Open-Ended

I've been focusing on this a lot this year. I know that in Kinder many of our regular formative assessments are one-on-one oral testing: letters/sounds, sight word recognition, how high they can count, and eventually reading fluency testing.

Because we take a standardized test in December where the kids have to bubble in answers, we also do weekly assessments that are review from the week but also double as test practice. Because I don't think multiple choice measures as much, I also try to throw in some open-ended questions. It amazes me sometimes how they come up with an answer that is correct, but I wouldn't have thought of to make a choice for them. Here are some examples:

This was a passage for listening comprehension about a little girl scared to go to the dentist. The passage didn't say why she was scared, so they kids had to infer the reason.

I know they are showing the oxygen it gives off.

This one made me laugh correcting it-you could ride animals, I suppose.

I wish I had thought of that excuse when we were little that was my chore.

Also made me laugh-how true.

Not what I would have thought of, but also true.

It takes longer to correct them and sometimes I have to put sticky notes on some because I will have to ask them the next day what it meant...but I think is definitely a more rigorous way to assess.

Also, I usually leave my art projects open-ended. I saw this wonderful idea for a Mother's Day project on another blog:

http://misskindergartenlove.blogspot.com/2011/04/mothers-day-purse.html

but I allowed my kids to create their own--anything they wanted. Some attempted animal print, another did her mom's sorority letters, some went a little crazy with the jewels, but that's ok--it's all their vision.