Assessment

Assessment is an essential practice for identifying participants’ learning and growth. It is vital that you regularly observe and report on the progress of the participants. It should be done throughout each session and not only at the end the program; constant feedback is essential for the participants’ learning. Participants will be assessed in these three areas:  

• Knowing (K): What the participant knows

• Doing (D): What the participant can do

• Valuing (V): What the participant values or appreciates  

“Doing” may be the most obvious area to assess but all three areas are equally important. When you assess participant learning, you must take into account each participant’s skill ability (what is learned in skill application from the experience), what the participant knows, and what the participant values based on participation within each of the activities. You will guide, encourage, and motivate participants through each activity by asking them questions. You will also help participants make learning connections and aim to have all participants meet the learning outcomes in each session. 

Delivery of Assessment  

Within the Making Tracks program, two methods of assessment will be employed: verbal and written.  

Verbal Feedback  

Verbal feedback will be provided to the participants as they work through different activities. As this program often takes place outside, verbal feedback is particularly effective. It is immediate and allows the participants to recognize what they know, do, and value. In order to provide effective feedback it is important to use language that the participants easily understand. This means that you will need to teach the participants the words that you will use so that they know how well they are doing in their learning.
Use the words:  

• “Getting there”: Participant is starting to learn the outcome (and needs lots of help)

• “Almost there”: Participant has almost learned the outcome (and can do it with some help)

• “There”: Participant has learned the outcome (and can do it with minimal or no help) 

Feedback is important but remember that too much will not help them learn. Keep it simple and you will keep it fun.  

Written Feedback  

At the end of each session you will provide written feedback to all of the participants. This will be recorded in a book- let called a Passport. Instead of providing feedback to the participants by saying, “getting there,” “almost there,” and “there,” you will write symbols in their Passports that represent each of these phrases. The symbols you will use will be parts of or full happy faces. Use these symbols:  

• A circle: “Getting there”

• A circle with two eyes: “Almost there”  

• A full happy face: “There” 

The Passport allows you to track participants’ progress and it provides the participants with learning that extends beyond the sessions. The Passport is a way for parents and caregivers to be able to monitor the participants progress during the activities. 

By having participants receive feedback verbally during each session and in writing on their Passports after each session,
you will understand what participants know, do and value. Participants can demonstrate these things in a variety of ways: