NearPod as an Assessment Tool

In this new world of virtual and hybrid teaching and learning, teachers are having to determine new approaches to assessing students, both in-person and remotely.

Justification for NearPod as an assessment tool

A dilemma that my grade-level team and I have been working through this school year is determining how to accurately and equitably conduct assessments when some students are remote and others are in-person learners. Typically, we would conduct our assessments through 1:1 meetings with students, which has been complicated both by social distancing requirements as well as the logistics of the school day this year. We have decided that the safest practice for assessments this year is by utilizing digital learning tools as a platform for assessments. Earlier this year, we used SeeSaw for Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments, and we have also been using it for daily reading comprehension checks. I wanted to explore another website that could be used for similar functions as a reading assessment tool. I chose to try creating an assessment tool on NearPod, and will plan on using the assessment I created with students in the next few weeks after I begin introducing the NearPod platform to them through playful engagements.

For my assessment tool, I was looking to create a comprehension check that would demonstrate students' understanding of making predictions about a text, and then evaluating if their prediction was correct. When using SeeSaw, I noticed that students were getting confused about following the directions on SeeSaw, making the assessment inaccurate. Students were able to verbally respond to the prompts, but had difficulty transitioning their response to a digital submission because the prompting pages were too similar and lengthy. I wondered if changing the format of the questions and providing more variety in responding would lead to a more accurate assessment. I chose NearPod, because their program would allow me to include both multiple-choice questions (reading levels) and written responses (predictions and evaluation of predictions). I also thought that a collaborate page would be a great way for students to share what book they were reading with their peers (title of book). I have included images below of the reading comprehension assessment tool I have created to use in my current third grade classroom.

NearPod Reading Comprehension Assessment

Effectiveness of NearPod as an assessment tool

I will update this blog post with my findings on the effectiveness and accuracy of using NearPod as an assessment tool in the upcoming weeks. First, I would like to begin incorporating NearPod into my classroom using playful engagements, to building familiarity with the tools and programs that they will use for submissions. Once students have had more practice using this program, I will do a beta test to see if it is a useful assessment tool for my students. Below, I have included the criteria I will be using to determine whether or not this assessment tool is effective.

Effective assessment tool criteria

1. Ease of use for students

2. Effectiveness of measuring the intended learning goals

3. Accuracy of measuring the intended learning goals

Effective and accurate assessment tools are critical for ensuring that students learning process is documented correctly, so that teachers may best support their academic needs. The increase in virtual teaching has creating a subsequent need for more digital learning assessments. I am hopeful that NearPod will be an effective assessment tool, including the ability to download data for later documenting purposes. The structure of the classroom and teaching strategies are changing, making it critical that assessment tools also modify and adapt to changes in the school environment.