Assessment is a necessary and vital part of our job. We live and breathe assessments. Because it tells us what our kids need and gives us information on how to help and support our students. Assessment is a must. And for so many of us, it becomes a point of stress and disdain. More work. More paperwork. Waste of time. BUT assessment doesn’t have to be any of those things.
In fact here’s a statement I hear all too frequently: “I spend all of my time assessing, so I can’t do fun stuff with my class…” Well, what if I told you there was a tool that alleviate most of that assessment time so you CAN spend more time having fun??
What if I told you that I love assessment and assessing my kids? And what if I said you could love assessing too?! What if your kids loved assessment!? What if I told you assessing and progress monitoring could be FAST and EASY? Who wouldn’t want that, right?! So what’s this assessment voodoo you speak of, Mr. Greg?! The answer is ESGI!
ESGI is a computer-based one on one assessment tool that is a MUST-have for every classroom! ESGI is designed to be done one on one using a computer or tablet. When you assess with ESGI, your student sits next to you, and you complete their assessment with simple clicks of yes or no. Easy. Fast. Done. And when you finish, you get instant data to analyze, support, and drive instruction. And isn’t that what we want? Meaningful, valuable data that can guide our decisions on groups and instruction so that our students get the maximum benefit!?
And not only does ESGI have one-on-one yes/no tests, but you can also do rubrics and self-assess so students do an assessment independently.
So let’s talk about why I love assessment with ESGI!
Reason 1: The Tests
ESGI comes preloaded with hundreds of assessments covering all standards and skills! Are you in Texas? There are tests for the TEKS! And, all of our TKS assessments are also available on ESGI for you to use as well including our TKS BOOTCAMP assessments!
The great news is that you don’t have to use any of these assessments because you can easily create your own tests and assessments to meet your curriculum and instruction needs. And if you’re an unorganized mess like Mr. Greg, no worries. ESGI keeps track of everyone who has and has not been tested so you can stay on top of things!
Reason 2: The Data!
Instant data. No grading. No scoring. As soon as you finish an assessment ESGI generates the student’s data! You can visually see how the student did on the assessment. And the student can also see this information. I make sure my students see their results, and then we have conversations about the results and how we can improve and keep learning! My class LOVES being assessed, and they LOVE seeing their data and results! In fact, they ask for their turn, and they ask to be tested. That speaks volumes!
This is her reaction to seeing her data. Do you really need any more convincing?!
I also use ESGI for pre and post-assessment. I’ll assess my class on a skill using one of my assessments prior to teaching the skill, and then I assess at the end of the unit or theme or skill, so I’m able to see their growth!
Speaking of tests and data, ESGI also has a great history tool, so you can see students’ growth over time. Is anyone else hearing progress monitoring?!?! This is another tool that my class loves! The students love seeing that line go UP UP UP!
So you have all of this great data, now what?!
Reason 3: Driving Instruction
ESGI can help you with that too. You create a group in ESGI and add students to that group! BAM!
So how does ESGI help me drive my instruction? Well, I can easily and quickly assess my class on a skill and see how each student is progressing with that skill. I can see any areas and weakness we need to focus on or see if we’re ready to move on.
And because ESGI is so fast and easy, the assessment can be done on the fly! I can assess a skill in just a few minutes in the middle of the unit or week and see where we need to go next! ESGI also makes this super easy because they give you a bar graph analysis of the most missed items on each assessment, so you can dig into the data and see what’s happening with your kids!
Reason 4: Personalization
So the assessment is easy. The data is instant. But now what?! ESGI makes that part easy too. After you assess, you can send home personalized letters explaining to families about the tests and how their child did.
But wait, there’s even more! ESGI also generates a set of personalized flashcards for each student and each test. This means students are getting targeted practice on skills they missed and need additional support. That’s some pretty powerful stuff! And all you have to do is click print!
Wanna play bingo? ESGI can do that too!
So let’s summarize the value of ESGI:
Fast and easy assessment.
Immediate, authentic, usable data.
Data=driving instruction. This means easier differentiation, easier reading, and math groups, and easier interventions…all of which add up to more learning for our kids. And that’s really what assessment is all about. Ensure our students get the instruction and tools they need to succeed and learn!
Personalization and parent communication.
Organization.
So why do I love assessment and how can you? The answer is simple. ESGI!
After 10 years of using ESGI, Mr. Greg fully endorses this product and ranks it as his NUMBER ONE MUST-HAVE FOR ALL PREK-1, Special Ed, and ELL TEACHERS AND CLASSROOMS!
What are you waiting for? SIGN UP NOW! USE THE CODE SMORGIE FOR A 60-DAY FREE TRIAL (NO OBLIGATION!)
