Beginning of the Year Assessments
No teacher likes to hear the words assessment or data. Instead, they would rather focus on words like engagement and relationships. However, assessments are a huge aspect of schools today. As much as teachers don’t want to focus on them, they do help show what content students know and what they need help on. Thankfully, assessments do not all have to be high-stakes! They do not need to be stressful or overwhelming for students. With the Beginning of the Year Assessments, students will see how their teacher wants lessons to reflect their current needs.

Importance of Assessments
After hearing the word assessments, many think of long, stressful tests. These often require students to sit down for time lengths that are too long for their age. Honestly, assessments that provide powerful data do not have to be like this! For instance, assessments can focus on a single skill at a time. By doing this, students are not overwhelmed. They can simply focus on the content. Teachers can then use this data to see the specific skills students still need help on. Honestly, there are so many ways teachers can administer assessments without making students anxious!
Getting to Know Students
When the year starts, teachers do not know students’ current knowledge. Yes, they may have data from the previous year. However, students change so much over the summer. Likewise, teachers never know how much students will forget over summer break. This is exactly why the Beginning of the Year Assessments are so important. They provide teachers insight into where students are and where lessons should start. Additionally, they show who may need extra help or support. The simple assessments in this resource are an incredible way to get to know students academically at the beginning of the year!
Beginning of the Year Assessments
All of the assessments in this resource provide excellent knowledge of where students are in reading and math. Best of all, they are quick ways to assess students without stressing them out or making them nervous.
Specifically, there are 12 assessments that are perfect for the beginning of the year. This includes ones on letter naming, sounds, CVC words, sentence fluency, and sentence dictation. Furthermore, there are assessments on numbers, shapes, counting, simple addition, and before and after. There are even assessments for Dolch and Fry sight words. Thankfully, these simple assessments will be enjoyable for students while providing crucial feedback for teachers.
Teachers work hard to ensure students have a fantastic year. This involves learning new content, building friendships, and being excited about fun activities. Thankfully, the Beginning of the Year Assessments provides the perfect insight into what students do and do not know. This data will help teachers plan lessons and creative activities with the best rigor for students.
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