Diagnostic assessments to help struggling learners


A common use for diagnostic assessment is to identify existing knowledge and gaps before starting instruction. That seems to be the most prevalent definition of this form of assessment. Most of the google search results for that term would agree. That is why it really piqued my interest when I came across the idea of using diagnostic tests to help identify the cause of why a learner is struggling during the course. This seemingly left-field idea stuck with me because, being from a medical background myself, that definition more closely aligns with what we think of as diagnosing a problem in healthcare. 

  

Another use for diagnostic assessment can be to "help you identify gaps and pinpoint how best to support a struggling learner... These formative assessments are designed to gather additional data when red flags occur based on in-class performance with struggling learners " (Davies, 2021). In this sense, diagnostic assessments don't have to be limited to being done before a unit of study or course but also during as well, with particular utility for those learners who we see are struggling during class. 


So in an online course for example, 'in-class performance' may be how a learner engages in weekly discussion forums. These aren't meant to be any type of assessment but can give the online instructor an idea of if a learner is struggling to keep up with the content or to comprehend and apply it. This can lead to layering on a diagnostic assessment to identify how that learner can be supported additionally. 


The ultimate goal is to use data collected through diagnostic assessment to formulate a plan of action for that learner, with this feedback to the learner element being is why is can also be seen as a form of formative assessment.  

 

 

Reference 

 

Davies, R. (2021, May 14). A beginner's Guide to Diagnostic Assessment for struggling learners. Differentiated Teaching. Retrieved October 23, 2021, from https://www.differentiatedteaching.com/diagnostic-assessment-for-teachers/.  

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