• High-stakes assessments are collected and specifically graded for content.
  
  • Creates the strongest incentive for student participation
  • Requires that output be collected
  • Requires the most time and effort from the instructor
  • Examples: ConcepTests and extended-response think-pair-share activities that require the production of a written response or a solved problem.
    
• Low-stakes assessments
• Provides credit for completion/participation/effort but not content or accuracy.
• Produces individual student output or a group of students turn in a product and credit given to group
• Examples: Clickers to measure participation and histogram feedback on understanding and one-minute papers where content not graded, just credit for completion and submission.
• No-stakes
• Nothing needs to be collected from students.
• Example: Clickers used to provide feedback on student understanding by display of histogram.

• During the activity, listen in on a few random groups and do a rough assessment of how well they understand the topic (and if they are on topic).
  • This encourages students to stay on task.
  • Offer help to groups that are struggling with the activity, or quickly make adjustments if the whole class is having trouble.
• For a follow-up summary/discussion: pick groups or students within groups to report at random.
• Have all groups report. This is helpful when each group has something different to say (for example if each group is looking at a different aspect of a problem) and the class size is small enough to do so. It may be useful to have each group designate a spokesperson who will speak for the group

• Have students raise their hands and count or estimate: This option is easy to implement, but can be misleading if:
  • Students look around and change their answer to whatever the majority supports
  • Some students who don't raise their hands
• Have students simultaneously hold up cards (on a count of three):
  • The cards, usually in a set of three for each student, with a big "A", "B", or "C" printed on them, are prepared and distributed by the instructor, and should be collected at the end of class.
  • In a traditional lecture hall in which all students face the instructor, you can see what the students have answered, but they can't see what anyone else has answered (except by looking behind them, which will only allow a partial view).
• Have students use finger signals (Paulson, 1999 )
• To answer, students hold their hands up to their chests, so other students can't easily see them, but the instructor can.
• Students hold up one finger for "A", two for "B", etc. If they don't know the answer, they hold up a closed fist.
• Use electronic classroom response systems.
• The student can punch in their answer (A, B, C) and a central computer receives and records all of the signals.
• The computer is usually set up to summarize and record the data, not only for the whole class but also for individual students. Some of these devices also allow a student to include an estimate of confidence in their answer.
• A display of the results of the class as a whole is also provided by these systems, allowing both the instructor and the student to know what percent of the class picked each answer.

• Have each student write their answer and turn in for credit/no credit.
• Have each student write a short paper on an index card or fill in a worksheet summarizing their group's findings or answering questions about it and turn it in for a grade.
• One-minute write activities have each student write a response to one or two questions given a few minutes before the end of class. The instructor reads responses and uses the first part of the next class to address questions raised by the student responses. If pressed for time, read a random sampling of these papers and do a whole-class assessment based on those. Common questions for the one-minute papers include:
• What was the most important point made in class today?
• What was the muddiest point of the class today?
• What is one question you have about the material presented in class today?

Instructors purposefully assign students to teams of four using playing cards for multiple sets of 52 students. Each set (Aces through Kings) is identified by a different colored pocket folder. Each individual student had a unique identity based on the suit of the playing card (hearts, clubs, diamonds, or spades), the team number (Aces through Kings) and the color of their folder. Every team is accountable for the group in-class assignments/activities, which are collected in the folders. Every individual student is also accountable because they can be randomly be called upon by announcing the color of the folder and then drawing a card: that student gives the team report. Instructors rotate four roles: recorder, reporter, discussion leader, and folder monitor. The folder monitors pick up and replace the team folder, collecting and distributing homework and in-class assignments.

• If multiple-choice answers are evenly divided, many or most students may not understand the question or may be guessing. Instructors must decide how to address the issue by perhaps offering a different explanation or using student responses, careful questioning, and discussion to resolve the issue.
• If it's only one or a few groups that are wrong and the class size is small, and if time is available, the instructor can enable students to get back on track using techniques like Socratic Questioning, and then move on.
• If the instructor gives one-minute papers at the end of class, it is important to demonstrate to students that papers have been read, that questions posed are answered, and that issues raised by their responses are addressed.