Adolescent Literacy, Field Tested —
Abstract of

Chapter 10
Adolescent Literacy Assessment: Finding Out What You Need to Know

Faye Brownlie

How do we spend our assessment time—measuring learning or improving learning? This chapter provides classroom examples that illustrate how to assess for learning (AFL), or how to use assessment to guide and improve student learning. Two different AFL practices are highlighted. The first is a set of six day-to-day AFL strategies to weave into classroom practice: setting learning intentions, co-creating criteria with students, questioning, using descriptive feedback, peer- and self-assessment, and building ownership. The second is an AFL event: Using a performance-based, open-ended reading assessment to administer several times a year to guide instruction. Teachers working with the assessment ask these questions: What can my students do, what is missing, what is my plan to bridge the gap? The reading assessment helps teachers choose a strategic focus for their classroom and, when reassessing at a later date, see if their teaching is making a difference.

Brownlie, F. (2009). Adolescent Literacy Assessment: Finding Out What You Need to Know. In S.R. Parris, D. Fisher, & K. Headley (Eds.), Adolescent Literacy, Field Tested (pp. 117-125). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.