Tic Tac Toe Assessments

Assessments can be difficult to differentiate when you are teaching core content classes, especially for Multilingual Learners who are at different WIDA levels.

One way to address this challenge is to create a “TIC TAC TOE” grid of a variety of assessments. They include student choice which can be motivating, provide essential information about students’ growth so you can assess what they know, and you are able to structure tasks in the grid that specifically show students’ comprehension and analysis.

Here’s how it works!

Options include:

• 9 activities related to the content that you are covering

• 8 activities, leaving the middle blank for a "free choice"

• Activities accessible to all levels of language proficiencies

• Activities based on a variety of learning preferences (kinesthetic, visual, auditor)

• Activities using paper and pencil or technology to complete

• Activities that can be done alone, in pairs, or in small groups

Here is an example based on a core US History standard so you can visual how it looks:

U.S. I Standard 6.1 (from Utah core): Students will compare and contrast historians' interpretations of the ideas, resources, and events that motivated the territorial expansion of the United States.

You can require students to choose at least one group task or at least one individual task or whatever makes sense for your goals in the class. I included the WIDA levels on this example, but I would leave them off when I presented the grid to the students. You can assign groups or allow them to choose base on what tasks they pick.

Providing choice in assessments/tasks allows all your students to be engaged in the same standard or guiding question, but at their appropriate zone of proximal development.