Student Post: Jessica Spencer - Game-Based Assessment

Game-based assessments are a great way to take away the stress and anxiety of typical pencil and paper assessments. Games are interactive and allow students to explore the concepts while remaining engaged, so why not use games as a form of assessment? Often teachers use lessons that are activity-based to check for understanding throughout a unit of study.  What if the activity-based lessons can be used to assess a student? Below is a list of my top three game-based apps that I think would be great for assessing students’ understanding of concepts.

1. Kahoot- Allows a teacher to create a short quiz to assess students. It is game-like because you are competing with other students in your class for the top score. The teacher can create their own questions to make sure the assessment aligns with the learning objectives. Scores are recorded for the teacher to review and can easily be transferred to a grade book.
2. Word Clouds- allows students to create a word cloud. A word cloud is an outline of a concept by using descriptive words and terminology. This app allows students to be creative using different fonts, colors, and their word clouds can vary in shape and design.
3. Planet Turtle- An online app that allows students to apply basic math concepts in a game-like format. Students must master one level to continue on to the next. Progress and scores are kept so teachers can access them. Teachers can use this app to make sure students are performing where they should be and is used as a formative assessment.