Designing an Assessment Plan That Reflects What Matters Most

Module 1: Getting Started with Assessment
Designing Your Microschool Assessment Approach
Module 2: The Purpose of Assessment
Rethinking Assessment: A Tool for Growth and Empowerment
Assessment as an Ongoing Practice
Module 3: Collecting Evidence
From Snapshots to Stories: Gathering Meaningful Evidence
Module 4: Artifacts Collected Through Project-Based Learning
Portfolio Evidence and the Student Success Framework
Module 5: Academic Skills
Two Kinds of Academic Outcomes
Assessment Tool 1: Rubrics
Module 6: Life Habits
Building Habits That Help Students Thrive
Assessment Tool 2: Checklists
Module 7: Purpose and Sense of Self
Reflecting on Purpose and Identity
Assessment Tool 3: Reflections
Module 8: Other Critical Outcomes
Academic Content Skills
Module 9: Helping Students Develop a Growth Mindset
Why Growth Mindset Matters
Module 10: What Comes Next?
Looking Ahead
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Assessment Tool 2: Checklists

Designing an Assessment Plan That Reflects What Matters Most Assessment Tool 2: Checklists

How the Checklist Was Used

In the project featured in the portfolio, Nicholas and his teacher each completed a checklist focused on empathy. This allowed both perspectives to come forward:

 

  • Nichollas reflected on how he showed empathy throughout the project.
  • His teacher provided her observations of the same behaviors.

This side-by-side reflection can help students build self-awareness, and it can open the door to important conversations—about strengths, struggles, and goals for future growth.

Why Use Checklists?

Checklists are especially helpful for tracking habits that aren’t always easy to quantify—but are deeply important to student development. You can use checklists to:

 

  • Encourage self-reflection – Students name the habits they’re building and where they want to grow.
  • Support goal setting – Teachers and students can use the checklist to choose one focus area and work toward it over time.
  • Document growth over time – Repeating the checklist after each project or term shows progress without overwhelming students with numbers or scores.
  • Keep it simple – The format is accessible and easy to use, even with young learners.

Apply It to Your School

Now revisit your assessment plan. Look at any outcomes related to life habits—like collaboration, perseverance, or empathy—and use this time to update the last three columns:

 

  • What specific goals do you have for this outcome?
  • What evidence or data will help you understand student progress?
  • What tools—including this checklist—will you use to collect that data?
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