Teachers use an assortment of tests, including classroom and standardized tests, and homework assignments to assess students. These tests and assignments help them to determine what students have learned, how they have progressed throughout the year, what they need to work on and what areas they need extra help in. Teachers often use test results to make decisions on whether students move on to the next grade, get tutoring outside of class or learn more advanced materials. Tests also help educators to determine if their teaching methods and materials are effective. Certain tests administered by teachers, especially standardized tests, allow school districts or states to determine whether students in individual schools are performing as well as students in other schools. Based on test scores, schools sometimes have to make changes to their structure or curriculum. Presentations, essays or creative projects allow teachers to evaluate how well students are at speaking publicly, writing, creating artistic projects or performing other tasks.
Through grades, teachers communicate with school administrators, students and parents about students' progress. Although grades aren't the only determinate of students' intelligence, they give teachers a tool to communicate when they think students are advanced, above average or below average. Grades help teachers to determine whether students should be placed in special needs or advanced classes, although educators also take behavior into account when making these determinations. Student grades sometimes cause teachers to make changes to their own curriculums, especially if students within their classes are receiving lower or higher grades than normal. After giving student grades, teachers sometimes devote extra attention to certain students during and after school.
Through meetings with school administrators, students or parents, teachers talk about students' learning abilities and progress. During these meetings, teachers discuss what children have learned and have the potential to learn; they also discuss students' behavior inside and outside the classroom. Meetings allow other people, including parents and school administrators, to have input in how well students are doing and how they can do better in school. Based on teachers' recommendations, parents often take their children to tutoring sessions, help their kids more with their homework, get them involved in extracurricular activities or enroll them in advanced summer camps or programs.
Teachers help school administrators to know when certain students have learning disabilities that inhibit their ability to learn in a regular classroom. From working with students on a regular basis, teachers are able to determine if children have problems reading, writing, concentrating in class or completing other tasks, which can signal that the students could have a learning disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Based on teachers' evaluations, school administrators often place students in special education classes or get students extra help. Teachers in special needs classes need to regularly evaluate students to determine if they are progressing.