The purpose of pre-assessment is to figure out what students know about the subject that is coming up, what is their entry point compared to the outcomes. It also helps to understand students' interests and learning profiles. You should do a pre-assessment a few weeks in advance to the unit, so you can use it to plan accordingly. If you only give it a day before the new unit starts, what is the point of doing all that work? In order for pre-assessment to be effective, you have to use it to change the lesson plans and make it more effective for the students in front of you!
Pre-Assessment Questions to Ponder for Planning (Tomlinson 2014)
1. What are the KUDs? What are the essential knowledge, understanding, and skill that form the core of the unit?
2. What prerequisite knowledge, understanding, and skill should students have in order to succeed with the unit?
3. What common misunderstandings do students often have about the unit’s knowledge, understandings, or skills?
4. What questions can I ask that appropriately sample the unit’s KUDs (Know, Understand and Do).
5. What is a reasonable amount of time to provide for the preassessment?
6. Should it be administered in one sitting, or across several?
7. How long before the start of a new unit should the preassessment be administered? (I need time to review it, reflect on it, and plan for groupings and task with these results.)
8. Are there students who would benefit from differentiating the way the pre-assessment is written, designed, or administered?
2. What prerequisite knowledge, understanding, and skill should students have in order to succeed with the unit?
3. What common misunderstandings do students often have about the unit’s knowledge, understandings, or skills?
4. What questions can I ask that appropriately sample the unit’s KUDs (Know, Understand and Do).
5. What is a reasonable amount of time to provide for the preassessment?
6. Should it be administered in one sitting, or across several?
7. How long before the start of a new unit should the preassessment be administered? (I need time to review it, reflect on it, and plan for groupings and task with these results.)
8. Are there students who would benefit from differentiating the way the pre-assessment is written, designed, or administered?