Software to Support AssessmentTechnological advances have changed the face of education. Technology has provided many benefits to teachers, students, parents, and school districts. The addition of technology to classrooms has enriched student learning, improved curriculum delivery, and simplified assessments. The development of software for every possible need including those aimed at supporting assessments. Teachers are currently encouraged and charged with developing comprehensive technology plans for their classrooms that incorporate the use of software to support student assessment throughout the year. Educators need to pay attention to the differences between assessment for learning (summative), assessment for learning (formative), and assessment as learning, and understand where the emphasis should be placed. Under the current student assessment policy and mandate, many educators approach the task of assessments with trepidation because they create anxiety for students and perceive an increased workload for teachers. If we think about assessment as a means of judging performance to inform our teaching method which in turn allows us to evaluate and change the way our students learn, we can see the benefit and necessity of assessment. In many ways assessments not only show a student's progress but provide the opportunity for growth as a teacher. At this point in the development of my comprehensive technology plan I will reflect on my future use of software and technology to support the assessment of my students. The operational use of classroom assessments to support teachers in planning and delivering targeted instruction in content standards can be managed through the use of so...... middle of paper ...... g the use of software to support student assessment throughout the year as a beneficial and time-saving task. References Abrahamson, A (2002). An overview of research on teaching and learning with classroom communication systems (CCS). Retrieved March 22, 2012, from http://www.bedu.com/Publications/Samos.htmlDraper, S., Cargill, J., & Cutts, O. (2002). Electronically enhanced classroom interaction. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 13-23. Earl, L. (2003). Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin. Shaffer, D. M. and Collura M. J. (2009). Evaluating the effectiveness of a classroom personal response system. Psychology Teaching, 273-277. Sharkey, N. & Murnane, R. (2003, November). The challenges of responsibility. Learning from student assessment results, pp. 77-81.