned about the 5 Cs. Each group
filled out a form for each scenario. Those forms were collected and analyzed.
Students also had to complete a ticket-out-the-door activity. Students had to write
down three things they could personally do to help build their credit/make them
more likely to get loan. This assessment not only helped students apply the
knowledge they gained, but also made them work collaboratively to achieve a
common goal. Giving students the time to reflect on what they learned helped me
assess what needed more attention and it helped them self-assess what they
learned.
The third assessment was a summative assessment. At the start of class the day
after the previous assessment, students completed a worksheet about the 5 Cs of
Credit. It was an individual assignment and it helped me see what knowledge from
earlier lessons was retained and by which students. It also gave students more
practice identifying examples of the 5 Cs. This assessment also served as the
Credit Post-Assessment because it required students to use all of the knowledge
they gained from the Credit lessons.

Michael Martinez
The fourth assessment, a formative and pre-assessment, took place during the
identity theft lesson. As a pre-assessment for the identity theft lesson, students
were asked for definitions of identity theft. After forming a consensus definition,
students were asked to provide words they associated with identity theft. Those
words were then written on the whiteboard in a word wall. Students then took
notes and completed an assignment. In this assignment students were provided
with a news article about an Army veteran who was defrauded by someone he
trusted. Students had to read the article, summarize what it was about in writing,
and provide three steps they could take to protect themselves from this kind of
situation. At the end of the lesson, students were directed back to the word wall
and asked to add or remove any words they though belonged in the word wall.
Their summaries and steps to protect themselves from identity thieves served as
the post-assessment for this lesson topic. This assessment reinforced each
students literacy and critical thinking skills. It also affirmed each students ability to
restate information they read, thus supporting retention of the information. Having
each student come up with their own steps to prevent identity theft/fraud made
them evaluate the situation and formulate a plan based on prior knowledge. Using
this criteria, student achievement was measured. This also incorporated the use of
technology into the classroom.
The fifth assessment was a formative and authentic assessment that utilized a
ticket-out-the-door activity at the end of the financial institutions lesson. During the
lesson students were separated into groups of three and had to work collaboratively
to achieve their goal. Each group of students was assigned a different reading
assignment. Each member had to read their section and come up with two
questions that could be answered from their reading. Then each group chose two of
the six questions from their group to share with the class. Those two questions were
recorded and at the end of class revealed to students as potential quiz questions for
the next class. Each student was required to turn in their own questions and that
served as their ticket-out-the-door/formative assessment. The assessment made
students think critically to form their own questions and also promoted
collaboration. It also served as a peer assessment because it required students to
discuss and justify their questions to other students.
The sixth assessment was a summative assessment that came in the form of a quiz.
The quiz was about financial institutions and was created using the questions
formulated in the previous assessment. The quiz assessed students knowledge of
financial institutions and their ability to retain information gained from the previous
lesson. The quiz also served as the post-assessment for the financial institutions
lesson.
The seventh assessment was a formative assessment that came in the form of a
detail oriented activity. For this activity students had to balance a checkbook and
reconcile a bank statement. For many students it was their first time doing such
work. Since this was the case, I taught the lesson utilizing guided practice. The
assignment required attention to detail and multiple mathematic calculations. The
activity assessed the students mathematical ability as well as their ability to

Michael Martinez
maintain accurate records. It also showed the students the steps they need to take
after opening up a checking or savings account.
The eighth assessment was a summative assessment. Students were given a study
guide to complete. The study guide had topics that were covered throughout the
unit. It also reminded students what topics would be covered in the unit exam.
Students were required to turn in the study guide for a grade. Students were asked
a variety of questions that covered a wide range of Blooms Taxonomy.
The ninth assessment was summative and served as the post-assessment for the
entire unit. This assessment came in the form of a traditional unit exam. The exam
had two parts. Part one of the exam was composed of multiple choice and true/false
questions that related to the units content. Part two of the exam was a
practical/comprehensive activity in which the students used their knowledge from
the checkbook balancing activity to balance a checkbook. I purposely created a
scenario in which balancing the checkbook resulted in an overdraft of the account.
Students then had to answer questions about what their results showed. This
assessment focused on the content, but also required students to reflect on the
skills they had learned.
The tenth and final assessment was a post-exam authentic and formative
assessment. Once all exams were graded, students were given a Post-Exam
Reflection sheet. In it students identified what grade they received on the exam.
They also had to identify what they did to study for the exam. They then selfassessed why they got the grade they received and whether they would change
anything about how they prepare for future exams. Students were also asked for
feedback on each lesson they were taught. They were asked what worked well for
them (lectures, group work, etc.) and what didnt work so well. They were then
asked for suggestions on how to make lessons go better. All feedback was used to
help modify and improve lessons for future classes.
In addition the assessment listed above, students participated in a formative
assessment for the entirety of the unit. Students participated in a simulation called
the H & R Block Budget Challenge. In the simulation students were required to
manage the personal finances of a recent college graduate. They had to make
multiple decisions every week that included paying bills, managing their checking
account, managing credit card debt, dealing with unexpected expenses, and taking
weekly online quizzes. Student progress was monitored and recorded throughout
the unit. There were also multiple quick formative assessments used throughout the
unit. These included fist to fives and thumbs up-thumbs down assessments. These
quick checks for understanding gave me an idea of how student understanding was
at any given moment. They also helped guide lessons and see which topics needed
to be covered more.