In today's data driven society, teachers are expected to collect data samples at various points throughout the school for use in their professional evaluations with administrators. This can be a cumbersome task as teachers track data from various tests, quizzes, exit tickets, surveys and use ALL that information to differentiate instruction for their various learners.
I was among those teachers who would administer paper-based assessments, manually enter my data into a spreadsheet, and sit with a calculator for hours, ranking students in various percentiles and in this way would track their growth over the course of the year. I had piles of paper-based assessments and always feared I would lose a piece of student work and, therefore, lose my baseline evidence or evidence of student growth.
This year, however, I have begun to simplified my data tracking process.
Integrating Google Forms as an Assessment Tool
Using Google Forms, I created an online assessment to track students' scores and data quickly and efficiently. A well-thought out Google Form can virtually eliminate the need for manually entering calculations and percentiles into the spreadsheet. Google Forms can generate a spreadsheet once all data has been collected. Data can also be tracked initially through Google Forms itself.
Creating a Google Form
Teachers can use Google Forms in a variety of ways. I am a music teacher; I used my Form as a 4-point rubric-based assessment that I completed as each student performed a singing task. Google Forms can also be used as a survey tool, exit ticket, quiz, and much more.
Below, I have created a Google Form to track data for a 1st grade singing assessment. This tracker is for the pre-assessment data that I will be using to track my 2017 student learning objectives (SLOs).
Google Forms can be accessed through forms.google.com using your Google account. If your school or work does not offer a Google account, you can create a Google account for free. Saved forms can also be accessed at drive.google.com.
Once on the Google Forms homepage, you will have the option of choosing to use a sample assessment created by Google, modifying that sample assessment, or you can create your own from the bottom up. I chose to create assessment from a blank form. I then copied the assessment for each class to track the data separately.
In the video below, I demonstrate how I made my assessment and what I chose to add. You may find you have different needs and can create your assessment accordingly.
After the base form was created, I entered student's' names and assessment scores as they sang the song. Once all the students had sung, I analyzed the responses page.
Google Forms provided me with an overview of how my students performed. For example, in the data gathered below, I see that 14 students (almost 61%), achieved a score of beginning, meaning they only used their talking voice on the assessment. 7 students used a combination of talking and singing voices, and only 2 were able to sing the song using their singing voice most of the time.
The data can be re-arranged and presented using a spreadsheet generated in Google Sheets. I submitted my assessment data using the spreadsheet generated in Google Forms to my district's teacher evaluation platform.
Informing Instruction
Now that my data has been collected for the pre-assessment, I know that the majority of my students struggled to sing a three note song when seeing it for the first time. Because 61% used their talking voice and not singing voice, I first reviewed the difference between talking voice and singing voice. I then backtracked to have students practice singing two note songs before introducing three note songs. Once students have more practice singing these two and three note songs, they will (hopefully!) improve in their singing abilities during mid-year and end of the year assessments.
The Pros and Cons of Utilizing Google Forms as an Assessment Tool:
Pros
- CLOUD - Information is stored in the "cloud" for immediate access from anywhere using a Google account.
- FEEDBACK - Data is immediately available for analysis either through Google Forms or by generating a spreadsheet.
- READILY AVAILABLE - The form can be revisited over and over for data entering. I spent two and a half class periods completing all my assessments. Using the preview button, I was able to input student data on the form without having to start all over again.
- LESS PAPER - If the technology is available, teachers can administer assessments directly to students using Google Forms rather than creating hard copy, paper-based tests. The link can be disseminated through email or a web browser using the teacher provided link.
- COLLABORATION - Google Forms can be easily shared and collaborated among grade level/subject teachers. This feature can be accessed from the menu (three vertical dots) button on the top right-hand corner. I shared this sample assessment with my subject partners for use with their singing assessments.
- OPTIONS - I used this particular Google Form as a teacher-used assessment. As described, the form can be created for students to directly complete for assessments as well. There are also options for exit tickets, course evaluations, surveys, etc. Google Forms can be created to suit many types of data collecting desires!
Cons
- TRIAL and ERROR - The form takes some trial and error to ensure you are using appropriate rubric formats (checkboxes, short answers, columns, etc.) for tracking your data. This particular form went through several re-formattings before the final product. Take time to take the assessment as though YOU are the students and check the results of your data to ensure the form is recording the data you wish to track.
- DELETIONS - As easy as it is to make, it can also be very easy to make mistakes and/or delete the form. If you delete the form, your response data will be lost. I recommend still keeping paper copies or at least a copy of the spreadsheet saved locally or printed!
- UNFAMILIARITY - If using Google Forms as a means of administering an assessment directly to students, teacher should introduce the form and allow students practice using Google Forms before the actual test, quiz, etc. Most likely, this will mean taking extra time out of instruction to allow students this practice; however, taking time to practice now will allow for a smoother transition to using the Form in the future.
The Standards: CCT Rubric for Effective Teaching 2014
- Domain 2: Planning for Active Learning; 2c: Selecting appropriate assessment strategies to monitor student progress.
- Domain 3: Instruction for Active Learning; 3c: Assessing student learning, providing feedback to students and adjusting instruction.
- Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities and Teacher Leadership; 4a: Engaging in continuous professional learning to impact instruction and student learning.
Alternate assessment tools: Socrative (quiz, exit ticket, quick answer feedback), Kahoot (online quiz tool), Quizpedia (online quiz tool).
Credits:
Created with images by jarmoluk - "apple education school" • Chill Mimi - "z059And2more_tonemapped-1_filtered" • Hermann - "books education school" • AlexanderStein - "paperclip clip office" • AlexanderStein - "colored pencils pens crayons"