For my assessments, the pre and post tests were similar but not identical.

The pre-test was a total of 10 questions, and asked one/two questions from each
section of chapter 7 (there are 6 sections total). In comparison, the post-test had a
total of 24 questions, with two or more questions from each section, and the test
was laid out in a format that started with section 7.1 and progressed to section 7.6
throughout the course of the test. The reason that I made the pre-test shorter than
the post test is because, I simply wanted to use the pre-test as a way to get a
general understanding of how comfortable the students were with the content
before starting the unit. If a student didnt know how to start the process of
answering any of the questions, then it didnt matter if I asked them one or more
question from each section. So with that in mind I made the pre-test less than half
the length of the post-test so that I could get an idea of where we were at as a
class.
During the unit and lessons, there were multiple forms of assessments used.
I consistently ask students where their comfort level is currently at with what we are
learning during each and every lesson. I usually do this by asking them to show me,
with their fingers, where they are at from a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being I feel really
comfortable and 1 being I need a lot of help on this concept before the test.
Another way that I would informally assess students understanding is by their
participation and engagement throughout the unit and throughout a lesson. I try
not to lecture for an extended period of time, and try to allow students to try
several examples of each type of problem during any given lesson. After students
work on their examples, I usually ask for volunteers to come up and show their work
on the board, or I will randomly call on a table group to share their answer(s) with
the rest of the class. This allows me to see where most of the students are at
before the lesson is done, and who needs more attention during classwork time, and
which students could help other students.
In addition to pre and post-tests, and informal assessments, every class
period usually starts with taking a homework quiz. Every homework quiz are only
two questions, and it is just a quick formal assessment that allows myself, as well as
the students, to see where they are currently at from the previous nights
homework. The students also know that every question on each homework quiz will
be very similar to the type of questions they will see on their end of the unit test.
All of the different ways that I chose to assess the students understanding of
this unit and concepts are all for their benefit as well as mine. Not only does every
student know where they currently are at, I know on a daily basis the students that
are able to grasp the concepts, and the students who are needing more attention
during classwork time. When I introduce a new concept, I expect several students
to be a little confused, but as the lesson progresses and before they start the
homework, my goal is to have at least 80% of the class rate their comfort level at a
3 or higher. If that is not the case, I will do a few more examples and try to find a
way to break it down so that the students can understand what is being taught. I do
not throw any surprises at them, nor do I test them on anything we havent
discussed and taught several times. I want my students to know exactly where they
are at going into their tests so that they can take it with confidence.