Effective teaching has always required continuous assessment. But now, with testing and standards an increasing presence in your practice, classroom assessment can not only benefit your teaching, but also give you a professional, student-centered way to document your performance and meet third-party expectations.

Drowning in Data? outlines best practices for ongoing assessment that help you both plan instruction for your students and determine how much and how well they are learning. Mary Shea, Rosemary Murray, and Rebecca Harlin offer an overarching framework for assessment as well as a specific implementation plan. CARP (Collect, Analyze, Report, Plan) is a clear, concise assessment system that frames the goals and objectives of assessment, while TWIN is a specific portfolio-based means to show evidence of Thinking, Work samples, In-the-classroom benchmarks, and Norm-referenced or other standardized achievement testing. Together, CARP and TWIN simplify assessment by breaking it down into manageable chunks, while, at the same time, making information readily available to plan your teaching or substantiate student achievement.

With numerous student-work samples from a wide range of grade levels, Drowning in Data? demonstrates how actionable evidence can be retrieved day by day, moment by moment in any instructional relationship. Whether you are a veteran searching for a better way to document your teaching, a preservice teacher, or a novice teacher, Drowning in Data? is your best source for ideas on high-quality, ongoing assessment.

Drowning in Data? outlines best practices for ongoing assessment that help you both plan instruction for your students and determine how much and how well they are learning.

Effective teaching has always required continuous assessment. But now, with testing and standards an increasing presence in your practice, classroom assessment can not only benefit your teaching, but also give you a professional, student-centered way to document your performance and meet third-party expectations. Drowning in Data? outlines best practices for ongoing assessment that help you both plan instruction for your students and determine how much and how well they are learning. Mary Shea, Rosemary Murray, and Rebecca Harlin offer an overarching framework for assessment as well as a specific implementation plan. CARP (Collect, Analyze, Report, Plan) is a clear, concise assessment system that frames the goals and objectives of assessment, while TWIN is a specific portfolio-based means to show evidence of Thinking, Work samples, In-the-classroom benchmarks, and Norm-referenced or other standardized achievement testing. Together, CARP and TWIN simplify assessment by breaking it down

MARY SHEA is an associate professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, where she teaches in and directs the graduate literacy programs. Previously, she worked for many years in western New York schools as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and language-arts coordinator.ROSEMARY MURRAY is an associate professor in the department of Graduate Education and Leadership at Canisius College, where she teaches courses at the graduate and undergraduate level. Her experience as an educator includes classroom teaching in grades 35 and middle school. She was also a literacy specialist and the program coordinator in a college laboratory school that was part of the magnet school initiative in Buffalo.REBECCA HARLIN is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton where she teaches graduate classes in curriculum and literacy. Her research focuses on teachers' assessment practices, multicultural literature, and portrayal of bullies in children's literature. She was a former classroom and Title I reading teacher in New York and Florida.

Recognizing Developmental Changes

Are They Learning?

Evidence of Thinking

Work Samples

Appendix 4-1: Miniresearch Project on African Americans History

In-the-Classroom Benchmarks

Norm-Referenced and Other Statewide Standardized Achievement Tests

Appendix 6-1: State of the States

Appendix 6-2: Types of Standardized Achievement Tests: State by State and District of Columbia

Appendix 6-3: Validity and Reliability Definitions and Examples

Analyzing and Evaluating Data

Reporting Achievement and Planning the Next Instructional Step