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Definition of terms
refers to the wide variety of methods or
tools that educators use to evaluate,
measure, and document the academic
readiness, learning progress, skill
acquisition, or educational needs of
students.
is where the student and the educator, or
information source, are not physically present
in a traditional classroom environment.
Information is relayed through technology,
such as discussion boards, video conferencing,
and online assessments.
remote learning is the process of
teaching and learning performed
at a distance. Rather than having
students and teachers coming
together in person, remote learning
means that students are distanced
from their teacher and their peers.
Remote testing is when students conduct assessments, such
as tests and final exams, on their own devices from their
own locations. They are often run at a specific start and end
time, to mimic the in-class environment. Instructors can
create open-book assessments that are more flexible for
students and often include multimedia components as part
of some skill-testing questions.
Remote assessment can also refer to securely proctored tests
that are conducted online. Students’ identity can be verified
online to ensure the right students are taking the test, and
their activity during the test is monitored to flag any
potential irregular behavior. Remotely proctored testing
services also Disable printing, block downloads and prevent
screenshot capture so exam content can’t be shared with
other students.
.
Asynchronous is the opposite of synchronous, which
means happening at the same time. Think of
―synchronous‖ as ―in synch‖ and asynchronous as
―out of synch.‖ If we're chatting on the phone, our
communication is ―synchronous.‖ We respond to
each other immediately and when we hang up, the
conversation's over..
COVID has reshaped teaching and learning in ways that
could make a teacher or other educational leader wonder—
what’s the same and what’s different about classroom
assessment in a remote or hybrid learning environment?
The principles of formative assessment are the same in a remote,
hybrid, or in-person learning environment. For example,
strategies that support the implementation of effective

formative assessment still include: (a) clarifying,

understanding, and sharing learning intentions; (b)
engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks, and
activities that elicit evidence of learning; (c) providing
feedback that moves learners forward; (d) activating students
as learning resources for one another; and (e) activating
students as owners of their own learning (Wiliam, 2011).
Classroom assessment is integrally related to curriculum
and instruction, so changes in curriculum and/or
instruction should lead to shifts in classroom assessment—
especially formative assessment because of its
inseparability from instruction. Formative assessment
practices are different in a remote or hybrid learning
environment than in an in-person learning environment
because teaching and learning activities are different.
Continuum of Instructional and Assessment Shifts in a Remote
Learning Environment
 A Deep Dive into Summative Classroom
Assessment in a Remote or Hybrid Learning
Environment
Summative classroom assessment practices must take
into account the instructional context of students in
order to support inferences about what students know
and are able to do. In doing so, we acknowledge that the

overall goal of summative assessments – to understand

what students know and can do – remains the same
between in-person, remote, and hybrid contexts, but the
latter two contexts require us to carefully reconsider the
instructional context in ways that are typically
unnecessary for in-person instruction.
 A Deep Dive into Summative Classroom
Assessment in a Remote or Hybrid Learning
Environment

Considering Learning Targets, Instructional Context, and Supporting

Assumptions
Adequately addressing summative classroom assessment starts with
deeply considering what we want to know about what students know

and can do. That is, we need to carefully consider our learning targets
(or, similarly assessment targets, claims, or interpretations). To provide
an example learning target, albeit a simplified one, we examined a high
school science assessment task available as part of a Next Generation
Science Standards (NGSS) Storylines Unit. The learning target we
generated is that a student ―can apply their understanding of natural
selection and adaptation to explain a new phenomenon.‖
 A Deep Dive into Summative Classroom
Assessment in a Remote or Hybrid Learning
Environment

The complement to considering learning targets is

considering the instructional context in which the
assessment is taking place. In doing so, we need to make

explicit the assumptions that we are making about

students and their experiences. These assumptions often
do not need to be made explicit during in-person
instruction, as they can be easily gleaned from classroom
interactions. Some examples of these assumptions:
Place in instruction. Have students arrived at a specified
place in instruction? That is, have students had a sufficient
opportunity to learn? For example, should students have
arrived at the end of an instructional unit?
Access to resources. Assumptions in this vein could take
the form of access to assessment materials like handouts or
even materials like science kits. Student access to
information from the internet during the assessment (e.g., is
the assessment meant to be ―open book‖, allowing students
access to the internet; or closed?) should also be taken into
account.
 Some examples of these
assumptions:

Student Collaboration. In particular, are students meant to

individually and independently complete the task? Or
should students be supported by other students, teachers or
other adults (including adults that are a part of their home
life?). Can they work together to collaboratively complete
the task?
 During flexible and remote learning, and consistent
with existing expectations for students
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 student learning should continue to be assessed
 assessment should be embedded within the
teaching and learning cycle
 a combination of formative and summative
assessment strategies should be used to monitor
progress and inform future teaching
 teachers should provide feedback to students
on their learning in accordance with the
school’s communications plan.
 Different ways of assessing student learning in a
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learning from home environment include:

 setting up regular check-ins and opportunities

for students to ask questions and share work
through existing school processes or protocols
that have been developed for this period
 providing students with information on how they
might self-assess their skill development when
setting learning activities (for example, use of
exemplars, videos of demonstrations, self-
assessment rubrics or peer evaluation)
 considering how to adapt formative assessment
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methods, and the ways in which evidence of student
learning is collected (for example, this may include
using digitally based strategies to formatively assess
and gauge student progress.
 In the absence of online opportunities, using
phone calls or emails to measure student’s

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achievement and progress).

 considering how to adapt summative

assessment activities. For example, requesting
students to submit tasks (such as essays, tests,
assignments) through existing online or offline
processes.
 continuing to use different modes and tools to
provide ongoing, targeted and meaningful
feedback.
 Tools that may be useful in this process:

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 the school’s existing learning management and
student/parent communication systems
 web-based conferencing and communication tools
 online form and survey tools
 email
 web-based document creation and editing suites
 shared document systems.
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