Assessments at the beginning of the year is one of those things that must be done, yet cause teachers anxiety and headaches. It gives us valuable information and helps with our planning, but it can be a logistical nightmare. What do you do with the other 20+ students while you are testing little Johnny or Susie? Granted, you can test a few during recess (if your school allows that) or maybe even ask parents if they could bring their child in 30 minutes early on a designated day. But, the bottom line is assessing is necessary but time consuming.
One day I had one of those "I need to work smarter, not harder moments". Beginning of the year is when we teach our rules and procedures, right? Why not integrate assessment with that?