In this section you will design assessment strategies that provide evidence or your students’ ability to achieve your intended learning outcome(s). In the BOPPPS model, assessment is split into Pre-assessment and Post-assessment.
Pre-assessment is often thought of as a pair of identical tests (a before and after) that can be used to identify if and to what extent students’ knowledge has changed as a result of teaching. However, Hockett and Doubet (2013) warn that pre-assessment used in this way can act as a “thief of instructional time” that “does little to actually increase student learning”.
“Pre-assessments serve as diagnostic tools, helping instructors identify students’ prior knowledge and potential misconceptions before introducing new content, which ensures that lessons are tailored to address the students’ specific needs.” (Gamage, 2025)
As Gamage indicates, pre-assessments should instead be designed in a way that “gauge students’ understanding in addition to their knowledge and skill”. The instructor should then adjust their content to meet the current level of understanding of the class. Guskey (2018) also stated that pre-assessments are most effective when “students understand that the purpose is to assure their success – not judge or evaluate them as learners” (p. 5), as such they are typically formative assessments.
Pre-assessments should be part of each BOPPPS lesson plan and should be constructively aligned with intended learning outcomes (ISW Handbook, 2021, p. 14). Consider the following examples of pre-assessments:
Students are asked to complete content in 3 columns of a table:
The final column is typically completed after the learning has taken place as a formative self-reflective activity.
A pre-assessment question is posted on a board (physical or digital) and students are asked to write an answer as they enter the class. In a Carousel of Catalysts students rotate through multiple boards with different pre-assessment questions.
Groups of students are asked to write down or draw concept maps for everything they currently know about a topic and share with the class.
Digital software such as Poll Everywhere, Mentimeter and Slido can be used to create polls and ask open ended questions to check student understanding of pre-requisite content. Instructors should use the polls to gauge student understanding of a topic, rather than just basic recall of facts.
Professors can use open questioning to determine the various perspectives and level of understanding students have on a topic and correct any misunderstandings. Anonymous digital posting can encourage more student participation.
For additional ideas, review these 50 Pre-assessment Strategies.
Used properly, Hockett and Doubet (2013) view pre-assessment as a “time-saver” that can “help the teacher direct the focus of a unit more precisely on what’s most essential for students to learn or master, given what they already know or don’t know.” (p. 53).
Post-assessment can be used for summative evaluation of student learning, or as an additional formative assessment step as part of the learning process. Again, the assessment techniques used should be constructively aligned with the intended learning outcomes of the course (ISW Handbook, 2021, p. 14).
“…post-assessments provide valuable insights into students’ conceptual development, allowing instructors to assess the effectiveness of their teaching strategies.” (Gamage, 2025)
Many instructors will be familiar with formal, summative post-assessment techniques such as exams, essays, case studies, practical skills tests, projects, etc. All of these have their place in classroom teaching and student learning. However, post-assessment can also be achieved with short, formative in-class activities such as the following:
If KWL was used as a pre-assessment technique, students are asked after the lesson to revisit the (L) column.
(L) Summarize their learnings from the session
Exit tickets / one minute papers can be used to allow students to briefly demonstrate their understanding of the topic at the end of a lesson. They could be used by having students list their top 1-3 takeaways from the lesson (which should hopefully align with the intended learning outcomes) or they could be used to have students answer a question or solve a problem related to the topic, to see if they are able to apply their learning by the end of the class.
Students assess their own work, or the work of a peer, against a rubric that is provided by the instructor. If the former, a self-reflection activity can be used to allow them to identify areas for improvement. If the latter, peers can provide constructive feedback for how to improve further.
A big picture diagram can be useful to assess students understanding of a complex topic and how the various components fit together as a whole. Begin drawing a representation of the topic on the board and ask students to add to the diagram to demonstrate their understanding of individual components and the relationship between components.
Students are provided with a board showing multiple options of how to demonstrate their understanding of the topic learned (e.g written, drawing, speech, poster, presentation). Students can submit their chosen method of content delivery to the instructor or share with the class.
Table 1: Summary of pre-assessment and post-assessment options
Choose one of the options below to review an example of what pre-assessment and post-assessment might look like when it is constructively aligned with a learning outcome.
In his synthesis of over 1200 meta-analyses of “What works best?” in higher education teaching, Hattie (2015) indicated that assessments should move beyond surface level learning (i.e. memorization and recall) demonstrated through multiple choice quizzes. He also indicated that formative assessment has a high impact on student achievement, particularly when feedback is paired with student reflection on how to take actionable steps to improve.
Return to your BOPPPS template and continue your lesson planning by completing the sections for pre-assessment and post-assessment. Remember to ensure that both types of assessment are constructively aligned with the learning outcome(s) you wrote.
Pay particular attention to the verb you chose. As Biggs stated, “The verb in the ILO becomes the common link that establishes alignment between the ILO, the teaching/learning activities, and the assessment tasks.” (Biggs 2014)
Biggs, J. (2014). Constructive Alignment in University Teaching. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 1, 5-22. https://herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-1/5-22)
Hattie, J.A. (2015), The applicability of Visible Learning to Higher Education, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp 79–91.
Hockett, J. & Doubet, K. (2013). Turning on the Lights: What Pre-assesment Can Do, Educational Leadership, Vol. 71, No. 4, pp 50-54.
Gamage, C. M. (2025). Impact of Pre-Assessment and Post-Assessment in an introductory real analysis course. ArXiv.org. httrtps://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2505.22479
ISW Handbook. Instructional Skills Workshop Network. (2021). https://www.iswnetwork.ca/resources/isw-and-fdw-handbooks/
University Library – University of Saskatchewan. Instructional Support: BOPPPS Model: Pre-Assessment. Retrieved May 8th 2026 from https://libguides.usask.ca/c.php?g=696596&p=4941311
Vanthuyne, A. (2025), Conestoga College Teaching & Learning, Pre-assessments in Lesson Planning, Retrieved May 8th 2026 from https://tlconestoga.ca/pre-assessments-in-lesson-planning/
Guskey, T. R. (2018), Does pre–assessment work?, Educational Leadership, 75(5), 52-57.
Lasevoli, B. (2022), Using Choice Boards for Students to Differentiate Instruction, Shaped, Retrieved May 8th 2026 from https://www.hmhco.com/blog/choice-boards-for-students